The Indian bowlers have disappointed the team in the last two matches of the Asia Cup. The way they bowled against Hong Kong and Pakistan was lacklustre in the group stage. And that’s why India had to face defeat despite such a big target against Pakistan.
Mohammad Nawaz played a major role in this victory for Pakistan, as soon as he came to the crease, he batted aggressively and put pressure on the Indian bowlers. Although the Indian team was seen raising their hope in the last five overs when Bhuvneshwar took the wicket of Nawaz. But after that, Bhuvneshwar lost his rhythm in the 19th over, which helped the Pakistani batters win the game.
At the same time, Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian side, could be seen looking frustrated by the dearth of a fast bowler. Although Rohit’s captaincy deserves praise, the way he used bowlers properly in pressure situations.
In such a situation, the Indian team will be under more pressure to win both remaining matches. However, coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma will have to focus on the team’s shortcomings, and the selection of bowlers, particularly in the playing XI, will have to be cautious because the bowlers have performed poorly for the second time in a row.
India’s middle order is doing well at present and is scoring runs consistently. Although Virat Kohli is in good form and this is a good sign for the Indian team. The rest of the batsmen will also need to score runs here, which has not been seen in all three matches so far.
Undoubtedly, the Indian opening pair got off to a good start against Pakistan, but still, if we look at the scores of Rohit and KL Rahul, then both of them scored only 28–28 runs. In such a situation, both these senior players need to bat with the responsibility.
The writer is a former player and selector of the Indian team