IND vs PAK 2022: "I do not even pay heed to the statements by the captain or coach" - Virender Sehwag on Team India's confusing approach in terms of selection
Former India batter Virender Sehwag noted the contradiction and confusion created by the statements made by the captain and coach ahead of matches.
The Men In Blue, who have been forced to divert from their original team plans due to injuries, lost against Pakistan by five wickets in their first Super 4s encounter of the 2022 Asia Cup on September 4.
Rohit Sharma's side has had to shuffle between Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik following the return of KL Rahul. Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel were ruled out ahead of the tournament and India has now been hit with yet another blow with Ravindra Jadeja's critical knee injury as well.
What did Rahul Dravid say to Virat Kohli in the nets? 🤔
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Noting that he currently takes the statements made by the coach and captain with a grain of salt, Sehwag said on Cricbuzz:
"I do not even pay heed to the statements by the captain or coach. One day the coach comes out and tells something, then Rohit says something else."
Hinting that the side could have used the services of a designated finisher during the contest against Pakistan, he added:
"We scored with a run rate of 9.8 in the final overs, had Dinesh Karthik been there, it could have been 11.80 and we would have won the game."
Losing the wickets of Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya in quick succession ahead of the final overs arguably robbed India of scoring 15-20 extra runs. While Virat Kohli and Deepak Hooda held the fort well in the dying stages, the team scored 46 runs in the final five overs.
"It is confirmed that India will take on Pakistan in the final" - Ajay Jadeja on the prospect of India getting eliminated in the Super 4s
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Following their narrow loss against Pakistan, the Men in Blue will likely have to win both their remaining matches in the Super 4s to make it to the final. They are slated to face Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in the coming days, who could prove to be tricky customers given their current form.
That's that from another close game against Pakistan.
Pakistan win by 5 wickets.
Up next, #TeamIndia play Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Scorecard - bit.ly/AsiaCup2022-IN… #INDvPAK #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/Ou1n4rJxHu
Claiming that the prospect of making it to the finals should be a cakewalk for the Men in Blue, who are among the best T20I sides at the moment, former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja said during the same interaction:
"We are trying to win a World Cup with this team. I understand that the game can be tricky, just as we saw Zimbabwe beat Australia the other day, when our second-string team beat them without breaking a sweat."
He added:
"Even if we think that India cannot qualify for the finals from this situation, we should not be even thinking that. It is confirmed that India will take on Pakistan in the final, that is my opinion."
The Rohit Sharma-led are scheduled to take on Sri Lanka in their next Super 4s encounter. The contest will take place at the Dubai International Stadium on September 6 (Tuesday).
Will India make it to the finals of the 2022 Asia Cup? Let us know what you think.