Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out the vulnerabilities in India's batting lineup and the lack of depth in their batting order, which were highlighted during their defeat in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup final against Australia.
He mentioned that while India had successfully managed their limitations throughout the tournament, the final exposed their vulnerabilities, especially in terms of batting depth.
Manjrekar highlighted that India faced challenges due to their batting depth, which became evident in the final as KL Rahul had to carry a bulk of the innings, knowing that there wasn't much batting depth to follow.
India's reliance on a longish tail starting from number eight was a significant factor that contributed to the pressure they felt in the final.
The absence of Hardik Pandya due to an injury resulted in India playing with a longer tail than usual, impacting their batting strength. Suryakumar Yadav was designated as a finisher in Pandya's absence but couldn't perform in the final, leading to India posting a below-par total of 240, which Australia successfully chased down to win the World Cup.
Manjrekar also considered the pressure of playing in the finals and how it affected India's approach. He mentioned that the difficulty of the slow pitch added to India's challenges, especially as they didn't have many wickets left, causing difficulties in accelerating the scoring rate. He speculated that if the match were a league game, India might have approached it differently, suggesting that the pressure of a final might have impacted their strategy.
(With Agency Inputs)
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