'They Don't Play Fearless Cricket': Simon Doull 'Slams' Indian Cricket Team
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Doull has lashed out at the Indian cricket team [AP Photo]
The Indian Cricket Team continues to dazzle in the ongoing Asia Cup tournament and is slated to take on Sri Lanka in a high-octane Asia Cup final on September 17.
While India’s form in the current Asia Cup has been remarkably stupendous, many cricketing experts do not view India as obvious favourites to win the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
The former New Zealand seamer Simon Doull emphasized India’s inability to play an aggressive brand of cricket that is required to win high-pressure knockout fixtures. Instead, he highlighted that the current crop of Indian players seems to be too worried about their individual stats which refrains them from adopting a fearless approach.
“Indian players don’t play fearless cricket. They play stats-driven cricket. Indian players are too worried about the stats too often. To me, that is one area I am concerned about their batting.”
Besides, Doull feels that their reluctance to take risks in big games has also got to do with their fear about what the newspaper and media outlets would publish about their performances. The 54-year-old strongly reckons that India has a strong side but their reluctance to take risk in the knockout phases have let the Men In Blue down in the earlier World Cup editions.
“They have got all the talent. It is about playing fearless cricket at the right time of the tournament and I think that is what has really let them down in the last three World Cups. They don’t go out and take risks because they are so worried about what might be said, about what might be printed.”
Team India will face off against Australia in their first World Cup match on October 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The pressure on them will be immense as India look to end their unforgiving drought in the ICC events, having not triumphed in any tournament since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
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