Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav led India to another victory under his leadership, but once again he failed to perform well with the bat. One of Gautam Gambhir’s former teammates opened fire on Suryakumar Yadav while hiding in the dugout.
India made a comeback and took the lead in the 5-match T20 series in Dharamsala. Having lost on the previous occasion in New Chandigarh, the Indian contingent looked determined to turn the tables amid the mountains. The bowlers did a remarkable job and it was up to the batsmen to do the rest.
The target was easy for the Indian team to chase, but this was perhaps the best chance for the Indian captain and vice-captain to revive their form by taking their time to play a crucial innings and put some runs on the scoreboard.
“Questions are about his form” – Mohammad Kaif questions Suryakumar Yadav’s intentions in Dharamshala
While talking on his YouTube channel, former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif appeared unhappy that Suryakumar Yadav did not come to bat at number. 3 on this occasion, as it was the ideal opportunity for the captain to get his form back on track.
Kaif acknowledged that India were chasing a very small target and Abhishek Sharma made a brilliant start in the powerplay; All that was needed was for Suryakumar Yadav to come and play his natural game and give his team the lead by scoring unbeaten 30-40 runs.
“It would have been good for the coming matches. He is a solid player and no one is questioning his ability with the bat,” Kaif said.
He further added, “The questions are about his form. He has been a good player; so the questions are about his form. He had a good chance to bat and remain not out, which could have been good for the remaining T20Is before the World Cup. One innings can change a player into a different player. When Tilak Verma was sent to No. 3, the cameras were on Suryakumar Yadav.”
“You can’t hide in the dugout if you want to make a comeback” – Mohammad Kaif
Mohammad Kaif also claimed that whenever a batsman’s confidence is low, it is natural for him to have second thoughts; However, this does not mean that one will hide in the dugout.
On Suryakumar Yadav, Mohammad Kaif said, “But you have to be brave. If you want to make a comeback, you cannot hide in the dugout. You have to face that challenge to get up from that stage.”
He also observed that when Suryakumar Yadav finally came to bat, there were hardly any runs to chase; Even if he had not been out, he would not have scored more than 20 runs, but if he had been out earlier, he might have got a chance to take the innings forward.
“Shubman Gill had great intention in those 10-15 balls” – Mohammad Kaif
On this occasion, Shubman Gill waited and took some time to prepare his innings. Although Gill looked solid early on, he was dismissed for trying to hit the ball too hard as the runs stopped coming easily.
Mohammad Kaif said, “Shubman Gill’s intention in those 10-15 balls was excellent. His footwork on the first boundary was also excellent. His plan was to hit a four on every ball, but he was not looking for it. It was the right plan. His body language was one of wanting to keep the ball well.”
He also noticed that when Gill was out, he had thrown his hand on the ball, due to which the inside part of his bat was exposed. Kaif suggests that this was due to the Indian batsmen’s lack of form and big innings. He said that Gill himself would surely have understood that he had missed a very good opportunity to make a comeback.
He concluded, “Cricket is a game of form. If you are lazy or late in your footwork, the wicket falls. A batsman cannot play a single wrong shot and Gill played one wrong shot to get out.”
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