'Their batters don't bowl and bowlers don't bat' - Nasser Hussain's take on India's squad for ODI World Cup 2023

Nasser Hussain (Source: Twitter)

Despite being one of the best cricket teams in recent times, India has failed to win any big tournament in cricket since 2013. It has been more than 10 years since India won the 2013 Champions Trophy. The major reason behind the underperformance of the Indian team has been the lack of performers in the big matches.  

The Indian team does not have many players who can step up in the big matches. It comes down to the fact that the Indian players fear failure and the opinions of the outside people. The former English captain Nasser Hussain felt the same, as he assessed the Indian squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Hussain mentioned the reason behind India not starting as the outright favourite for winning the tournament.  

'They’re favourites but they’re not clear favourites' - Nasser Hussain

“They’re favourites but they’re not clear favourites because of the amount of quality sides there are. If you look at their squad, they have two of the greatest white ball batters to ever play the game in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They have a potential future great in Shubman Gill and Bumrah coming back is fantastic news,” said the former England captain.  

Hussain felt that the Indian team don’t have batters who can bowl and vice versa. “So, if you look at their batting and bowling, it’s right up there among one of the best squads. An area where they lack is if you look at the batters, they don’t bowl, and the bowlers don’t bat. So, the side has a different make-up to England and Australia with all the all-rounders,” added Hussain. 

“You could argue that there’s pressure all the time on Indian players. But where they have fallen short is the knockouts since the 2011 World Cup. They need to play above par, play fearless cricket. I think they will get to the knockout stage, but when they get to the semi-final, that’s when they need to play fearless cricket,” concluded Hussain.