Team India pacer Mohammed Shami slammed the poor form and display by the Indian batters on the recent tour of South Africa. The leading Indian fast bowler felt that Team India’s batting was ‘bit loose’ at time.
Shami was the leading wicket taker for India in the three-match series which the visitors lost 2-1, claiming 14 wickets at an average of 21. He admitted in an interview to The Telegraph newspaper that batting was loose in the series and team suffered because of that.
“Yes, our batting may have been a bit loose at times, due to which the team has suffered in South Africa”, Shami said in an interview to The Telegraph.
“Please don’t forget that our bowling unit has been doing exceedingly well, and been consistent on most occasions. So this is one huge positive that always keeps us in the game. Yes, our batting may have been a bit loose at times, due to which the team has suffered. If we had some 50-60 more runs to defend, we certainly could’ve had a greater chance of winning those two games,” he added.
“But I’m sure things will be sorted out,” the 31-year-old said told The Telegraph from his residence (at Sahaspur in Amroha) in Uttar Pradesh.
KL Rahul was the team’s highest scorer with 226 runs in 6 innings, but 123 of those runs came in one innings. Mayank Agarwal played a hand of 60 in the 1st innings at Centurion but could not cross 30 on the rest of the tour. He only managed 135 runs at an average of 22..5
Cheteshwar Pujara scored just 124 runs in 6 innings while Ajinkya Rahane had 136. Rishabh Pant was the only other centurion in the series but he also only managed 186 runs in 6 innings. Virat Kohli, who missed the 2nd Test, scored 161 runs in 4 innings.
“See, we’ve been playing on a fairly regular basis and been part of bubble life for quite some time now. So summing up the overall situation, I would only say that ups and downs happen, and we just don’t need to get too hyper or worry too much about it,” Shami added.
