Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik has questioned India’s record in SENA countries. Kartik highlighted that India has a potent team but they haven’t been able to produce desired results.
Under Shubman Gill’s captaincy, India has played 15 ODI matches and have won eight games. India has lost the ODI series against Australia, New Zealand and England.
However, India has managed ODI series wins against Afghanistan and the West Indies while playing at home.
“When you think of Shubman Gill or any other captain, they have never had the luxury of their best 11 or 15. It is always somebody managing an injury, somebody not getting picked. Then it gets pretty tough. I’m not saying this is an excuse, but this is one of the reasons why India’s record outside has been pretty patchy so to say. Not what befits a strong and powerful side like India. T20I is fine, but when it comes to ODI cricket, we have not been that good at all,” Murali Kartik said on Cricbuzz.
“How do India counter these conditions, that is going to be a big challenge because they have got a new set of players coming in. It is about the skipper stamping his authority. Yes, he has managed to do that because at the end of the day, he is also got some big figures looming around him. He is a young man finding his way around as a captain,” he added.
On the other hand, the former left-arm orthodox spinner said it is crucial for the team think tank to manage the workload of the bowlers and keep them fresh.
“I think the batting nucleus is fine. When you look at the bowlers, that is where we need to figure out, who the bowlers are going to be in South Africa, and also, how to manage them. It is about finding them, and keeping them fresh. Keeping them match-ready, but still fresh. I think that is going to be the biggest challenge. Every time you pick up the newspaper, you see that this guy is unfit or that this guy is unwell, or that this guy has been withdrawn from the team,” Kartik concluded
India is in a strong position in the opening ODI against New Zealand as the hosts are reeling at 150-9.
