Former Indian player RP Singh thinks Team India only has itself to blame for their unsatisfactory Asia Cup 2022 campaign. Rohit Sharma and Co. crashed out of the Super Fours phase with grievous defeats against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The former left-arm fast bowler feels the Men in Blue made too many modifications to their lineups, which contrived the team balance. Injuries didn’t help either, with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Avesh Khan ruled out almost halfway through the tournament.
Talking to India TV, RP Singh stressed the effects of too much ‘experimentation’ in a multi-national match like the Asia Cup. He said:
“Wholesale experiments can be done at India A level or in the IPL or domestic cricket. You can’t afford to make so many changes in the Indian team. This has not started happening just from Rahul Dravid’s tenure but has been a common occurrence in the past 5-6 years.
“You need to understand that the insecurity among the players increases and it disturbs the balance of the team.”
Rohit Sharma said, "We'll try out more players in Australia and South Africa series till the T20 World Cup squad is announced. The present team is 95% set to play the T20 World Cup and a few changes will occur later".
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 7, 2022
RP Singh has undoubtedly about the quality of performers in the team. Although, he wanted them to concentrate more on reading the match situation. He added:
“There is no doubt about the quality of the team. It’s just that their game management has been horrible. Every player wants to play their natural game instead of assessing the situation and adapting accordingly. So it is very important for the players to convert their potential into performances.”
RP Singh’s statement on Team India’s middle-order woes
Virat Kohli had a bright Asia Cup and came roaring back to form, securing 276 runs in 5 innings. The likes of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma also showed a peek of coming back to their best.
Although, the middle-order has been extremely variable and that is arguably confirmed to be the difference between Team India and their opponents in the matches they lost. RP Singh described:
“Players from the middle-order have scored runs in the IPL, but when it comes to the Indian team, it’s a huge worry. We talk about the top order being weak but it’s the top order itself that has salvaged some pride for us in the Asia Cup.
“So you should only pick proven players and not hand out too many India caps as it will just give players an illusion that they are in the national scheme of things.”