After an underwhelming T20 World Cup campaign, the men in blue have been under the target of hostility. In the recently concluded T20 World Cup, England trounced an in-form Indian line-up and eventually took the cup home.
The Indian Cricket Team have faced a great deal of backlash since their unexpected departure. Concerns have been expressed regarding the significance of seasoned players in the T20I team following India’s elimination from the T20 World Cup 2022.
Critics have suggested that the BCCI should enter the upcoming T20 World Cup with a younger group, replacing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Kl Rahul.
In the meantime, doubts are also being raised about the attitudes displayed by some of the players at the recently finished World Cup, which assisted England to win the encounter by 10 wickets.
Michael Atherton, a former England cricketer, is one of many people who have questioned the intentions of India’s top order, which also includes Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.
Rohit Sharma Has Bagged Three ODI Double-Hundreds: Nasser Hussain
Atherton questioned Nasser Hussain, a former England captain, on whether the Indian batters’ fear of losing their position prevents them from batting freely. Atherton was silenced by Hussain, who claimed that Rohit should be allowed to bat freely because he has three double centuries in ODI cricket.
Atherton commented on Sky Sports, “You talk about the Morgan impact on England, and rightly so. But do you think it’s harder in India for two reasons, one is the number of cricketers they have so obviously the competition is greater. You kind of feel, if you lose your place and somebody comes in, you might not get your spot back again. And also, the differential between the match fees paid by BCCI and sponsorship arrangements that these big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul, there’s a huge differential, much bigger than England. Do you think these two factors make it more difficult for India?”
The lack of intent by India’s openers was the primary reason for India’s early exit from the competition. The Indian Captain Rohit Sharma refrained from executing big shots most of the time and added an extra layer of pressure while batting.
The right-handed batter only managed to score 116 runs in his campaign, including one half-century, while KL Rahul also bagged only 128 runs in 6 innings, with a mediocre strike rate of 120.8.
In his reaction, Hussain pointed to Rohit Sharma’s three double hundreds in the white ball format and said that while playing courageous cricket, he shouldn’t be concerned about losing his position.
Hussain said, “I think you are complicating things. I wouldn’t be worried if they weren’t incredibly talented cricketers. You’re not talking about someone who is on the edge of the seat for a place in the side. You’re talking about Rohit Sharma, who has got three double hundreds in ODI cricket, so the guy can smash it. You’re talking about KL Rahul, when you do see him bat. I think it’s the fear.”
The trio of Kohli, Rohit, and Rahul has been rested for the ongoing New Zealand tour. In absence of Rohit, Hardik Panya will lead the Indian side in T20Is while Shikhar Dhawan captain India in One-day Internationals.
