New Delhi. The Indian cricket team is currently going through a very difficult and challenging phase. The celebration of the historic title win of the T20 World Cup had not completely subsided when a new crisis arose in front of Team India. The Indian team has not achieved even a single success under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, who took over the command of the T20 team from star batsman Suryakumar Yadav. This continuous failure of the team has forced the former veterans to think and raise tough questions.
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman and former selector Saba Karim believes that the right time has come for Shreyas Iyer to prove his strategic ability shown in the IPL to the national team and leave a clear mark of leadership ability in international cricket. This statement of Karim has come at a time when the Indian team has suffered a crushing defeat in two consecutive T20 series on foreign soil.
Saba Karim raised questions on Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy.
Statistics are testifying that the performance of the Indian team under the new captain has not been as per expectations. The team first lost 0-2 in the T20 series played against Ireland. After this, the situation did not change even on the tour of England, which is called the Mecca of cricket. After the first match played against England was washed out due to rain, the Indian team lost three consecutive T20 matches. As a result, the Indian team has lagged 0-3 in this important five-match series, due to which the team’s strategic shortcomings have been completely exposed.
IPL captaincy vs international cricket leadership
Saba Karim, in a special conversation with ‘GeoHotstar’, openly expressed her views on the current crisis of the Indian team and the captaincy style of Shreyas Iyer. Karim said, ‘I think now Iyer will have to establish himself as a captain. The glimpse of his strategic captaincy which was seen in IPL has not been seen in international cricket till now. His clear indication was that repeating the success of franchise cricket at the international level is a different challenge, in which Iyer has not been able to succeed completely till now.
The former selector also raised deep questions on the management of the team’s batting order. He especially strongly criticized the batting strategy of the middle order. He believes that not fielding the right player at the right time is becoming a major reason for the team’s defeat. Raising questions on the batting order, he said, ‘When Iyer himself was batting in the middle order, the decision to send Shivam Dubey at number five was incomprehensible. The Iyer we know in IPL probably would not have taken such a decision.
However, Karim did not hesitate to praise Iyer’s individual batting. Defending the captain, he said, “His run scoring is the biggest positive aspect for the team. When the captain himself bats well, his confidence increases and captaincy also becomes better. Hopefully, this leadership ability and better strategic decisions will be seen on the field in the coming matches.”
Demand for major changes in team composition: Sanju Samson’s advocacy
The series may be out of hand, but to save its prestige, the Indian team needs to win at any cost in the fifth T20 match. Karim has advocated big and bold changes in the Indian playing eleven for this match. He believes that at present the Indian middle order is full of left-handed batsmen, due to which it is becoming easier for the opposition bowlers to make their strategy and dominate.
While explaining the solution to correct the team balance, Karim said, ‘To break the chain of continuous left-handed batsmen, an experienced right-handed batsman is needed and there is no better option than Sanju Samson. If the team management retains Tilak Verma in the team, then Sanju Samson should be included in place of Shivam Dubey. This will make the Indian batting order more balanced, experienced and strong.
Apart from this, to make the role of all-rounder in the team more effective, Karim strongly advocated the inclusion of young player Suryansh Shedge in the eleven in place of Washington Sundar. Giving the sporting logic behind this, he said, ‘He can play the role of the sixth bowler for the team very well by bowling two-three overs at a medium pace, due to which the captain will have more options in the bowling department and changes can be made according to the circumstances of the match.’
There is a dire need to get out of IPL hangover.
While telling the most bitter truth of the story, Saba Karim made a sharp attack on the mentality of Indian players. He clarified that Indian players have still not been able to free themselves from the influence of the domestic T20 tournament and its comfort zone, due to which they are having to suffer the loss at the international level.
Karim said in harsh words, ‘Indian players have not been able to get out of the mentality of flat pitches and small boundaries of IPL. We are still batting on foreign pitches as if we are playing on India’s small-boundary home grounds. This kind of directionless and irresponsible cricket is never expected from a World Cup winning team.
Now the time has come for introspection for the Indian team and management. If Shreyas Iyer has to cement his place as a long-term and reliable captain of the national team, he will have to bring the team back to winning ways not only with the bat but also with his captaincy strategies. The upcoming match against England will be the last and most important chance for him to prove his strategic ability and leadership skills.
