Divorce:
Ravindra Jadeja, who was the most important all-rounder in the team, withdrew due to injury. Then Avesh Khan got injured and he too did not participate in the Super 4 round. Due to this, the Indian team was less strong in the field of bowling. Arshdeep Singh was the only player to rely on, especially in the death overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled tremendously only in the power play.
Rohit Sharma trusted Hardik Pandya as the third fast bowler. Hardik is neither a swing bowler nor a frequent bouncer. He bowls only length balls well. Apart from Arshdeep Singh, the other two bowlers had a major flaw which was the main reason for the loss in the Super 4 round.
Rohit’s mistake:
Avesh Khan’s injury should have brought in Deepak Sahar who was on the reserve list. But Rohit Sharma did not do that and blindly promoted Hardik Pandya as a full-time bowler. Deepak Sahar can swing the balls in the death overs as well. He can also bowl slower balls. Thus, Arshdeep would have sided with Singh.
But now, after all is said and done, Deepak Sahar has been replaced by Avesh Khan in the last match against Afghanistan. Perhaps if Deepak Sahar bowls well in this match, it might detract from Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
Pujara Interview:
However, Indian player Cheteshwar Pujara has severely criticized this late decision. “Harthik Pandya is a great bowler. It is not right to think of getting 4 consecutive overs from him. A replacement bowler should have been added immediately when Avesh Khan was injured. Now they have shortened the period and added a replacement bowler.