WTC Final 2021: India Should Have Strengthened Their Batting - Kamran Akmal Says India's Two Spinners Move Backfired In Overcast Conditions

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“wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal opines that Team India shouldn’t have played two spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – in overcast conditions in their ICC WTC Final loss to New Zealand, who went into the game without a single spinner.

India opted for three pacers and two spinners while the Kiwis brought in a four-man pace attack. Kamran Akmal reckons Virat Kohli should have opted to strengthen their batting, which, the Pakistani player feels, was out of form already.

This opinion of Kamran Akmal comes in the hindsight that the Indian batting order crumbled in both the innings, and New Zealand completed the chase of 139 runs with 8 wickets in hand.

“If we look at India’s playing XI for the WTC, you should never play two spinners on seaming pitches. New Zealand chose the perfect playing XI according to the overcast conditions. They won even after the entire first day’s play was lost to rain. India should have strengthened their batting.

“As it is, their batsmen weren’t among the runs. Virat Kohli was not in form; the opening partnership was not working well. India should have analysed all these issues before finalising their playing XI. They played the same combination of two spinners, which they had in Australia and at home, a move that backfired,” Kamran Akmal said on the YouTube channel ‘My Master Cricket Coach’.

New Zealand had an advantage: Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal, who last represented Pakistan in 2017, feels that Kane Williamson’s side went into the WTC Final with an advantage over India of playing a 2-Test series, which they won 1-0, in the English conditions against the hosts just preceding the finale.

“New Zealand had an advantage, as they had already played two Tests in England. They were used to the conditions,” the 39-year-old stated. 

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