England was at their best in the third Test as they registered series-leveling innings win over India at Leeds. Opting to bat first India was bowled out for just 78 runs as hosts went on to win the Test match by an innings and 76 runs.
The former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq who was unhappy with India’s performance pointed out ‘big gaps’ in the Indian batting unit in his latest YouTube video.
“If you look at Team India’s batters, Virat Kohli hasn’t scored a hundred in nearly two years. The case is the same with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane is also struggling. Youngsters have been bailing the team out of difficult situations in recent times,” Inzamam said in a YouTube video on his channel.
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“Rishabh Pant scored a lot of runs, Ravindra Jadeja also contributed, and Ashwin as well. The young guns have contributed a lot more in comparison to the experienced guys,” he added.
The former cricketer then talked about Indian experienced players like Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane who should lead from the front and need to play consistently in important series.
“In big series, if Team India’s experienced players don’t lead from the front, then they are bound to find themselves in trouble. I have been observing India’s performance from Australia. They have played some very good Test cricket. They have won series’ away from home in tough conditions. But the major role in these wins was played by the young players,” the right-hand batsman said.
“Virat is the No. 1 player in the world, Pujara and Rahane are very good Test players. But if there is such a big gap between their big scores or hundreds, the youngsters are bound to come under pressure.
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The young players have been doing well but the experienced ones must lead the way. If Team India’s younger players are constantly put under pressure, they too will struggle. This is exactly what is happening in England,” the 51-year-old explained.
The Multan-based cricketer then pointed out how India’s hopes of making a comeback in the recently concluded Leeds Test were raised when skipper Kohli along with Pujara was involved in a partnership.
“Things change when the big guns perform. Look at this Test itself. When Pujara and Kohli were involved in that partnership, Team India’s hopes of a comeback were suddenly raised though they had conceded a 350-run lead. It could have happened (comeback) had they converted their partnership into a big one, say around 200-250. The pressure would have been back on England then,” Inzamam signed off.
Thus, it will be exciting to see how India comeback into the fourth Test against hosts England at the Kennington Oval in London.
