Following the highs of a resounding win in the first ODI, the Indian cricket team was unable to sustain the momentum and fell flat in the next encounter against England. Having decided to bowl first after winning the toss, the Indian bowlers came close to repeating their defeat from the first match with early wickets but England somehow dug deep and survived.
Although Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah bowled well to bundle out England for 246, India fell in a heap of trouble when Reece Topley ran through the top order. Topley finished the match with six wickets and conceded just 24 runs to hand India an embarrassing failure at the Lord’s.
Former Indian bowler RP Singh has suggested that the top order needs to find a way to bat for a longer period. Speaking on Cricbuzz, he mentioned that they should look to get their eye in and bide their time before playing the shots.
Against England, India had to chase a meagre total and were under no pressure in the initial stages. However, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli ended up giving away their wickets and succumbed to the pressure created by the English bowlers.
“The Indian batters will have to change their mindset while playing ODIs. Relying on big shots and trying to attack all the time may prove to be costly in this format. They will have to bat till the end, as it isn’t easy for tailenders to bat in these English conditions. The onus will be on the top-order batters to guide India to victory in the third match.”
RP Singh believes that Rohit Sharma and co will have to get their mindset right if they wish to come out on top in the final encounter against the hosts which will be held at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground on July 17.
The manner in which Indian captain Rohit Sharma got out to Reece Topley was reminiscent of his high-profile dismissals against the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Trent Boult in recent years. His repeated failures against left arm inswinging bowlers is becoming a cause of concern that also needs to be worked on.
