T20 World Cup 2021 | India was a completely lost squad against New Zealand, says Shoaib Akhtar

11/01/2021

Shoaib Akhtar has stated that India was a completely lost squad against New Zealand, and they pressed the panic button which resulted in the defeat. The former Pakistan pacer further added that apart from Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, the Indian bowling squad looked very ordinary.

After losing to arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening fixture last week, India faced yet another defeat at the Super 12 stage as they went down by eight wickets against New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai. After being asked to bat first, India were restricted to 110/7 as New Zealand bowlers unleashed their bowling skills. In reply, the Blackcaps chased down the target in just 14.3 overs as Daryl Mitchell (49) and Williamson (33*) helped thier side to claim their first victory at the marquee event.

Meanwhile, Shoaib Akhtar stated that the Virat Kohli-led side was a completely lost squad against New Zealand. The former Pakistan pacer further questioned India’s game plan in the match and reckoned that the Men in Blue were just panicking after losing the toss.

"Why did they send in Ishan Kishan? Hardik Pandya is bowling right at the end, he should have bowled in the beginning. I just don't understand what game plan India was playing with. It was a completely lost squad," Shoaib said in a video posted on his Twitter handle.

"Everyone had pressed the panic button. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma coming at different numbers, a new kid is batting at the top. They lost the toss and were just panicking," he further said.

Speaking on India’s bowling unit, Akhtar stated that apart from Jasprit Burmah and Varun Chakravarthy, the rest of the pack looked very ordinary.

"Fine, you are not able to connect, at least play out 20 overs as batsmen. India looked a very ordinary team to me. The bowling squad, apart from Bumrah and maybe Varun Chakravarthy, the rest of the pack looked very ordinary," said Shoaib.

With the defeat against New Zealand, India’s semi-final hopes are grim, and they will next face Afghanistan on Wednesday, November 3 in Abu Dhabi.