India’s batting collapse against England was an abject surrender, says Anil Kumble

Former India captain Anil Kumble criticised India's crushing defeat to England in the third T20I, calling it an "abject surrender". He questioned the team's batting approach, frequent changes to the playing XI, Harshit Rana's promotion and Kuldeep Yadav's omission from the squad.

Hyderabad: ”It was an abject surrender by the Indian team. You don’t expect a world champion side to cave in like that. England’s bowlers were right on the money. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue stuck to a clear plan,” former India captain Anil Kumble said on a JioStar special show.

“England bowled short, they bowled quick, and they kept the pressure on. Both were clocking over 145 kmph, making life difficult for the Indian batters, who couldn’t free their arms or find any rhythm. The Indian batters needed to show more patience and application, but everyone just tried to attack instead of absorbing the pressure,” Kumble said.

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“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. It was a disappointing surrender by the Indian batting line up,” he said.

On how constant changes in the playing XI are hurting India, Kumble said:

“The Indian team has made too many changes to their lineup and that needs to stop. The batting has stayed mostly the same. Yes, Sanju has been dropped and Vaibhav has come in, but other than that, it’s almost the same. But 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. India was complacent in Ireland, thinking they would just turn up and win,” he said.

“They didn’t adapt to the conditions. They forced themselves, thinking they would play their way come what may. Once you lose those games and then you face a team like England on their home soil, it becomes tough because this English side is good and experienced. You need to adapt and change along the way,” Kumble said

“Also, the decision of sending out Harshit Rana to bat ahead of a more complete batter like Shivam Dube was wrong. In T20 cricket, you put your best batters upfront. 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 said.

On the need for having Kuldeep Yadav in the squad, Kumble said: “Kuldeep Yadav certainly didn’t have a great season in the IPL, but he is a champion bowler. He should have been a part of the squad for this England tour. He was part of the side that won the T20 World Cup, and now he is not part of the squad here in England, nor the team going to Zimbabwe.”

“ So yes, it means they have moved on from Kuldeep after just one poor IPL season. I certainly feel that when you pick players, you need to keep backing them. Ups and downs are part and parcel of life. They keep happening, but that doesn’t mean failures end up with you getting dropped from the squad,” the former India leg-spinner said.

“But I think it’s important to also say, okay, who are your main bowlers and who are your bowlers who have done well? It’s not like Kuldeep is 38 years old and you are looking to bring in the next youngster. He is 31, has a lot of cricket to offer, and he doesn’t play all three formats regularly. He doesn’t play much Test cricket, so it’s not like he is burdened and needs to be rested. He needs to play,” he said.