‘Their bowling expose extremely badly,’ says Shoaib Akhtar after India’s humiliating defeat against England. Against England in the semi-finals, Indian bowlers failed to take a single wicket.
India’s heartbreaking semi-final loss to England in Adelaide extended their ICC trophy drought, which began in 2013. However, the manner of the defeat raised eyebrows in the cricketing community, exposing the Indian bowling contingent. Shoaib Akhtar, a former Pakistani fast, slammed the Indian squad, stating they deserved to lose after playing poor cricket.
While Rohit Sharma’s side scraped to a respectable score after batting first, reality set in during England’s chase when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales went hammer and tonks on the Indian pacers in the powerplay. Shoaib Akhtar stated that the lack of a quick pacer in bowling-friendly conditions exposed India’s fast bowling. The ex-Pakistani cricketer was also perplexed by the absence of renowned leggie Yuzvendra Chahal from any of the tournament matches.
“It’s a very embarrassing loss for India. They played terribly and they deserved to lose and didn’t deserve to qualify for the finals. India were beaten very badly. Their bowling was exposed very badly. These conditions are helpful for fast bowling, and India don’t have an express pacer. I am not sure why they didn’t play Chahal in a single match. It’s a confusing team selection for India,”
Akhtar said.
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The former tearaway quick noticed that the Indian bowlers capitulated under strain as the English openers pounced on them. They made no new moves and instead waited for the batters to make a mistake. Their lack of aggressiveness cost them a lot of money. He also stated that Hardik Pandya, who has been named stand-in captain for the New Zealand series, is capable of permanently replacing Rohit Sharma.
“It was a really bad day for India as their heads went down after they lost the toss. When England batted their first five overs, the Indians raised their hands. At least, India should have tried to fight, come round the wicket and bowl bouncers. They showed no aggression whatsoever,” he stated. “There is a lot to think about for Indian cricket. Hardik Pandya is an emerging captain for New Zealand and he has a chance of being permanent,”
Akhtar added.