‘Shot selection chosen by the Indian batters wasn’t great’ – Anil Kumble dissects India’s disappointing batting show

‘Shot selection chosen by the Indian batters wasn’t great’ – Anil Kumble dissects India’s disappointing batting show. (Source – Getty Images)

India once again produced a horrific first innings’ performance with the bat against New Zealand. In Bengaluru, the Rohit Sharma-led side was bundled for 46 runs and went on to lose the game by seven wickets and following which, the players were expected to get better and produce a good performance, especially with the bat, but it turned out to be another lacklustre show. They were bundled for just 156 runs, which helped New Zealand take a lead of 103 runs after the first innings in Pune.

Reflecting upon that, former cricketer Anil Kumble stated that the first session cost India the whole day. He gave credit to New Zealand bowlers for bowling in the right areas, and added that the shot selection of the Indian batters wasn’t great and that hurt the team. He highlighted that the Kiwi bowlers were aggressive, and the hosts couldn’t deal with it.

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“I thought I saw the shot selection chosen by the Indian batters wasn’t great at all. I mean, the first session certainly cost India this whole day. I mean, it was disappointing, but credit to the New Zealand bowlers as well. Though they bowled in really good areas, they varied the pace and kept at it,” Kumble told Jio Cinema.

“They never looked to sort of be hassled. They attacked. That was something that was lacking. When India bowled first, they attacked the Indian batters, not worried about their reputation. They felt that on the surface we had a chance,” he added.

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New Zealand are leading by 301 runs after Day 2. After bundling India early, their batters put up a good show as captain Tom Latham led by example. He made 86 runs as the visitors finished the day on 198/5. For India to come back into the match, their bowlers need to pick wickets early on Day 3 and hope that the batters put up a historic knock with the bat.