Former India captain and head coach Anil Kumble launched a scathing attack on Indian players and team management following the team's performance in the ongoing T20I series against England, calling the batting display an "abject surrender".
India lost the third T20I by 125 runs while the second T20I was lost by a margin of 4 wickets. Led by Shreyas Iyer, India were bowled out for just 76 while chasing 202 in the third game, leaving them without a win in the five-match series. The defeat meant India could only hope to level the series by winning the remaining two matches.
Speaking to JioHotstar, Kumble expressed disbelief at the manner in which the reigning T20 World Cup champions capitulated. "It was an abject surrender by the Indian team. You don't expect a world champion side to cave in like that," said the 55-year-old.
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Kumble felt India's batters lacked the patience and composure required to handle the pace of England's fast-bowling pair of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue. Instead of weathering the early storm, he said the batters continued to attack despite the mounting pressure.
"The Indian batters needed to show more patience and application, but everyone just tried to attack instead of absorbing the pressure. Yes, the required rate was over 10, but someone had to take responsibility and bat deep. Instead, they went the aggressive route and paid the price with a batting collapse," he said.
The former spinner, who represented India in 132 Tests and 271 ODIs, and collectively picked 956 wickets across the two formats, also questioned the team management's tactical decisions, particularly the move to promote Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dube in the batting order. The decision failed to produce the desired result, with both batters dismissed cheaply.
"In T20 cricket, you put your best batters up front. Sending out Harshit Rana to bat ahead of a more complete batter like Shivam Dube was wrong. You can't expect a number eight guy to win you a game by sending him to bat ahead of a proven guy. That's not how things work in modern-day cricket," he added.
Kumble further urged the Indian team management to avoid frequent changes to the bowling attack, arguing that constant chopping and changing prevents players from settling into their roles.
He pointed to the example of Prasidh Krishna, who was dropped after a disappointing outing against Ireland national cricket team, while Prince Yadav impressed with three wickets in the second T20I but could not prevent another defeat.
"The Indian team has made too many changes to its lineup, and that needs to stop. The bowlers keep changing. Prasidh Krishna was dropped after one bad game against Ireland. Prince Yadav came in, bowled well, and picked three wickets in the second T20I, but India still lost that game. As a new captain, you need to stick with your five bowlers. Batters will score runs, but bowlers win you matches," he said.
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