T20 World Cup 2021: "Virat, Ravi and Dhoni need to be on the same page for India, I believe they are not" - Monty Panesar
Former England spinner panesar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Monty Panesar believes Indian skipper Virat Kohli, coach Ravi Shastri and mentor MS Dhoni are not on the same page. Panesar reckons the triad needs to sit down and sort things out quickly.
Title favorites prior to the tournament, India have looked dismal in their first two encounters. They are on the verge of elimination from the group stages of the T20 World Cup 2021. After their embarrassing defeat to Pakistan by 10 wickets, India got another jolt when they suffered another comprehensive loss against New Zealand.
In an exclusive interview with the Times of India, Monty Panesar opined that Virat Kohli can still turn things around in his nation's favor. The 39-year old said:
"India can still qualify. They can still turn it around. But it needs a lot of things and all will depend on Virat, Ravi and Dhoni. Virat, Ravi and Dhoni need to be on the same page. I believe they are not."
Panesar also believes that people will largely remember the Indian skipper as a great batter, but will criticize him for his inability to lift major silverware with India.
"People will remember Virat as a great batsman and massive chaser but will always criticize him as a leader because he couldn't do anything when the team was under crisis and he failed to turn it around. India need to win all the three games massively," said Panesar.
India will face Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia in their remaining fixtures. The Men in Blue will be aiming to win all three matches by big margins, and will hope for New Zealand to slip up in one of their games.
"If India had won the toss, things would have been different." - Monty Panesar
Former left-arm orthodox spinner Monty Panesar also pointed out that the toss has played a significant role in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He opined that if India, who lost both of their tosses, had won any of them, things would've been different.
The 39-year old also divulged that Virat Kohli is low on confidence and should work things out along with his coach and mentor. Panesar mentioned:
"Toss played a crucial role in the tournament. In UAE, the team who wins the toss first, they have an upper hand. If India had won the toss, things would have been different."
"Virat doesn't have the best XI at the moment. He is low on confidence. Virat, Ravi and Dhoni need to sit down and sort this out quickly as some easy games are coming up. They need to work things out in terms of approach, play and strategy," Panesar concluded.
It remains to be seen how the Virat Kohli-led side will respond to all the criticism when they face their Asian neighbors Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on November 3.