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Former Indian chief selector Kris Srikkanth has launched a scathing attack on Shivam Dube and the rest of the batting unit after the India National Cricket Team suffered a crushing four-wicket defeat against England in the second ODI at Cardiff on Thursday, July 16.
He was not happy with the Indian all-rounder's performance and also questioned the batting approach of the entire Indian team as they suffered a shocking batting collapse against England in the second ODI in Cardiff. Amid this, Ravichandran Ashwin defends Rohit Sharma, takes swipe at selectors amid retirement buzz.
Kris Srikkanth slams Team India and Shivam Dube after Cardiff defeat
After England levelled the three-match ODI series 1-1 on July 16, Kris Srikkanth said that the Indian batters made too many mistakes and failed to handle England's attack properly. He then shifted focus to Shivam Dube, who had another disappointing outing with the bat.
The left-hander came in to bat at number eight and was dismissed by Jofra Archer for a golden duck. Archer dismissed Dube on the very first ball of his innings with a clever full delivery aimed at the stumps.
Shivam Dube expected a short ball, so he stayed deep in his crease and tried to hit it over the bowler. He mistimed the shot, and Archer completed an easy return catch to dismiss him.
Interestingly, Shivam Dube did not get a chance to bat in the first ODI because India comfortably chased the target with only seven batters. Even so, he struggled during the T20I series against England, where he scored only 85 runs in four matches at an average of 21.25 and a strike rate below 131.
Srikkanth questions Shivam Dube's mindset after golden duck in 2nd ODI
Srikkanth said Shivam Dube looked under pressure even before facing his first delivery. He felt the all-rounder was thinking too much about England's short-ball attack and looked scared from the start, and that went against him. He also questioned why Washington Sundar and Axar Patel were sent to bat ahead of Dube if he was selected mainly as a batting all-rounder.
Kris Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel: “Shivam Dube was out before even he came to the crease. He comes into bat looking intimidated by the short ball. He kept thinking about the short ball and, because of it, was caught out by a good-length delivery. And Sundar and Axar are batting before him. Shivam Dube is playing just as an extra batter.”
Kris Srikkanth slams India's batting against ordinary England attack
The 1983 World Cup winner further highlighted Ishan Kishan’s struggle against the short ball during the England tour. He also pointed out that Sundar and Axar were troubled by short-pitched bowling.
The former Indian captain felt the batting unit made England's bowling attack look much stronger than it actually was and played wrong shots and ended up losing their wickets in Cardiff. Meanwhile, India vs Pakistan, ICC's greed behind 2027 World Cup format change: British media's claim.
Srikkanth further added, “England's bowling is nothing deadly, but the Indian batters went into their shells against the likes of Sam Curran and Will Jacks. The Indian batters' mindset was conservative throughout. They all got out to wrong shots.”
Kris Srikkanth rips apart England despite Cardiff win
The former Indian chief selector also slammed England's batting line-up, saying only Joe Root was the main reason behind their successful run chase of 234 runs. Srikkanth believes India's defeat is more worrying because England themselves did not play outstanding cricket.
He signed off by saying, “England's batting is also terrible. Duckett is a bucket against Bumrah, and Bethell has no chance at the top of the order. Joe Root is a one-man army for them. His partnership with Will Jacks saved them. To lose to a below-average side like England shows how average India are.”
