Former England captain Nasser Hussain has been vocal in criticizing India’s conservative batting approach in the first 10 overs of a T20I. Hussain claimed he received a lot of backlash on Twitter for criticizing India’s top order, which included Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, rather than Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Hussain provided those Twitter trolls with a detailed explanation, stating that the batting units of Pakistan and India are vastly different. According to the former right-hander, Babar and Rizwan have little choice but to bat conservatively at the top because they lack players like Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya in the middle order to change the course of the game.
Twitter was going crazy, saying ‘how come you only talk about India and not Pakistan?’ It’s something entirely different. Pakistan lacks batting depth, as evidenced by the last few overs of the final. They don’t have Suryakumar Yadav or Hardik Pandya to come in and smash it, Hussain explained on Sky Sports.
The former England captain went on to say that Pakistan can afford not to score a big total because they have the best bowling attack in the world. This cannot be said of India.
Pakistan also has the best bowling attack. So, even if they only get par, they are still in the game. You’re out of the game if India gets par against England on a pitch like Adelaide. One thing is certain: India has talent. The issue is not with the players, but with their mindset. They need an Eoin Morgan-type player who says, Go in and smash it for 20 overs. He continued.
India are looking for a mental shift after being knocked out of the T20 World Cup semi-finals by England by a humiliating 10-wicket defeat. Their first test, a three-match series against New Zealand, will begin on Friday.
Hardik Pandya will captain a young Indian team that will be missing Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, R Ashwin, and Dinesh Karthik.
