'Pata nahi kaha pahaado ke peeche chhupe huye the' - Former Pakistan cricketer slams Rahul Dravid for sub-par coaching, predicts WTC final chances 'a lost cause'

Rahul Dravid Rohit Sharma

The ongoing World Test Championship final between India and Australia has seen India struggling to maintain their grip on the match. With Australia already amassing a lead of 296 runs and six wickets in hand, India faces a daunting task of achieving one of the highest successful chases at The Oval. Numerous factors contributed to India's predicament, starting with the decision to exclude Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI.

After conceding a substantial first-innings total of 469, India's top-order collapse at 71/4 further dampened their chances. Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur showed resilience with their half-centuries, but India remained on the back foot. Chasing a target exceeding 300 in the fourth innings against Australia's formidable bowling attack would require a monumental effort.

Amid India's struggles, former Pakistan batter Basit Ali launched a scathing attack on the Indian team, deeming the match a lost cause from the toss itself when captain Rohit Sharma chose to bowl in overcast conditions. Despite initially restricting Australia to 76/3, the counter-attacking centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith sealed India's fate. Basit, who represented Pakistan in 19 Tests and 50 ODIs, believes that India's only hope lies in a miraculous turnaround.

"India lost the match the moment they chose to bowl worrying about the first two hours. And the kind of bowling that was on display was just like IPL. By lunch, the Indian bowlers appeared so happy as if they'd won the match. All India can do now is hope to get them out cheaply and hope for a miracle in the fourth innings. During the 120 overs that India fielded, I could see only 2-3 players being fit - Rahane, Kohli and Jadeja. The rest looked tired," the former batter said on his YouTube channel.

India's performance IPL-like - Basit

Basit criticized the Indian team, describing their bowling performance as reminiscent of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and claiming that the bowlers seemed overly jubilant by lunch, as if they had already won the match. He also expressed concerns about the fitness levels of the players, asserting that only a handful appeared fit, including Rahane, Kohli, and Jadeja, while the rest seemed exhausted during the 120 overs India fielded.

Furthermore, Basit took aim at coach Rahul Dravid, making provocative statements about his coaching abilities. Despite being an ardent admirer of Dravid's illustrious playing career, Basit questioned the team management's tactics and expressed disappointment in Dravid's coaching prowess, regardless of his achievements with India A and the senior men's team. He criticized the decision to prepare turning pitches in India, suggesting that bouncy pitches similar to those encountered during India's tour of Australia would have been more appropriate.

"I am a huge Rahul Dravid fan, have always been and will remain. He is a class player, a legend. But as a coach, he is absolutely zero. You prepared turning pitches on India. Just answer me this. When India travelled to Australia, were there similar wickets? They had bouncy pitches, right? God knows what he was thinking. Jab upar wala akal baant raha tha toh pata nahi kaha pahaado ke peeche chhupe huye thhe (God knows where he was when god was distributing brains)," said Ali.