"Can't afford to make so many changes" - RP Singh on Team India's Asia Cup 2022 performance
Former Indian cricketer RP Singh believes Team India only have themselves to blame for their disappointing Asia Cup 2022 campaign. Rohit Sharma and Co. crashed out of the Super Fours phase with heartbreaking defeats against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The former left-arm pacer feels the Men in Blue made too many changes to their lineups, which affected the team balance. Injuries didn't help either, with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Avesh Khan ruled out almost midway through the tournament.
Speaking to India TV, RP Singh stressed the effects of too much 'experimentation' in a multi-national tournament like the Asia Cup. He said:
"Wholesale experiments can be done at India A level or in the IPL or domestic cricket. You can't afford to make so many changes in the Indian team. This has not started happening just from Rahul Dravid's tenure but has been a common occurrence in the past 5-6 years.
"You need to understand that the insecurity among the players increases and it disturbs the balance of the team."
Rohit Sharma said, "We'll try out more players in Australia and South Africa series till the T20 World Cup squad is announced. The present team is 95% set to play the T20 World Cup and a few changes will occur later".
RP Singh has no doubts about the quality of players in the team. However, he wanted them to focus more on reading the game situation. He added:
"There is no doubt about the quality of the team. It's just that their game management has been horrible. Every player wants to play their natural game instead of assessing the situation and adapting accordingly. So it is very important for the players to convert their potential into performances."
RP Singh on Team India's middle-order woes
Virat Kohli had a brilliant Asia Cup and came roaring back to form, scoring 276 runs in five innings. The likes of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma also showed glimpses of returning to their best.
However, the middle-order has been highly inconsistent and that arguably proved to be the difference between Team India and their opponents in the games they lost. RP Singh explained:
"Players from the middle-order have scored runs in the IPL, but when it comes to the Indian team, it's a huge worry. We talk about the top order being weak but it's the top order itself that has salvaged some pride for us in the Asia Cup.
"So you should only pick proven players and not hand out too many India caps as it will just give players an illusion that they are in the national scheme of things."
Will Men in Blue continue to experiment with their playing XI in the upcoming series against Australia? Or will they finally play a settled XI ahead of the T20 World Cup? Let us know in the comments.