Former India spinner Anil Kumble believes that the Indian team needs to find stability in the top order following the retirement of some of the veterans like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli while providing longer rope for the young batters from the current crop of players.
“The other aspect of also, you know, I want to bring this point about India’s batting. Over the last three or four years, you’ve seen four batters in the top five either retired or not be picked,” Kumble told JioHotstar. “You know, if it is, you know, Virat Kohli is retired, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, then you have, of course… Rahane. So four out of five, plus Shubman Gill is not in this lineup. Yes, India did miss Shubman, the captain, but also, more importantly, missed him as a batter. So when you don’t have that, you need to have a settled, sort of, lineup going through. They need to give them opportunities.”
After failing to chase 124 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the first Test of the two-match series, India yet again collapsed for 201 in the first innings of the second Test in Guwahati on a pitch where the South African team posted 489.
Kumble also praised Washington Sundar for his knock of 48, saying the all-rounder was made to bat in his “correct” spot in Guwahati.
“I know, he (Sundar) sort of was pushed the top of the order, the last game, but I think his position, for me at least, is correct in terms of number seven, number eight, is where I think he should be batting, because this is where he can hurt the opposition,” Kumble said.
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