‘This Indian team is not adapting to conditions’ – Saba Karim’s blunt verdict after 4th T20I loss vs England

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim has criticised India’s approach and inability to anticipate the opposition’s plans after their loss in the fourth T20I against England at Bristol on Thursday, July 9.

Electing to bat first, India made 158 for 7 in their innings, where they once more struggled to cope with the bounce of the surface. Karim criticised their team for their attacking approach with the bat in the early overs, and stated that the team has failed to adapt to conditions in England. 

“You need to read the opposition’s bowling plans. If you don’t, the results won’t go your way. That is exactly what happened with the Indian batters. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue kept bowling short deliveries. We lost two wickets trying to play attacking shots off the back foot. Even Abhishek Sharma got out, though it was off Adil Rashid’s bowling, but a wicket is a wicket. India didn’t assess the ground dimensions while facing the new ball. The need was to rotate the strike. If we had been cautious in the opening spells of Archer and Tongue and survived without losing early wickets, we could have accelerated later. I was particularly concerned about our scoring in the middle overs. Compared to that, England didn’t allow our spinners to complete their full quota. This Indian team is not adapting to English conditions. We are still playing like we are on Indian pitches with small boundaries. That is not how a World Cup-winning team plays.” Karim said, speaking to JioStar.

For India, Shreyas Iyer top-scored with a 49-ball 80. This is Iyer’s second half-century since being appointed captain of the side. Karim opined that while Iyer has yet to step up as captain the way he has done in the IPL, his runs will be vital to the team and in creating an identity with his captaincy.

“I feel the time has come for Shreyas Iyer to assert himself as a captain. The tactical captaincy we have seen from him in the IPL has not yet been visible in international cricket. For example, when he was batting in the middle, Shivam Dube came in at number five, I didn’t understand that decision. That is not the Shreyas Iyer we know from the IPL. Logically, if he were captaining in the IPL right now, Tilak Varma would have walked in at number five instead of Shivam Dube,” Karim said.

Also, when you are batting in the middle as a captain, the messages you send to your partner are very important. Maybe it will take time for him to grow into the role. But the biggest positive is that he scored runs with the bat. That gives a captain a lot of confidence. When your own performance is good, the captaincy automatically improves. I hope we will see that in the coming matches. I want him to create his own identity. He is ready for it. Now is the time to do it,” he added.

‘India needs a right-handed batter in the middle order’ – Saba Karim

India’s batting lineup in the past games has comprised six left-handers in the top seven in the absence of Sanju Samson. Karim called for the re-inclusion of Samson, who was dropped after the first T20I, and Suryansh Shedge, who offers a right-handed option in the lower middle order.

“I am hoping to see a change in the combination. India needs a right-handed batter in the middle order, and Sanju Samson is the only viable option right now. To break the chain of left-handers, you need a mature, experienced right-hand batter, and there is no better choice than Sanju. The question is who makes way for him. If the team management persists with Tilak Varma, then the only option is to replace Shivam Dube with Sanju Samson. That would make the batting deeper and more solid. I also expect another change. I would like to see Suryansh Shedge come in place of Washington Sundar. He can bowl two or three overs of medium pace, which would fulfil the role of a sixth bowler,” Karim said.

The fifth T20I of the series will be played in Southampton on July 11. India trails 0-3, having lost three back-to-back games after the first T20I in Chester-le-Street was washed out.