The legendary Kapil Dev has criticised the approach of top order Indian batting stars Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in T20Is, saying that their reputation might be quite big but when it comes to crucial matches they usually falter.
Speaking on Uncut YouTube channel, India’s 1983 World-Cup winning captain minced no words and said, “Reputation is quite big and maybe, the pressure is too much but that shouldn’t be the case. You have to play fearless cricket. All these players (Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul) can play at 150-160 strike rate. They are such big players, but when the time comes to score runs, they all get out.”
Dev said it’s ideal to take a few balls to get in first and then build on the innings, but to give your wicket away after getting set is only going to put pressure on the team.
“We say that you can take your time in the starting 8-10-12 balls, but you get out after playing 25 balls. When the time comes to take off, you get out and hence the pressure starts building on you. Either you become the anchor or the striker. That needs to be decided by the players or the team.” he added.
Talking specifically about KL Rahul, Dev said his strategy of playing the anchor role till the 15th over and then looking to attack bowlers in the death overs has sometimes backfired on him.
“If you talk about KL Rahul, you need to talk to him about playing 20 overs and if he scores 80-90, then it is good enough. But if you play 20 overs, and you are coming back 60 not out then you are not doing justice to the team,” he added.
He said the current team needs to change their approach and that it was incumbent on big players to shine with big performances when it matters the most.
“I think the approach needs to change, if it doesn’t, then you would have to change the players. If they are big players, then they need to have a big impact on the team. You are not big just because of the name, but need to be big on performances. If you are a big name, then you should play cricket like that. Otherwise, we are here to talk about it,” he said.
India’s record in the ICC tournaments since 2013 has been dismal despite boasting of quality top-order batters. In 2017 Champions Trophy final and 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final, India choked under pressure after the top three failed to score big. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, India were knocked out of the tournament after the group stage as the top-order failed in the crucial clashes against Pakistan and New Zealand, hurting their chances to get a place in the semi-finals.
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