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T20 World Cup 2022

Michael Vaughan: India are the most under-performing team in white-ball history

by Wisden Staff 3 minute read

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has described India as “the most under-performing team in white-ball history” for their repeated failures to win ICC events despite the wealth of talent and resources available to them.

India’s defeat to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final at the Adelaide Oval continued a run of disappointing results at world tournaments. Their last triumph in an ICC event came in the 2013 Champions Trophy. Since then they have made the knockouts of every ICC event, barring the 2021 T20 World Cup, without tasting success. They were beaten in the final of the 2014 World T20 and the 2017 Champions Trophy and fell at the semi-final stage of the 2015 and 2019 Cricket World Cup and the 2016 World T20.

Vaughan criticised India for their empty trophy cabinet, describing their approach to the shorter formats as “dated”.

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“India are the most under-performing white-ball team in history,” he wrote for the Telegraph. “Every player in the world who goes to the Indian Premier League says how it improves their game but what have India ever delivered? Since winning the 50 over World Cup on home soil in 2011 what have they done? Nothing. India are playing a white-ball game that is dated and have done for years.”

As well as not making best use of the IPL as a finishing school, Vaughan also cited India’s failure to getting the most out of the talent available to them and a lack of top-order bowling options as holding them back.

“How they have not maximised someone like Rishabh Pant is incredible,” he said. “In this era, put him up the top to launch it. How have they only got five bowling options when you think 10 or 15 years ago all of India’s top six could bowl a little bit – Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag and even Sourav Ganguly? None of the batsmen bowl so the captain has only got five options. I’m just staggered by how they play T20 cricket for the talent they have. They have the players, but just do not have the right process in place.”

Vaughan pointed to India’s lack of intent with the bat, and their plans with the ball as reasons for their defeat to England.

“They have to go for it. Why do they give the opposition bowlers the first five overs to bed in?” he said. “We know in T20 cricket the stats tell you a team needs a spinner who can turn it both ways. India have plenty of leg-spinners. Where are they?

“They have a left-armer in Arshdeep Singh who swings it back into the right-handers. So what do they do defending 168? They put on Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling outswing to give Jos Buttler and Alex Hales width. Where is the left-arm seamer swinging it in to Buttler and Hales in the first over? Madness. Cramp them for room. Do not give them a chance to get off to a flyer in the first over and settle nerves.

“It is fantastic what India brings to cricket with the IPL and their fans. To see 88,000 at the MCG for a dead rubber against Zimbabwe was marvellous for the game. They are so important for world cricket but for all the advantages India have, they must win more.

“Even in their own backyard at the 2016 World T20 they did not reach the final. They were nowhere last year. This time it took an outrageous innings by Virat Kohli, probably the best in T20 of all time, to beat Pakistan in the group stages. They massively underachieve for their skill levels.”

Bet365 will be Live Streaming all of the T20 World Cup matches direct to your iPhone, iPad or Android device, as well as desktop. This means that every T20 World Cup fixture will be available to bet365 customers wherever they are in the world.

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