DUBAI: One player who is being blamed for India’s humiliating 10-wicket defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Pakistan in the Super 12 blockbuster at the Twenty20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday is Suryakumar Yadav.
If media reports and reactions of angry fans is anything to go by, then this stylish batsman is the one who is facing the sharpest criticism for his failure to rise to the occasion when India needed him most.
It may be recalled that Team India had lost both openers – Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul – in quick successions in just two overs at the start of the game, courtesy a brilliant spell by the ‘Man of the Match’ Shaheen Shah Afridi.
After the loss of two early wickets, Team India had pinned all its hopes on Suryakumar Yadav expecting that he will keep the scoreboard moving along with skipper Virat Kohli.
But sadly, Yadav failed to live up to the occasion and departed quickly, leaving his side in a huge mess. At no. 4, Suryakuamr Yadav played a few shots and got the scoreboard ticking initially but he was also dismissed by Hasan Ali in the 6th over.
His dismissal came as a big setback to his side and skipper Virat Kohli who was hoping to play some big shots in the high-pressure match.
Disappointed with India’s loss, cricket fans have been blaming an ''out of form'' Suryakumar Yadav for the crushing defeat and think that he should be dropped for the remaining matches.
Fans feel that Ishan Kishan, who was dropped in the match against Pakistan, should now be included in the squad in place of Yadav. After suffering a ten-wicket loss against Pakistan in their opening match of the ICC Men`s T20 World Cup, skipper Virat Kohli on Sunday said that the Babar Azam-led side completely outplayed them in the game.
Mohammad Rizwan and skipper Babar Azam put on a remarkable show on Sunday as Pakistan thrashed India by 10 wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
"We didn`t execute properly. Credit where it`s due and Pakistan outplayed us today. They started brilliantly with the ball, and 3 wickets for 20 runs was not a good start. We needed wickets early but with the bat, they gave us absolutely no chances.," Kohli told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game ended.
"It played slow in the first half and hitting through the line was not that easy as it was in the second half, after 10 overs. We needed those 15-20 extra runs and for that, we needed a good start but Pakistan`s bowling didn`t allow us to get those extra runs," he added.
Kohli said that his team now has an exact idea of where the opening match against Pakistan went and where it went wrong for them. He added that brilliant bowling by Pakistan in the first six overs meant that India couldn`t get the extra 20-25 runs.
"As a team, we need to understand that what was the reality of the situation out there in the middle. That`s where those 20-25 extra runs would have been good. But brilliant bowling in the first six, did not allow us to get those extra runs. We know exactly how the game went and where it went wrong. We have absolute clarity of it, which is a good thing to know about where you went wrong as a team," Kohli said in the post-match press conference on Sunday.
"So, you can work and try to correct it and move forward because we still have lot more matches in this tournament. If we stick to the processes we follow, we can definitely feel like we can work on these mistakes," added Kohli.
Explaining how the match panned out, especially after dew came into the picture during Pakistan`s chase, Kohli said, "If the pitch becomes little better to bat on, you get off to a start. Then you start feeling more confident about the chase. That`s what happened. The more dew came towards the second half of Pakistan`s innings onwards and they were able to rotate strike."
"We could not get even dot balls in because the pitch was providing a bit more pace to the batters to work with. The slower balls were not holding up as much. These small little factors, as I said, make a massive difference. Toss definitely is going to be a factor in this tournament, especially if dew keeps creeping in the latter half of the game. You then need those extra runs in the first half."
Talking about Shaheen Shah Afridi`s opening burst, which set up Pakistan`s win, Kohli was in praise of the young left-arm seamer. "He did bowl very well with the new ball. I think he hit the right areas to pick up wickets, and in T20 cricket you need good execution to pick up wickets with the new ball, and certainly, he did that, so credit to him. He put our batsmen under pressure immediately with the new ball, and he ran in with intensity and showed that he`s bowling in consistent areas."
Kohli credited Pakistan for outclassing his team in the opening match of the tournament in all departments, saying that his team tried its best to put them under pressure.
"They definitely outplayed us. There is no doubt about that. You don`t win by ten wickets if you don`t outplay the opposition. We did not even get any chances. They were very professional. You definitely have to give them credit. We tried our best. We tried to create enough pressure on them. But they had the answers. There is no shame in accepting that one team played better than you."
India`s next match in the tournament is against New Zealand on October 31 in Dubai.
Brief Scores: India 151/7 (Virat Kohli 57, Rishabh Pant 39; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-31) vs Pakistan 152/0 (Mohammad Rizwan 79*, Babar Azam 68*; Jasprit Bumrah 0-22).
