West Indian cricket legend Sir Andy Roberts has slammed the Indian cricket team following their loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final to Australia. Roberts said there seemed to be an arrogance prevailing in Indian cricket, leading them to underestimate the rest of the world.
Roberts emphasised the importance of India making a decision regarding their primary focus, urging them to choose between Test cricket and limited-overs cricket. According to Roberts, T20 cricket would eventually lose its charm as there was no real competition between bat and ball in that format.
“There is this arrogance which has crept into Indian cricket and through this, India have underestimated the rest of the world. India must decide what their focus is: Test cricket or limited overs cricket. T20 cricket will run its course. There is no contest between bat and ball there,” Roberts was as quoted by Mid-Day.
Roberts mentioned that he had expected India to show their batting prowess but saw no positive aspects in the final, except for Ajinkya Rahane's determined fight despite being hit on his hand.
Roberts pointed out flaws in Shubman Gill’s technique, noting that though he played impressive shots, he often positioned himself on the leg stump, leading to getting bowled or caught-behind. On the other hand, Roberts showered praise upon Virat Kohli, acknowledging his skill but attributing his dismissal in the first innings to a formidable delivery by Mitchell Starc.
Roberts slams decision to bench R Ashwin
The former West Indies pacer came down hard on the Indian management for their "ridiculous" and "unbelievable" decision to keep Ravichandran Ashwin on the bench for the game.
India had recently beaten Australia 2-1 in their previous Test series, reclaiming the top spot in the Test rankings from the Australians. However, at the WTC final, India struggled after winning the toss and failed to take advantage of favourable bowling conditions on the first morning.
India has not been able to win an ICC title for the last 10 years. They went down to New Zealand in the first WTC final in 2021.
