Former India wicket-keeper batsman Deep Dasgupta was critical of India’s middle-order batting performance on Day 2 of the ongoing first Test against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
The Indian cricket team had a disastrous outing on Day 2 of the five-match Test series opener against England, as the middle-order comprising of the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane could only contribute to 9 runs in total despite getting a decent start on Thursday, August 5.
Reacting to India’s batting collapse, Dasgupta said the middle-order has massively underperformed over the last two years and it should not have happened considering the credibility and experience that Kohli, Pujara, and Rahane have under their belt.
Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel: “Very uncharacteristic of Virat. He generally leaves a few deliveries while playing overseas, so it could be a lapse of concentration. Ajinkya Rahane looks very nervous and fidgety during the first 25-30 deliveries, which was not the case before.”
He further added, “The Indian middle-order has really not fired for the last two years or so, with all those runs, experience, class, and performances. They haven't scored the big runs as consistently as India would have wanted.”
Meanwhile, Pujara entered the England tour with criticism over his strike rate and Dasgupta feels the talk of poor strike rates might have played a role in his dismissal by James Anderson only after scoring 4 runs off 16 deliveries in the first innings of the ongoing first Test on Thursday.
The former batsman further explained, “He's looking like a different player. Over 6000 runs, but now he looks like someone who is under some pressure. He has not made any big runs in the last two years, which is an area of concern. It seemed like he was looking for runs straight away which is not usual, the ever-present calmness was absent.”
Dasgupta feels Pujara fears for his spot in the Indian team as making a comeback at this stage might be difficult for the veteran batsman.
He signed off by saying, “When you're being criticized as a 24-25-year-old, you know you can go back to domestic cricket and make a comeback. But at this age and stage of his career, it might be difficult.”
