India’s heartbreaking semi-final loss to England in Adelaide extended their wait for a World Cup trophy. However, the manner of the defeat raised eyebrows in the cricketing community, exposing the Indian bowling contingent. Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistani speedster, slammed the Indian team, saying they deserved to lose after playing poor cricket.
While India scored a respectable total after batting first, reality set in during England’s chase when Jos Buttler and Alex Hales went all out against the Indian pacers in the powerplay. Shoaib Akhtar stated that India’s fast bowling was exposed due to a lack of a quick pacer in bowling-friendly conditions. The ex-Pakistani cricketer was also perplexed by the absence of star leggie Yuzvendra Chahal from any of the tournament’s 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 was quoted as saying in his video.
Hardik Pandya is an emerging captain: Shoaib Akhtar
The former tearaway pacer observed that once the English openers took the attack to them, the Indian bowlers capitulated under pressure. They didn’t try anything new, instead waiting for the batters to make a mistake. They paid a high price for their lack of aggression. He also stated that Hardik Pandya, who has been named the stand-in captain for the New Zealand series, has the potential to replace Rohit Sharma 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,” Akhtar added.
