T20 World Cup 2022: Saba Karim unhappy with Rohit Sharma blaming bowlers for semifinal loss against England
Former Indian player Saba Karim has expressed his disappointment at Rohit Sharma for blaming the bowlers after India lost their T20 World Cup knockout tie against England in Adelaide on Thursday (November 10). Karim said that the Adelaide pitch looked perfect for batting, but Indian batters failed to step up.
It's worth mentioning that India scored 38-1 in the powerplay. They were 62-2 after ten overs and reached 100 in the 15th over. A late flourish from Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli’s fifty helped them set England a 169-run target.
KL Rahul departed cheaply, while Rohit contributed 27 off 28.
In response, England openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales made light work of the Indian bowlers and chased the target with a whopping four overs to spare. They will now play Pakistan in Melbourne on Sunday (November 13).
Speaking to India News, Saba Karim said:
“What did Rohit Sharma think before he said it (blame bowlers) in the post-match show? It’s tough to say. One team finished the match in 16 overs, which means the wicket was perfect for batting.”
The former Indian selector also questioned why Rohit and his team didn't play the aggressive brand of cricket the captain had promised after taking over the reins from Virat Kohli in T20Is after the 2021 T20 World Cup.
“What happened to our template of playing an aggressive brand of cricket?”
“There was no fire” – Reetinder Sodhi disgusted with Team India’s batting performance in T20 World Cup semifinal
Former India player Reetinder Singh Sodhi was disgusted with India’s batting approach against England in the T20 World Cup semifinal. He questioned India’s score of 62-2 after ten overs.
The veteran lamented their idea of saving wickets before finally unleashing in the last few overs. Meanwhile, the England batters showed their intent right from the very first over.
Powerplay scores:
India - 38/1.
England - 63/0.
Speaking on the same show as Saba Karim, Sodhi said:
“Team India’s approach was tough to understand. You score 62 runs, and do not take a chance. You want to save the wickets till the end. What did you do anyway?
He continued:
"If Hardik Pandya had not scored, 120 would have been tough to score. Our batting is labeled as deep as the Atlantic Ocean, firepower, fire in the belly. It remained a belly. There was no fire.”
The Men in Blue will next be seen in action in New Zealand. Team India are scheduled to play three T20Is and as many ODIs.
The opening T20I will be played in Wellington on Friday (November 18). The action will then shift to Mount Maunganui (November 20) and Napier (November 22) for the second and third T20Is.
Several senior players, including Kohli and Rohit, have been rested following the team's exit at the T20 World Cup.