IND vs ZIM: Former Selector Saba Karim Is Unhappy With India's Decision To Bowl Again In The Second ODI

Former India selector Saba Karim was dissatisfied with the Men in Blue’s approach to bowling again in the Zimbabwe series after thrashing the hosts by ten wickets in the first ODI.

Karim stated that India had the chance to put itself in a difficult scenario with a 1-0 series lead, but they chose to stick with the tried and established method.

Many anticipated India to bat first in the first ODI, especially after winning the toss for the second time in the series, to give stand-in skipper KL Rahul some game time in the middle. However, as no other bowlers save the openers had the opportunity to bat, it did not work out that way.

Along with his stand-in Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul did open the batting order at the top, but Victor Nyauchi knocked him down early.

‘I was expecting India to bat first’: Saba Karim

Speaking on Sony Sports, Saba Karim advised India to move out of their comfort zone and get ready for batting first, citing the Men in Blue’s cautious attitude against Pakistan and New Zealand in the T20 World Cup as one of the big reasons for their elimination from the competition.

“After winning the toss, I had expected India to bat first, but that did not happen. They again chose the logical course of action, which made it simple for them because you are in Zimbabwe.

“There must be some lessons you can learn from this. The ideal course of action would have been to put oneself in a challenging situation and attempt to escape from it.”

“We were eliminated from the T20 World Cup due to our cautious approach when batting first, and this may occur before the World Cup. Therefore, it is always a good idea to plan and try to step beyond of your comfort zone,” said Saba Karim.

With one game left before the Asia Cup, Rahul will attempt to win the toss and choose to bat first to get some playing time.

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