In a post-mortem of India’s World Cup final loss against Australia, cricket maestro Wasim Akram sheds light on KL Rahul’s meticulous but measured innings, emphasizing the impact of India’s long tail on the batting order. Acknowledging the necessity for Rahul to play cautiously due to the absence of robust batting options post-Ravindra Jadeja, Akram highlights the delicate balance between maintaining wickets and scoring briskly.
Rahul, crafting a painstaking 107-ball 66, navigated India’s innings with precision, limited boundaries, and a focus on batting deep. Akram notes that if the explosive all-rounder Hardik Pandya had been present, Rahul might have adopted a more aggressive strategy. However, he acknowledges the potential criticism had Rahul taken such risks and fallen.
India’s middle-order approach, according to Akram, played a pivotal role in their inability to set a more challenging total. The absence of an impactful all-rounder like Hardik Pandya was notably felt in this crucial encounter.
Furthermore, Akram defends Captain Rohit Sharma’s aggressive approach throughout the tournament, asserting that it has been a key factor in India’s successful journey to the final. He contends that criticizing Rohit for a similar approach in the final is unwarranted, considering his consistent contributions and expertise against spin.
Reflecting on the bowling strategy, Akram suggests that bringing in Mohammed Siraj earlier in the attack, given his ability to bowl economically, might have been a more effective option. He underscores the psychological impact on bowlers when facing challenging conditions, advocating for teams to stick to what has been working for them in crucial encounters.
As the cricket fraternity dissects India’s performance in the World Cup final, the analysis continues to explore strategic decisions and their impact on the team’s quest for the title.
