Toss gives a very undue advantage in UAE, feels Bharat Arun

India lost their first two games against Pakistan and New Zealand after failing to post a big total batting first but the narrative changed soon after as India thrashed Afghanistan and Scotland in their next two games. Chasing has become the preferred strategy due to the dew factor in UAE. 

Devoid of that luck, India will need Afghanistan to beat New Zealand to stay in the course for a semi-final position but it only emphasized how Virat Kohli's rotten luck in terms of winning the toss has played a vital role. Bharat Arun, India's outgoing bowling coach, reckons that toss has provided a very undue advantage to chasing teams which is not a good thing for T20 cricket's USP.

"Obviously, we are a very good side, we started as tournament favorites. It was unfortunate that we lost the first two games, which put us in a very precarious position. We are expecting to qualify, we are backing Afghanistan to do well in this tournament. Sport is all about ups and downs, you need to move on. It was the entire team's endeavour to do well here, I am not trying to give any excuses, but I think the toss plays a very vital role in any match," Arun said during the virtual press conference.

"Toss should not be of any consequence but here the toss gives a very undue advantage, there is a huge change between batting in first innings and batting in second innings, which should not be the case in a very short format like this," he added.

Indian players are on the road for the last six months due to constant cricket being played since the World Test Championship final and had only one day of turnaround time after the IPL final. Arun said that the unrelenting schedule took a toll on the players. 

"Definitely being on the road for six months is a huge ask, the players have not gone home ever since they had a short break after the last IPL. They are in a bubble for the last six months, which takes a huge toll. So very specific to your question, a short break between the IPL and World Cup would have done a lot of good for these boys," Arun added.