WTC Final: Irfan Pathan pointed out the reasons behind the failure of Team India

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan blamed the irresponsible batting of Indian players for their defeat. Not even a single batsman was able to touch the 50-run mark in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand.

New Zealand won the championship title by eight wickets on the reserve day of the match. It was because the Indian team was bundled out for 170 runs in their second innings.

During a recent interview, Irfan Pathan opined that India lost the championship title because of their batting collapse in the second innings. The main reason would be the team selection for the overcast condition in England. But apart from that, the batting performance in the second innings was disappointing. The ball was not moving as much as in the first innings. Thereby, Indian batsman could have made more runs if they have batted with patience and responsibility.

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan also stated that Rishabh Pant should have played more carefully. He acknowledged that Pant plays aggressively. But it does not mean the batsman would walk down the wicket to play pace ballers. He should have shown some responsibility while playing such important innings.

Rishabh Pant had walked down the wicket to Trent Boult. But he only managed to hit the ball high and get caught by Henry Nicholls who had run backward from the gully position to get that catch.

The Indian team was not fully committed to winning the final against New Zealand

According to Irfan Pathan, Indian batsmen should not have attempted aggressive shots against short-pitched Kiwi bowling. While playing against Kiwi bowlers, the Indian batsmen tried to play pull shot instead of taking it on the body. It highlighted the lack of commitment in the Indian team.

Irfan Pathan concluded that India was light in the batting department and needed a seam-bowling all-rounder. They played a batsman short in the title match. Moreover, India lacked a fast-bowling all-rounder like the Kiwis. Players like Shardul Thakur would have been a good fit in the team for WTC Final.

The five bowler policy cost India a prestigious ICC title. Many experts had opined that Hanuma Vihari should get precedence over the selection of Ravindra Jadeja. But the Indian team played five bowlers. Thereby, the batting strength did not last well against the Kiwi bowling attack. Jadeja was unable to contribute with both the bat and the ball.

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