IND vs PAK: "There Are Very Few Bowlers In T20 Cricket Who Claim Wickets," - Virender Sehwag Believes Batsmen Usually Gift Their Wicket In The Shortest Format

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag feels that wicket-taking bowlers are very less in the T20 format who can pick up wickets at ease. In T20 cricket, Sehwag believes that batsmen determine the fall of wickets and not bowlers. The majority of wickets will come when batsmen start to increase the scoring rate, but in other formats, bowlers must work hard to produce a breakthrough.

Sehwag stated on Cricbuzz that bowlers tend to bowl defensively because they are afraid of giving boundaries.

Virender Sehwag Opens Up On India’s Bowling Failure vs Pakistam

“There are very less bowlers in T20 cricket that claims wickets. Usually, it is the batter who gifts his wicket by either slogging or even gets run out. Very few bowlers who can get a wicket by bowling yorkers. Bowlers, out of fear of getting hit, lose the confidence of getting wickets by bowling in the good areas,” Virender Sehwag said.

The former Indian opener added that captains prefer bowlers who take up wickets at the correct time.

“There are very few bowlers who are capable of taking wickets at will. Everyone prefers those kinds of bowlers, who take wickets at the right time,” he added.

In the middle overs, Indian bowlers failed to get a breakthrough when Muhammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz put on a 73-run third-wicket stand with a good scoring rate. Sehwag further added that Nawaz played the most impactful innings of any Pakistan batter.

“I think Nawaz played a more impactful innings, because that was a crucial stage. Had he not scored 40 off 22 deliveries, Pakistan would not have reached till the end,” he further added.

To counter India’s leg-spin pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi, Pakistan team management sent a left-arm all-rounder up the order. The strategy worked because Nawaz’s batting allowed Rizwan to continue anchoring the innings from the other end without feeling pressed.

During a tough part of the run chase, the left-handed batter entered the crease. In the ninth over, the scoreboard read 63-2 after Fakhar Zaman was dismissed. He got right to work as a floater batter, smashing two boundaries of the first two balls he faced.

“Nawaz helped take the pressure off Rizwan. Had a set batter got out while trying to increase the rate, it would have been difficult for two new batters at the crease. During that partnership, there were a couple of boundaries in each over. So Rizwan never felt the pressure of scoring quickly. Such a partnership is ideal for all formats,” Virender Sehwag concluded.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam used his spinners very well in the middle overs. Shadab Khan (4-0-31-2) and Mohammed Nawaz (4-0-25-1) performed well to control the flow of runs after the aggressive start from the Indian openers and their ploy was successful.

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