Inconsistent middle-order a worrying sign for India: Kris Srikkanth

Kris Srikkanth feels despite a good tour to South Africa; there is scope for improvement for team India. Especially, Srikkanth pointed out to India’s struggling middle-order which has failed to come good consistently.

Srikkanth seemed worried that apart from Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dawan, other batsmen have not shown consistency. Srikkanth has played 43 Test matches and 146 ODIs for India. Further, he was a part of 1983 World Cup winning team.

Middle-order an area of concern:

Srikkanth pointed out two loopholes in otherwise a successful tour of India. Srikkanth feels India’s middle-order problems should be addressed.

“However, one of the key areas of concern is the consistency factor with the middle-order and to an extent the form of the opening batsmen in red-ball cricket. The first Test at Cape Town was in our pocket and we should have won it easily. The defeat was due to the batting debacle and it hurt us badly. The openers didn’t fire in all the Tests and it has to be addressed,” Srikkanth wrote.

Further, he pointed that openers have failed to give proper starts in red ball cricket.

“While the openers turned things around in the shorter formats, the middle-order, apart from Kohli, has been very inconsistent across all formats,” he wrote. Yes, there have been a couple of sparkling performances here and there from a few middle-order batsmen. However, consistency is lacking and it is vital to have a solid middle-order, which is the backbone of any side. It’s a worrying sign and it has to be looked into so that we can notch up more victories abroad,” he added.

A successful tour for India:

Also, Srikkanth praised the way India bounced back from 2-0 down in the Test series. Meanwhile, India came back 2-1 from 2-0 down beating South Africa in the third Test.

“Summing it up, I would term it is a successful tour for India in South Africa. If I was the captain, I would be pleased with the way the team bounced back in Johannesburg and never looked back,” Srikkanth mentioned.

Further, Srikkanth picked  Kohli and the bowlers as the standout performers. Indian pacer surprised one and all the way they bowled throughout the Test series. Following them, the spinners turned things in ODIs with a 5-1 victory.

“Overall, there are quite a few positives from this trip. Kohli has been amazing with the bat and in leading the troops from the front. The bowling unit has been exceptional. Pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami have been on the ball throughout the Test series. The wrist spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav joined the party during the ODIs, baffling the hosts with their guile,” Srikkanth summed up.

Meanwhile, Srikkanth India could have won the Test series. Although, he is happy with how the tour has shaped up for India.

“Things still look bright though and it’s a good sign for the Indian team heading into the overseas tours later this year,” Srikkanth concluded.

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