Virat Kohli-led India have been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism after two consecutive defeats at the start of their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. Nothing seems to be working for them whether it is the inclusion of mystery spinner, changes in the batting order or the midas touch of former skipper MS Dhoni as mentor. Former England spinner Monty Panesar feels that the problem lies in their planning and the mentor, head coach Ravi Shastri and Kohli are not on the same page.
Placed at no.5 in their group, India still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals even though it is a slim one.
“India can still qualify. They can still turn it around. But it needs a lot of things and all will depend on Virat, Ravi, and Dhoni. Virat, Ravi, and Dhoni need to be on the same page. I believe they are not,” said Monty Panesar told Times of India.
Panesar heaped praises for Kohli as a batter but believes captaincy is not his strong suit as the ICC trophy continues to elude him. The closest he got to an ICC trophy as captain was in the inaugural World Test Championship where India were beaten by New Zealand.
“People will remember Virat as a great batsman and massive chaser but will always criticize him as a leader because he couldn’t do anything when the team was under crisis and he failed to turn it around. India need to win all the three games massively,” added Panesar.
The former left-arm spinner also laid emphasis on the toss factor in UAE and most captains preferring to chase the total.
“Toss played a crucial role in the tournament. In UAE, the team that wins the toss first, they have an upper hand. If India had won the toss, things would have been different. Virat doesn’t have the best XI at the moment. He is low on confidence. Virat, Ravi and Dhoni need to sit down and sort this out quickly as some easy games are coming up. They need to work out things in terms of approach, play and strategy,” the 39-year-old added.
