Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian team lost the three-match T20I series 2-1 to Sri Lanka. With 9 players going into isolation, the Indian team was seen missing some key batsmen as the tourists only managed to get 81/8 in their quota of 20 overs in the 3rd T20I.
While India was criticized for their poor batting display, former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria in his latest YouTube video slammed Dhawan for his poor captaincy against hosts Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I of the series.
“When you have Bhuvneshwar Kumar batting at No.6, why didn’t you win the toss and opt to bowl first? The wicket at Premadasa helps spinners and you could have tried to bowl first and restrict Sri Lanka to under a hundred,” Kaneria said in a YouTube video on his channel.
“When you have such a long bowling line-up, there is an advantage if you bowl first and restrict the opposition. It was poor captaincy from Dhawan,” he added.
Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga ran through the Indian batting line-up in the series decider on Thursday (29 July), as he picked 4-9 in his 4 overs was also the highest wicket-taker in the series and bagged the Man of the Series award for his performances in the T20Is.
The former Pakistan leg-spinner though praised Hasaranga for his fantastic bowling, but felt Indian batsmen gifted their wickets to the Sri Lankan spinner.
“Hasaranga was brilliant, but the Indian batsmen played a lot of awkward shots. Hasaranga demolished the Indian batting. He proved why he is the No.2 ranked T20I bowler. But I think the batsmen gifted wickets to him.”
“If they would have played him carefully and knocked him around for singles if they would have scored 130-140 with the kind of bowlers they had, they could have been more competitive,” Kaneria signed off.
