Last time Kris Srikkanth questioned Harshit Rana’s selection, terming him a “yes man to Gambhir” , India coach Gautam Gambhir had objected about it calling the criticism as “shameful”.
After India’s disastrous performance in first innings of the second Test, though he still seemingly thinks India can get away with a draw, Srikkanth has opened fire again. At the coach, batsmen and also the bowlers.
“I guess this can be a draw. But wrong selection policies. Why isn’t Axar Patel not playing? Was he unfit for this Test match? He has been consistent in all levels. Why so much chop change?” Srikkanth said on his youtube channel ‘cheekycheeka’.
“Every alternate match someone is making debut. They can say trial and error. Gautam Gambhir can say whatever he wants. I don’t care. I have been a former captain and former chairman of selector . I know what am talking. I am not talking through my hat. You need consistency. I gave credit to Indians when they did brilliantly in England, right?”
In the show that he hosts with his son , the former CSK player Anirudha, Srikkanth slammed Indians’s performance in Guwahati.
“I don’t understand. I saw Kuldeep Yadav’s quotes (at end of second day’s play) about how ‘pitch is a road, nothing happens ‘. Then today we see Indians edging to slips to Simon harmer and keshav Maharaj. And also getting out to bouncers from marco Jansen.. fve wickets to short balls!
Simon harmer loops it up.. flights the ball unlike our spinners who were shooting it flat. And Jansen takes wickets from bouncers on ‘road wicket’.”
Srikkanth then targetted some Indian batsmen. Like Pant, who charged down the track to slog Marco Jansen but could only feather an edge to the wicketkeeper.
“Rishabh pant runs down and slogs.. They will say it’s natural game.. But he is the captain.. shouldn’t he see the match situation?” Srikkanth said.
When Anirudha brought up the subject of Nitish Reddy, calling him an allrounder,.Srikkanth let rip..
“Who calls Nitish Reddy an allrounder? Can anyone see his bowling and say he is an all-rounder. He hit a hundred in MCG but what has he done after that. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, as they say. If Nitish Reddy is an all-rounder then I am great allrounder.. Just saying..how can you call him an allrounder? Does he have movement, pace? He is not some deadly batsman either. Let’s call spade a spade. How is Nitish in odi team also? What has he done? Is Nitish replacement for Hardik Pandya?! Why not Axar Patel?”
Srikkanth then turned his attention to Dhruv Jurel, the wicketkeeper playing as specialist batsman this Test, and who got our trying to pull Jansen’s bouncer from outside off stump.
“Dhruv Jurel is not a deadly batsman. He hit against West Indies and they have been hyping him after that. They say we have batsmen till no. 8! With 8 they score 201.with 7 they get allout for 189. That’s The difference. 12 runs difference!” Srikkanth said with his characteristic humour.
He wondered why Sarfaraz Khan wasn’t selected. “Sarfaraz Khan was never given a chance in Australia. At least give a chance to him in India.”
Srikkanth then raved about the batting of Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen.
“Just see how Marco Jansen smashed Indians? It’s as if he wa saying look here is Brahmaputra..look here is Assam tea gardens. He didn’t hit only to Dhaka! (Laughs). Our guys kept feeding him in the range. All in good length. Did anyone bounce him? Was there one short ball. He was nonchalantly hitting Bumrah and smashed the spinners. Brilliant knock. He made our bowling looking very ordinary.
And Senuran muthusamy was fantastic. Applied himself so well. Brilliant application.”
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