Follow UsFormer India captain and chief selector Kris Srikkanth brutally trolled England in the aftermath of their defeat in the first ODI against India in Nagpur, claiming that the Three Lions will, in all likelihood, suffer if they carry this middle-order in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Not for the first time in the past couple of years, England’s middle-order crumbled as the visitors slipped from 75/0 to 111/4 before eventually getting rolled over for 248. Joe Root was unable to impact proceedings on his comeback while the duo of Harry Brook (0) and Liam Livingstone (5) once again disappointed on this tour.
Srikkanth, speaking on his YouTube Channel, did not hold back.
“Match after match their middle-order collapses like a pack of cards. I have never seen dodgy batting like this. If they are going to go to the Champions Trophy with this [middle-order and batting] then God save England,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
The former India chief selector was heavily critical of Livingstone for his approach. The middle-order batter perished attempting a slog despite the match situation demanding another partnership from the visitors.
“They got off to a great start and still squandered it. Someone like a Liam Livingstone is still slogging the same way and getting out the same way. You should at least show a bit of adaptability.”
Srikkanth said that someone like a Shubman Gill, in comparison, showed a lot more maturity and adaptability. Gill top-scored for India with 87, mixing caution with aggression, and was named the Player of the Match.
“In that sense I’ll give a lot of credit to Shubman Gill, he showed great adaptability,” Srikkanth said.
The former India captain further felt that England could have challenged India had they added 50-60 more runs on the board, particularly due to the way Adil Rashid was bowling.
“England messed up a good opportunity. If they had scored 290 or 300 they could have put pressure. The way Adil Rashid bowled, they could have easily come back well.”