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West Indies fast-bowling legend Sir Andy Roberts has slammed the Indian men’s cricket team after their 209-run defeat to Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship Final at The Oval, saying that arrogance has sneaked into the national set-up.
“There is this arrogance which has crept into Indian cricket and through this, India have underestimated the rest of the world. India must decide what their focus is-Test cricket or limited overs cricket. T20 cricket will run its course. There is no contest between bat and ball there,” Roberts was quoted as saying by mid-day on Thursday.
Roberts, the spearhead of West Indies’ fiery bowling line-up in the 1970s and 1980s, pointed out that India have some very good players, but they have not put in worthwhile performances away from home.
“I expected India to show their batting strength. I saw no bright spot in the final although Ajinkya Rahane fought hard; got hit on his hand. Shubman Gill looks good when he plays those shots, but he stands on leg stump and is often dismissed bowled or caught behind.”
“He has good hands, but he must get behind the ball. Virat Kohli, though, got a brute of a delivery from Mitchell Starc in the first innings. India have some very good players mind you, but they have not performed creditably away from home,” he added.
Roberts also expressed shock over India not playing top-ranked Test bowler and ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
“Dropping Ashwin was ridiculous. How can you not pick your best spinner? Unbelievable.” He also felt one of India’s four-man fast-bowling attack wasn’t tall enough. “That would have made a difference in terms of bounce.”
The WTC Final defeat also meant India’s hopes of breaking their ten-year barren run of winning ICC trophies weren’t broken. Roberts signed off by saying he never expected India to chase down 444 after starting day five at 164/3. “I harboured no such hopes. I knew they would collapse. The batting in both innings was bad.”
India’s next international assignment will be an all-format trip to the West Indies in July-August for a two-match Test series, three ODIs and a five-game T20I series.
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