Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that Team India, captained by Virat Kohli. It would be exposed in the knockout stages of the present T20 World Cup because they lack a backup plan.
On Sunday, India will meet Pakistan, their arch-rival.
When India’s top-order fails in a knockout match, Hussain believes they don’t have a backup plan.
“When they get to a stage you look at the last World Cup against New Zealand and suddenly it’s a low-scoring game and they don’t have a Plan B. They got rolled over a very good New Zealand side. So that’s going to be an issue for them,” Hussain said
“The other problem with India is that they are so good at the top with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul boss games and the middle order hasn’t had much of a hit. “You get to a knockout or final and suddenly they are at 30 for 3 because the standard has gone up. The middle-order hasn’t had a hit and you go now you need to do it,” he added.
“They are favorites. I wouldn’t say clear favorites simply because of the format. The shorter the game, things can happen,” Hussain said.
“… an individual brilliance of 70 or 80 or three deliveries suddenly changes the other away around. So anyone could upset India in any knockout game,” he added.
MS Dhoni
Hussain also brought up India’s dismal track record in recent ICC tournament knockout stages. MS Dhoni-led India to their last ICC trophy in 2013 when they overcame England to win the Champions Trophy.
“Their record of late in the ICC tournaments is not good and that’s something. They are going to have to deal with the weight of expectations of the Indian audience and fans heavy on their shoulders when they get to a knockout game. All of a sudden you cannot afford a mistake and that’s going to be a thing for them,” he said.
According to the former England cricketer, Kohli and his teammates must also deal with the weight of expectation placed on their shoulders as a result of the team’s exceptional skill.
Read more: Dinesh Karthik says “Rishabh Pant is a better batsman than Ishan Kishan” in T20 World Cup 2021