India is 2-0 down in the five-match T20I series against South Africa.
Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt said that Team India lacked pace in the first two T20Is against South Africa and the presence of Umran Malik could’ve made a difference.
South Africa has tested India in the ongoing T20I series. The visitors pounded the hosts in the first two matches and a win in the third match would mean that they would take an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the series.
Coming into the five-match series, India had a 12-match winning streak and many expected them to make history by registering the 13th consecutive win. However, it didn’t happen as they bowled pretty badly in the first game and then failed miserably with the bat in the second game.
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It’s fair to say that their bowling has been ineffective in both the games. They were favourites to win the first game after they posted a total of over 200 runs on the board. But they failed to defend and in the second game apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took a four-wicket haul, no one else looked settled.
Speaking in a video posted on his official YouTube channel, Salman Butt said that Indian bowling lacked pace in the first two T20Is against South Africa and someone like Umran Malik should get a chance. He lauded Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his outstanding bowling in the 2nd T20I.
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“India’s bowling has been lacking in pace. Bhuvneshwar Kumar did well in the 2nd T20I to claim four wickets and showed that experience matters. India have Umran Malik but they are not playing him. They are giving a chance to other youngsters, so I think he should have also got a chance. Pace is something that could have made a difference," Salman Butt said.
Butt said that South Africa stunned India, who took them lightly. He said that even though they posted 200 runs on the board in the first game, there was no support performance for Ishan Kishan, who batted brilliantly.
“India perhaps took South Africa lightly. They chose a second-string squad, but South Africa have stunned India. While the Proteas have had multiple match-winners, India haven’t had anyone playing a complete knock. Ishan Kishan batted well in the first game, but there was no support performance. They scored 200 but there were small contributions from the others," he said.
The third T20I between India and South Africa will be played on Tuesday (14th June) in Visakhapatnam. It remains to be seen if the hosts can save the series or not.