‘Does he play at 6 in IPL? You sent a debutant before him’: Ex-Pakistan star baffled with Hardik, Dravid after 1st T20I
Team India faced a narrow defeat in the first of five T20Is against West Indies earlier this week in Tarouba. Despite restricting the Windies to 149/6 in 20 overs, India fell short by 4 runs as no batter bar debutant Tilak Varma (39 off 22 balls) could make a mark in the innings; India lost nine wickets as they could only end at 145. Following the result, the India team was criticised by fans for their outing and former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal was baffled with India’s tactics – particularly with the bat.
Ishan Kishan (L), Hardik Pandya (2L) and Yuzvendra Chahal (3L) of India celebrate during the first T20I against West Indies(AFP)
On his official YouTube channel, Akmal launched a scathing attack on the Indian team management for experimentation without “planning,” referring to how Sanju Samson was used in the batting order. Samson, who usually bats at no 3 or 4 for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, was sent to bat at 6 while debutant Tilak Varma batted in the fourth spot.
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“When they (India) came for chase, I thought the captain, the coach, the management, they were all overconfident. It felt like they thought, ‘it’s a nothing total’. You have to plan. I didn’t see that. I saw experiments, but you need planning with it. You need to plan the player’s roles, keeping in mind whether they’re making a comeback or already a part of the side,” Akmal said.
“When I talk about Sanju (Samson), does he play in IPL at no.6? He plays in top-4, give him chance there. If (Virat) Kohli and Rohit (Sharma) aren’t there, these batsmen should play higher in the order. If you send him at 6, thinking he played aggressively in last ODI so he can do that again. It doesn’t happen every time.”
While Akmal did appreciate Varma’s knock in the game, the former Pakistan star insisted that Samson should’ve been given the chance at his natural position, and that giving precedence to a batter sets a poor example.
“Yes, Tilak (Varma) made debut, played against Alzarri Joseph really well. But it’s Sanju right to bat in that role. Once you win the series, you can hand debuts. You’re sending someone who is making his debut before a player who’s already part of the team,” said the former wicketkeeper-batter.
India had won the ODI series 2-1 against West Indies last week and will be aiming to bounce back strongly in the T20Is. This year, the side’s major focus will be on the ODIs as the side takes part in the Asia Cup later this month, followed by the World Cup in October-November.
