India’s loss to Sri Lanka in the 2nd ODI of the three-match series left everyone in complete shock. The 2024 T20 World Cup champions had a terrible outing with the bat as they failed to meet the target of 241 and were bowled out for 208. With the first match ending in a draw, India are trailing 0-1 in the three-match series. Talking about the overall performance, barring captain Rohit Sharma, no other Indian batsman was able to deliver to his full strength.
Star batsman Virat Kohli was one of the biggest disappointments in the first two games as he failed miserably to make a big score. In the first game, Kohli was dismissed for 24, followed by 14 runs in the second game. In both games, Kohli was dismissed by spinners.
Watching Kohli struggle with spin twice in a row, former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali said India's poor performance was a sign of lack of practice.
“A great batsman like Virat Kohli, the world's number one batsman, has been out LBW twice. It's understandable if it happens to Iyer or Dube, but Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. That means he is not in practice,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
“It didn't look like this is the batting line-up that rules the world. I think Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul probably didn't even practice. These people came without practicing,” he added.
Ali also criticised batsman Shreyas Iyer for his poor performance and said he should be replaced by players like Rinku Singh, Rishabh Pant or Riyan Parag.
“I don't know what Shreyas Iyer is going to do with such performances. I think the time is right for Rishabh Pant, Riyan Parag and Rinku Singh,” Ali said.
“India's 50-over domestic tournament will be vital for Gautam Gambhir as he will have to pick some players from there. If India pick players based on reputation, the results in the Champions Trophy will not be as good,” he added.
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