Indian batters got into fifth and sixth gears and forgot that you start the engine in first gear: Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has stated that it’s very important to rotate the strike instead of only looking for boundaries in the shortest format of the game, as India got bundled out for 111 runs in the 188-run chase against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22.

Speaking exclusively on Cricbuzz, Vaughan asserted that Indian batters tried to start the engine in the fifth and sixth gears instead of the first gear, which resulted in a major collapse and eventually a 76-run defeat to initiate their Super8 campaign.

"It was a hammering. Yes, you need boundaries, but you've also got to rotate the strike. 55 dot balls for that quality of a batting lineup. They went out with the intention of just hitting boundaries. They had almost forgotten about singles and twos, and that's not like India to be one-dimensional. They got into fifth and sixth gears and forgot that you start the engine in first gear,” Michael Vaughan told Cricbuzz.

"Maybe it's the shock and bolt they need. You can't just arrive in any game of cricket, however good you are, you can't just show up and win. You've to produce the process in all departments. You can't just think you can smash your way to 188 against a quality attack. You've got to be a lot smarter than that,” he added.

"Maybe it's that little trigger and prod to the team and the management that you can't just arrive and get your selection wrong and get your mindset wrong with the bat. There are some quality teams in this World Cup that will expose you if you are going to be like that,” he concluded.

Shifting our focus to the details of the game, South Africa posted a dominating total of 187/7 in 20 overs. Middle-order batters Dewald Brevis (45), David Miller (63), and Tristan Stubbs (44*) shone with the willow.

In the chase, Indian batters couldn’t create an impact as they got bundled out for 111 runs in 18.5 overs, losing the game by 76 runs. Marco Jansen scalped four wickets while Keshav Maharaj pocketed three scalps.

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