"I don't know why they made such a decision. Were they scared?" - Danish Kaneria on India electing to bowl first in WTC 2023 final
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has questioned Team India's decision to bowl first after winning the toss in the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final against Australia.
He suggested that India may have been "scared" to bat first, considering the grass covering on the Oval surface. Kaneria claimed that Australia would have surely looked to bat first had they won the toss.
Kaneria said on his YouTube channel:
"India chose to bowl first after winning the toss. I don't know why they made such a decision. Were they scared? They saw a slight covering of grass on the wicket and straightaway opted to field first. It doesn't matter what Pat Cummins says, but Australia would have surely batted first on this surface."
Notably, India's decision to field first backfired, as Australia went on to post an impressive 4690-run total upfront. Travis Head and Steve Smith put their team in a commanding position, scoring 163 and 121, respectively.
"There was no need to travel with so many spinners" - Danish Kaneria on India's squad for WTC 2023 final
Danish Kaneria further stated that the Indian selectors didn't name the right squad for the summit clash, suggesting that there wasn't a need to travel with three spinners.
The former spinner opined that tearaway quick Umran Malik should have been considered. He mentioned that the speedster's addition would have helped the Indian batters in their practice, adding:
"When you look at India's squad, there was no need to travel with so many spinners. Umran Malik should have been named in the squad in place of Axar Patel. By doing so, they would have been able to practice against someone who has genuine pace."
AUSTRALIA WIN! 🇦🇺
A comprehensive win for Australia in the WTC 2023 Final as they beat India by 209 runs.
Champions! 👏🏆
#WTC23 #AUSvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/XmNhZlUG81
Rohit Sharma and Co. have received widespread criticism following their 209-run loss to Australia in the WTC 2023 final, with the team management coming under the scanner for their decision-making.