Former India opener Virender Sehwag has expressed reservations about the bowling prowess of the Indian team as they prepare for the Super 8 phase of the T20 World Cup. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the defending champions breezed through the group stages, winning all four games to advance easily.
India dominate Group A, which includes the Pakistan national cricket team and others, but Sehwag believes a tougher test is yet to come. An unbeaten South Africa national cricket team awaits their first match in the Super Eights on Sunday, pointing out that India’s bowling attack is yet to be fully tested.
“I don’t think India have been challenged yet. In the first game, India struggled a bit but since then they have been playing consistent cricket. The real test will start in the Super 8s. Today, India scored 193 runs but they also conceded 176 runs. So India have to look at their bowling. How will this bowling unit cope and be used when we come up against better batsmen?” Sehwag said in a discussion on Cricbuzz.
India’s latest match saw them beat the Netherlands national cricket team by 17 runs in Ahmedabad with a score of 193/6, while the Netherlands responded with a score of 176/7.
In the same conversation, former India pacer Mohit Sharma also weighed in on the debate over India’s bowling makeup, especially in the death overs.
“There is still a question mark as to what combination India will go with in the Super Eights. If you have an all-rounder like Axar Patel at No. 8, then who will bowl in the death overs? If a team like Netherlands can pose questions in the death overs, then the bigger challenge comes. If Ashdeep is there, you can be flexible as he can bowl with Bumrah in the death overs,” Mohit pointed out.
India’s Super Eight match will begin against South Africa on February 22 in Ahmedabad. They will then travel to Chennai to face Zimbabwe before concluding the period in Kolkata against West Indies.
