Former India captain Anil Kumble has strongly criticized the Indian side after they were comprehensively beaten by England in the third T20I. It was a loss that pushed Shreyas Iyer’s side to a series with no win at that point, and brought pressure on the new skipper following a poor start to his stint at the helm.
India were bowled out for a dismal 76 off a tough target, one of their worst displays in recent years. Kumble said it was complete surrender from a team of India’s quality when they were in difficult situations.
Kumble said that the Indian side got it wrong, as they rushed to attack the English bowlers from the very beginning. He thought one of the batters in the order should have taken the pressure and built an innings and go deep into the chase instead of everyone being for quick boundaries.
Kumble Questions Team Selection and Constant Changes
The former India coach also expressed his worry about the tactics used by the team in the run chase. He had challenged the decision of promoting Harshit Rana over Shivam Dube, adding that it was the duty of senior batters to perform in pressure situations and not rely on a pinch hitter.
Kumble also expressed his disappointment over the frequent changes being made to India’s bowling attack. He added that the players were losing them “after one bad game” and this was not helping them to find their feet at the international level.
Cumbing pointed out that bowlers like Prasidh Krishna and Prince Yadav have had little continuity despite being good. The management should decide on their best bowler and stick with it rather than simply changing up the sides all the time, he feels.
The legendary spinner also emphasized on the importance of confidence in international cricket. Players should feel confident that after they have had a bad game, it won’t cost them their spot on the team, he said. He asked selectors and management to be more patient in the selection as consistency in selection gives better returns in the long run.
India are under a huge pressure to come up with a recovery performance in the remaining matches of the series with England having an edge. With another loss, England will clinch the series and Shreyas Iyer will be keen to get his first win as India’s full-time T20I captain and put the dampers on the rising criticism that has recently been leveled at the team.