‘Why didn’t we hire AB de Villers for the T20 World Cup as a mentor?' Former India cricketer Atul Wassan raises questions after India's humiliating ouster

Team India made an abrupt exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 following a humiliating defeat at the hands of England in the semi-finals. After the massive loss, the squad and the management are under a lot of scrutiny and copping a barrage of verbal volleys from many former India cricketers.

The very basis of the side receiving a lot of flak is due to the complete annihilation they endured by the duo of Jos Buttler and Alex Hales. The batters comfortably chased down the total of 169, putting a majestic 170-run stand between them. Now, former India cricketer Atul Wassan has raised questions on the side and the lack of quality in the management.

"We can't have the same coaching staff for the T20 and Test cricket. You hire the best for T20 format. Why didn’t we hire AB de Villers for the T20 World Cup as a mentor? He could have guided the team better. He can tell the players a bit about manufacturing the shots," Wassan told PTI.

South Africa great, AB de Villiers retired from all forms of the sport in 2021 and is yet to take up a coaching role. Moreover a T20 specialist like de Villiers could be a great addition to the Indian side in a mentor’s role assuming team India secures his services in the near future. 

You need a new breed: Atul Wassan

The former India pacer further voiced that the side requires young players to pitch in, citing the 2007 Indian T20 World Cup squad that had a lot of young guns.

“This game has proved again and again that you need a new breed. In 2007, we hardly had stars, the team was comprised of youngsters, they played freely and they won the title. We are relying too much on our bigger names to deliver all the time. We also wrongly thought that the expertise of IPL will translate into the World Cup success. India is just faltering in big matches in do-or-die situations,” concluded Wassan.