When came a real Test in extreme conditions, India's famed batting lineup faltered: Saba Karim

As soon as India lost the WTC Final to New Zealand, several fingers started raising on the team questioning their credibility. It has been seen for quite a while now that India has been making faults on the big days itself. It has been thrice in a row that India displayed a below-average show in ICC knockout matches. The first one came up when India’s batting succumbed in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy.

In the same event, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan went too early combining just 26 runs. In the 2019 ODI WC semis, where there were only 240 runs to chase, India was down on 5/3. In this case, KL Rahul, Sharma, and Kohli again displayed a woeful batting show. Coming to the latest scenario of the WTC Final, India was sure to draw the game as they started 64/2. However, in a little span, the tables turned and the whole team got wrapped at 170 runs.

In the same line of events, India’s former wicketkeeper and batsman Saba Karim highlighted that it has been the team’s poor batting that has led them to lose the ICC events from close quarters. Dismal batting show has been their biggest concern in the knockout games.

This is hugely disappointing for India skipper Kohli reckoned Karim

“This is hugely disappointing for Virat Kohli because he puts Test matches right at the top and he’s worked very hard along with his side to put India in this position where he could have won this – the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship. It’s despair not only for him but for the entire side. But I do feel that the big question mark is about India’s ability to bat in these conditions,” said Karim on Cricket.com.

In WTC Final, fans awaited a good battle between India’s famed batting lineup and New Zealand’s pacers. However, what happened at the end was there for all to see. NZ went victorious and that too by massive eight wickets.

“This was the battle between New Zealand’s frontline pacers vs India’s famed batting lineup. Unfortunately, when there came a real Test in extreme conditions, the famed batting line-up faltered and it was the front-line bowling attack, the four-pronged pace-bowling attack that came up on trumps,” concluded Karim.