Mumbai. Former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram blamed the lack of passion in the middle order for India’s defeat in the World Cup final against Australia. Batting first, India scored 240 runs in 50 overs in which captain and opener Rohit Sharma (47) and Virat Kohli (54) performed well in the top order while only KL Rahul was successful in the middle order who scored 66 runs in 107 balls. .
Assessing this situation, Akram believes that due to the long list of tail players of India, KL Rahul could not bat without fear. Akram told Star Sports, “I think the middle order should have played with a ‘do or die’ mentality. I can understand what was going on in Rahul’s mind. There was no batsman after (Ravindra) Jadeja and he had to play steadily without taking any risks.
In the final, India missed all-rounder Hardik Pandya who provides balance to the middle order. Akram said, “Had Hardik been in the team, Rahul could have taken risks. Even if he had taken a risk and got out, people would have criticized him. If India had scored quickly in the middle overs, the picture of the match would have been different.
Praising Indian captain Rohit for his fast start, he said, “He played like this throughout the World Cup.” No one complained about this in the entire tournament. He kept getting out within 50 runs but he gave a fast start to the team. When he did this in the finals too, people started complaining.
Akram said, “He is one of the best batsmen in the world who plays spin very well.” He fell victim to Maxwell in the final but I think Rohit played well and there is no need to change it.
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Tags: India vs Australia, KL Rahul, Wasim Akram, world cup 2023
FIRST PUBLISHED: November 25, 2023, 22:04 IST