Shoaib Akhtar criticizes India after their humiliating loss to England -‘Their bowling was exposed very badly’. In their matchup with England in the semifinals, the Indian bowlers failed to claim a single wicket.
India has been without an ICC title since 2013, and their agonizing semifinal loss to England in Adelaide made that wait even longer. However, the way in which the team was defeat made headlines. In the cricket community. And exposed the Indian bowling team. Shoaib Akhtar, a former sprinter for Pakistan, criticized the Indian squad for their poor cricket, stating they deserved to lose.
While Rohit Sharma’s team struggled to a respectable score after electing to bat first in the game, reality set in during England’s pursuit of the target when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales pounded the Indian pacers in the powerplay. According to Shoaib Akhtar, India’s fast bowling was expose by the lack of a quick pacer in bowler-friendly conditions. The ex-cricketer from Pakistan was also perplex by Yuzvendra Chahal’s lack of selection for 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 stated.
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They showed no aggression whatsoever: Akhtar
The former tearaway pacer claimed that as the English openers started attacking them, the Indian bowlers buckled under the pressure. They did not do anything unusual and continued to wait for the batters to make a mistake. They paid a high price for their timidity. He said that Hardik Pandya, who has been designated the interim captain for the New Zealand series, may eventually succeed Rohit Sharma as captain permanently.
“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,”
He added.
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