Former India batter Robin Uthappa has questioned India’s lineup after their recent defeat to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup on Tuesday, saying that the team needs to include players who excel in certain roles. India faced their second consecutive loss in the Super Fours stage by the island nation, where the first one came on Sunday against Pakistan.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo after the match, Uthappa said: “See, I have always maintained this from the first game. You need to have horses for courses in the sense that you need to have players who play well in certain positions. What India has done in the last couple of games is that they have brought in personnel who aren’t playing in their ideal position. Deepak Hooda is not a finisher. He has not finished for Lucknow Supergiants. He has not finished for India in the past. You throw him in at the business end of a tournament like the Asia Cup at No.6 or No.7, you’re actually putting pressure on a player like that. He is a high quality player, who thrives at a certain position. Make him play at a position he thrives in.”
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He then went on to say that the team management is trying to fix something that isn’t broken. He also went on to discuss why Team India hasn’t been successful with their new approach and stated that losing early wickets has been an issue for the team.
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“I think just to kind of have these matchups and have a left-hander in, we’re trying to fix something that isn’t broken. I think we have overthought ourselves out of this. And I think, as much as you say you want to play a certain brand of cricket, there’s a secret to this sauce, right? And the secret to the sauce is wickets when you’re batting first. So, be as aggressive as you want, if you don’t have wickets at the back end of the innings, in the last five or six overs, you’re always going to be under the pump and that’s exactly where India was,” concluded Robin Uthappa.
