the middle order of Team India didn’t play with a ‘do or die mindset’.
The legendary fast bowler of Pakistan team Wasim Akram feels the middle order of team India did not play with a do-or-die attitude in the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
The legendary fast bowler of team Pakistan, Wasim Akram, feels that the middle order of team India did not play with a do-or-die attitude in the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Australia beat India by six wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to lift their sixth ODI World Cup title.
India managed to post the target of 240 runs on the scoreboard in the first inning on the back of half-centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Rahul scored 66 runs off 107 balls, hitting just one boundary.
While speaking, Akram said the middle order of India should have played with a do-or-die mindset in the final. Apart from Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer, none of the Indian batters scored with a strike rate of over 100 in the final.
Akram said, “If I have to pick any particular reason, I suppose the middle order should have played with a ‘do or die’ mindset. I can understand what was going through Rahul’s mind—that there was no batting to come after Jadeja and that he had to bat deep, and batting deep meant he couldn’t take risks of getting out.”
He further added that, “If possibly Hardik was in the team, Rahul probably would take that risk. But if he had taken a risk and gotten out of this situation, then people would have criticised him for that as well. If they had kept pace and scored quickly in the middle overs, then it would have been a different ball game.’
