Ex-Pakistan Star's "Overconfident" Dig At Indian Team After 1st T20I Loss Against West Indies
Chasing a target of 150 against West Indies in the first T20I, India lost the match by 4 runs.
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has criticised the Indian team after the side lost the first T20I match against West Indies at Tarouba, Trinidad on Thursday. The hosts stunned India by four runs as the tourists flopped in pursuit of a modest 150-run target. Well-placed at 77 for 3 in the 11th over thanks to debutant Tilak Varma's top score of 39 and 21 from Suryakumar Yadav, India then lost six wickets for just 68 runs. Akmal said that India were "overconfident" during the chase.
"When they (India) came for chase, I thought the captain, the coach, the management, they were overconfident. It felt like they thought, 'it's a nothing total'. You have to plan. I didn't see that. I saw experiments, but you need to plan with it. You need to plan the player's roles, keeping in mind whether they're making a comeback or already a part of the side," said Akmal on his YouTube channel.
Akmal was also unhappy with the batting order of the Indian team in the first T20I. The Hardik Pandya-led side sent Suryakumar at the number 3 spot. Varma followed him while Hardik Pandya was the next batter. Sanju Samson was sent to bat at the sixth position.
"When I talk about Sanju (Samson), does he play in IPL at number 6? He plays in the top 4, give him a chance there. If (Virat) Kohli and Rohit (Sharma) aren't there, these batsmen should play higher in the order. If you send him at 6, thinking he played aggressively in the last ODI so he can do that again. It doesn't happen every time," added Akmal.
India play the second T20I against West Indies in Guyana on Sunday.
(With AFP Inputs)
India Cricket Team
West Indies Cricket Team
Kamran Akmal
Sanju Samson
Hardik Pandya