"Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma Came To Change...": England Great On What Went Wrong For India
Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma were put in charge of Indian team after T20 World Cup 2021.
The Indian cricket team's unceremonious exit from the T20 World Cup has raised some big questions over their approach to T20 cricket. The 10-wicket defeat to England has put the careers of a number of veterans on the line. While some suggest bringing Hardik Pandya as the new T20I skipper is going to help the team change the way they go about in the shortest format, former England captain Nasser Hussain feels it's not the players but the mindset that needs to change. Hussain even suggested that India need an Eoin Morgan kind of personality to make that change.
In a chat with Michael Atherton on Sky Sports Cricket, Hussain lauded the talent pool that India have. Though the injury absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja hurt them, Nasser feels it's the team's “timid approach” that cost them the game in the knockout clash against England.
“India still a massive force. You look at their team on paper. You look at the players they could've picked. There were a couple of blows like most sides had, like Jasprit Bumrah and Jadeja being injured. But, when it comes to knockout games, the approach needs to change.
"I had even asked Ravi Shastri, he said ‘we played pretty timid cricket' with the bat and that's got to change. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid came to change that, and they did it in bilaterals, they did it against England. Suryakumar Yadav smashed it around Trent Bridge, got a brilliant 115 (117 off 55). But then, you've got to take it into a game, where you know that you know that if you lose, the sort of criticism you are going to get," he said.
Hussain feels India went back into their old system in the semi-final against England and opted for a cautious approach in the powerplay. According to him, India need is someone like Eoin Morgan who would inspire them to go bonkers from ball one.
“The first time that got that into a knockout game, they slipped back into their old way of being 66 for 2 after 10.
“There's talk about younger guns coming through but it's not the players, but the mindset. They need an Eoin Morgan-type character to go in there and say play carefree cricket. 20 overs, go and smash it as much as you can for 20 overs. Play like you play in the IPL and smash it. Do it for India and don't worry about the noise. Shut out the noise and we'll back if you are bowled out for 120,” he stressed.
With the next T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in 2024, a lot of changes are expected to take place in the Indian team, with some fresh faces coming in and a few veterans going out.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Eoin Morgan