Team India have already conceded a 2-0 lead to South Africa in the three-ODI series.
Former selector Sarandeep Singh said that Team India missed the spark and aggression that they had under Virat Kohli’s captaincy in the ongoing ODI series against South Africa.
The ODI series against South Africa marked the first instance since 2017, where Virat Kohli played as a player under the leadership of someone else. The right-hander was sacked as the 50-over skipper by BCCI, who made Rohit Sharma the full-time white-ball skipper.
However, ahead of the tour, Rohit Sharma suffered a hamstring injury and then was subsequently ruled out of both the Test and ODI series. In his absence, KL Rahul was handed the leadership role of white-ball team and his stint as the Indian skipper didn’t start as he would’ve wanted.
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Under him, India lost the first two matches of the three-match ODI series and he found himself under the scanner. The KL Rahul-led side suffered a 31-run loss in the first game and they were at the receiving end of a seven-wicket loss in the second ODI.
Many fans and experts didn’t expect Team India to display poor performances in the ODI series. They felt that KL Rahul is not the ideal skipper to lead the Indian team and lashed out at his tactics, especially after high standards set by Virat Kohli as the skipper.
Speaking to ANI, former Indian selector Sarandeep Singh said that the visitors were favourites to win both Test as well as ODI series and one of the reasons for the defeats was the captaincy.
He highlighted how Virat Kohli as a skipper kept players pumped up and Team India is currently missing the spark and energy that they had under him.
"India were favourites from day one not only in Test matches but even in the ODIs. In the second Test, India lost badly but only thing is, it is not about the players. It is about captaincy too the way we thought KL Rahul will be very cool and calm but if you see Virat's captaincy then he was very energetic and pumped up.
“In the same way the team used to play as all the players were pumped up but now what I feel sitting from outside is somehow Indian team is missing that spark. They don't have that spark and that energy is not there,” Sarandeep Singh said.
Singh lauded South Africa for their performances in the first two ODIs and highlighted how they played like champions. He raised concerns over Venkatesh Iyer’s struggle in the ODI format.
“They scored big runs as 287 is a big total. South Africa played like champions. They played disciplined cricket, they played for win. If you talk about Venkatesh Iyer he is not that quick and he is an opener. He did well in T20s and he is a big hitter. Now he is batting at number six. He can't hit because the field is not open. He is struggling over there with the bat as well as failed to take wickets," he said.
Singh backed Prasidh Krishna to play in the third ODI against South Africa as him being young and tall, the former cricketer felt the pacer should get a chance. He eventually did get picked, replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Singh also said that Akshar Patel should be given nod ahead of R Ashwin as the team needs someone who can contribute with both bat, ball and fielding. Akshar is currently injured.
"Mohammed Siraj is still injured but I am in huge favour of Prasidh Krishna. The young tall fast bowler should be given a chance. Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Shami both should not be rested because you don't want to be 3-0.
"So, you need one experienced bowler over there. So, Prasidh Krishna should be tried and you should pick Axar Patel ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin. You need someone to contribute with both bat, ball and fielding also," he said.
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Sarandeep Singh said that India’s fielding let them down in the series. He pointed out that Virat Kohli was not on the field all the time as he seems to be lost in scenes.
"I think India's fielding was also very poor the way we dropped catches. You can see how easily singles were given away. There was no fielding in the circles and surprisingly Virat Kohli is not seen in the field all the time as somehow he seems to be lost in the scenes. He is fielding in the boundaries and is not seen in the circles. So, there are few things which are missing," he said.
Sarandeep Singh further talked about the impact of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri as captain and head coach of the team, highlighting the aggressive nature of the duo, which is the need of modern-day cricket.
"You see what Ravi Shastri did with the team. How Ravi Shastri pumped up the team. This team was doing so well for the last seven years under Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli and they both were aggressive and modern day cricket needs something like that. They have to be aggressive. Look at the way SA played. They were aggressive and look at the way they have won," he concluded.
(ANI inputs)