World Cup 2019: India could have played better, says Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar feels India could have done well with the bat against England. England beat India by 31 runs to keep their semifinal hopes alive and on track. However, their win has jeopardised Pakistan’s hopes of progressing ahead. A loss for England would have put Pakistan in a commanding position but the Men in Green will now have to depend on different results to progress ahead.

India’s approach with the bat has become the biggest talking point in the wake of the defeat. Chasing an improbable 338, India finished their innings on a commendable 306 for 5. However, the Men in Blue could have taken the game much closer had they decided to go for the big shots at the start and the end. India’s innings started and finished on a poor note which put England in the driver’s seat.

India lost KL Rahul for a 9-ball duck and managed just 28 runs from the first ten overs. But Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli soon found their rhythm and put India in contention. The captain and his deputy stitched together a 146-run stand for the second wicket to revive the chase. Kohli departed after scoring 66 while Rohit scored 102. The equation was finally down to 71 from 5 overs with MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav in the middle.

But while everyone was expecting Dhoni and Jadhav to go all out with the bat, the two left everyone shellshocked with their ultra-defensive approach. Neither of the two went for the big shots and looked content in taking the singles. In the end, they managed just 39 runs from the final five overs as India finished on 306 for 5.

Shoaib Akhtar’s take on the game

Following the game, Shoaib Akhtar took to Twitter to speak about the game. The legendary pacer said that the Men in Blue could have done better and taken an aggressive approach at the start. At the same time, he took nothing away from England and credited them for their performance.

“India could have played better. An aggressive approach in first 10 overs and then with 5 wickets in hand, they could have done wonders,” wrote Shoaib Akhtar.

“But overall, a very strong performance by England. Our hopes now move towards New Zealand,” he added in another tweet.