In the 1970s and 1980s, Andy Roberts led the fiery West Indies bowling attack.
He noted that while India has some very talented players, their performances away from home have not been noteworthy.
Following India’s 209-run loss to Australia in the 2023 WTC Final at The Oval, fast bowling legend Sir Andy Roberts of the West Indies criticized the team, alleging that arrogance had crept into the national setup.
India has underestimated the rest of the world because of this arrogance that has crept into Indian cricket.
India must choose between focusing on Test cricket and limited overs cricket. T20 cricket will eventually reach its peak.
There isn’t a bat-and-ball match there, Roberts was quoted as saying by midday on Thursday.
The absence of India’s top-ranked Test bowler shocked Andy Roberts
Andy Roberts expressed surprise that India did not start ace off-spinner and top-ranked Test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin.
Roberts led the fiery West Indies bowling attack in the 1970s and 1980s, noted that while India has some very talented players, their performances away from home have not been noteworthy.
India’s batting prowess was something I was expecting to see. Despite Ajinkya Rahane’s valiant efforts and hand injury, I failed to notice any positive aspects of the championship match.
“Shubman Gill plays those shots well, but he stands on his leg stump and is frequently bowled out or caught behind.”
“He has good hands, but he needs to get behind the ball. However, Mitchell Starc’s first delivery to Virat Kohli was a brute.”
“Even though India has some very talented athletes, they have not displayed their abilities abroad”, he continued.
A star off-spinner and top-ranked Test bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin, was not used by India, which shocked Roberts.
Dropping Ashwin was absurd. It’s unbelievable how you could choose not to use your best spinner.
“He also believed that one of India’s four fast-bowlers wasn’t tall enough. In terms of bounce, that would have been significant.”
India’s hopes of ending their ten-year trophy drought were also unaffected by their loss in the WTC Final.
Roberts concluded by saying that after starting day five at 164/3, he never expected India to pursue 444.
“I didn’t have any such hopes. I was anticipating their demise. Both innings’ batting performance was poor.”
The West Indies will host India’s next international tour, which will include a five-game T20I series, three ODIs, and two Test series.
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