Former England national cricket team player Owais Shah has highlighted the major concerns of the Indian national cricket team following the victory of the Rohit Sharma-led team in the second test match of the five-match series against the England national cricket team in Dr. YS. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam.
The hosts bounced back strongly after facing a disappointing defeat in the first Test match of the series in Hyderabad and defeated the Three Lions by 106 runs in Vizag to level the series at 1-1.
Although the Indian team registered a crushing victory in the match, they still have many issues to address ahead of the third Test. The team’s concerns were raised by Owais Shah, who is working with the broadcasters for the five-match series.
During a discussion at Colors Cineplex, Shah mentioned that the team’s middle-order batting unit has not fired so far in the two Test matches despite starting. However, the former England cricketer opined that the return of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul could solve that middle-order problem for India.
“The Indian middle order has not fired properly. Many batsmen started but could not capitalize on the opportunity. Everyone knows that Virat Kohli has to return to the team. KL Rahul, if he is fit, also deserves to be back. The selector, the captain and the coach will have to decide who is left out and who joins the team.”
Notably, Virat Kohli had called for rest during the first two matches of the series, while Rahul was injured during the first Test, resulting in him missing the second Test. Reports claim that Rahul is currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is on track to be fully fit for the rest of the series.
Talking about Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers recently revealed the reason behind the modern-day batsman’s absence during the first two Tests and claimed that Kohli and Anushka Sharma are expecting their second child.
Second seamer position also looks a bit uncertain – Owais Shah
Shah further stated that the second seamer’s position in India’s XI also seems a bit risky. Notably, Mohammed Siraj was Jasprit Bumrah’s partner in the first Test and Mukesh Kumar joined Bumrah after Siraj was rested for the second game. In both matches, Siraj and Mukesh clearly struggled and Bumrah single-handedly took the bowling responsibility while he produced sensational spells.
“The second seamer position also seems a bit uncertain. It remains to be seen whether they will keep Mukesh or not. There are eight or nine days left before the next Test but that also needs to be addressed,” the former England batsman added.
Apart from the pacers and middle order, captain Rohit Sharma has also found it difficult to perform with the bat in the longest format of the game. Many expected Rohit Sharma to take a big step forward and perform well in Virat Kohli’s absence, but that has not been the case as he has failed to convert his good starts into big scores.
While talking about Rohit, Owais Shah said that Rohit Sharma is a class player and his form is not a concern for the team.
“It probably seems that way, but I shouldn’t be under pressure. He has played a lot of cricket. He knows that runs are scored and sometimes they are not scored in a run. Everyone knows that Rohit Sharma is a class player. He has good numbers in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.”he added.