Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has advised the Indian team management, headed by Gautam Gambhir, not to use the all-rounder Shivam Dube as a bowling option in the shortest format of the game.
Speaking exclusively on the ‘Beard Before Wicket’ Podcast, Ali has emphasized that the Indian team, led by Shreyas Iyer, made a massive blunder by going with Dube as the death bowling option in the final T20I in Southampton.
“For me personally, in my opinion, Shivam Dube should not be bowling in T20 cricket. I’ve never thought he should be bowling. Maybe if it is a tired wicket or like a slow spinner, those type of wickets it is okay. If he is bowling in a T20 game, you must be doing really well. They went to him in the 19th over, they just scrambled. I don’t think the decision was a good one,” he said on the ‘Beard Before Wicket’ podcast.
Furthermore, Ali has also heaped praise on Iyer, who played multiple captain’s knocks throughout the five-match T20I series, adding that the Indian skipper was disappointed with his bowling attack for not creating an impact. Additionally, he reckoned that the Indian batters struggle on big grounds.
“I feel a bit for Shreyas Iyer because he has played well. He’s batted really well, which is crucial for him as captain of the Indian side, especially after what happened with Surya. I felt like, for the first time, he was really frustrated with the bowlers. You could see that he lost his cool a little bit, and that’s not him. I feel for him. I don’t think they are a good bowling attack,” he added
“I think India could have started death bowling a bit more early. Just bowl everything away. Sometimes you have to. Because they (Brook and Buttler) are such good players. Tough questions to be asked,” he said.
“These guys are young and inexperienced in England. They’ve played a little bit here and there, but it’s not like they’ve come over and played a lot like the previous gun players they had. It’s a different game sometimes. They just struggled with the size and wind, and the ball probably not coming on like in India. It’s a big difference and a different ball game,” he concluded.
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