Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar raised concerns about Team India’s team selection following their heartbreaking loss to Australia in the World Test Championship Final at the Oval. The Indian players delivered a subpar performance in the one-off Test, struggling with both bat and ball against a well-prepared Australian side. Despite playing quality cricket in the second World Test Championship cycle, Rohit Sharma and his team failed to perform when it mattered most in the final.
Tendulkar congratulated Australia on winning the prestigious mace and praised the contributions of Travis Head and Steve Smith in setting up a solid foundation for victory. “Congratulations to Team Australia on winning the #WTCFinal. @stevesmith49 and @travishead34 set a solid foundation on Day one itself to tilt the game in their favour. India had to bat big in the first innings to stay in the game, but they couldn’t,” Tendulkar tweeted.
ALSO READ: Shubman Gill Fined By ICC For Controversial Incident: Heavy Penalty Imposed
Congratulations to Team Australia on winning the #WTCFinal. @stevesmith49 and @travishead34 set a solid foundation on Day one itself to tilt the game in their favour. India had to bat big in the first innings to stay in the game, but they couldn’t. There were some good moments…
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 11, 2023
Expressing disappointment, the legendary cricketer questioned the exclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI for the crucial clash.
“There were some good moments for Team India, but I fail to understand the exclusion of @ashwinravi99 in the playing XI, who is currently the number one Test bowler in the world,” Tendulkar wrote.
ALSO READ: Harbhajan Singh Schools Fan Comparing MS Dhoni: Emphasizes Team Effort
Tendulkar emphasized that skillful spinners like R Ashwin do not rely solely on turning tracks to succeed. “Like I had mentioned before the match, skillful spinners don’t always rely on turning tracks; they use drift in the air and bounce off the surface to disguise their variations. Not to forget, Australia had 5 left-handers out of their top 8 batters,” he added.
In the 444-run chase on the final day, the Indian batsmen failed to offer strong resistance, losing seven wickets before the Lunch break. Scott Boland (3/46) emerged as the standout bowler, dismissing Kohli and Jadeja in a single over to decisively end the contest, while Nathan Lyon (4/41) had the best figures as he swiftly wrapped up the tail.
