“Suryakumar Yadav made a big mistake” - Kris Srikkanth opens up on India’s concerns after 76-run defeat to South Africa

Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has slammed the Indian opening batter Ishan Kishan for his poor batting approach in the 188-run chase against South Africa as India suffered a 76-run defeat to initiate their Super8 campaign on a worrying note.

Speaking exclusively on his YouTube channel, the former Indian selector asserted that Kishan didn’t need to go for a slog shot after being almost caught at mid-on on the previous delivery. Furthermore, he lashed out at Rinku Singh and Abhishek Sharma for their consistent flop show.

"Ishan Kishan was almost caught at mid-on the previous delivery, yet he is slogging the next ball. Was it necessary to slog the next delivery? Rinku Singh only scores single digits wherever he comes to bat. It's easy to play in bilateral series compared to ICC events. The batters will now second-guess their approach going forward. Abhishek Sharma already went from striker to non-striker in this match,” Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

Furthermore, he also reckoned that the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav should’ve come up the order at Tilak Varma’s no.3 spot. Moreover, he added that Hardik Pandya coming down at No. 7 didn’t do any favour for the defending champions. 

"Suryakumar Yadav made a big mistake. He should have come in at No.3. He only said all the spots except the openers are flexible. This left-right combination is all rubbish. It's what led to Hardik Pandya coming at 7. Only playing good cricket and your mentality matters,” he added.

South Africa batted first after winning the toss, posting a top-class total of 187/7 in 20 overs. Middle-order batters Dewald Brevis (45), David Miller (63), and Tristan Stubbs (44*) were exceptional as pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah racked up a three-wicket haul.

In the second innings, Indian batters put up a flop show as they got bundled out for 111 runs in 18.5 overs, losing the game by 76 runs. All-rounder Shivam Dube was the lone warrior with 42 runs in 37 balls. Marco Jansen scalped four wickets while Keshav Maharaj picked up three wickets.

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