“I knew they would collapse” - West Indies legend slams Rohit Sharma and Co., claims arrogance has crept into Indian cricket 

West Indies great Sir Andy Roberts has hit out at Team India over their lackadaisical performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia. He claimed that arrogance has crept into Indian cricket.

India went down to Australia by 209 runs in the WTC final at the Oval. While Australia dominated the Test match, India had faint hopes going into Day 5. Set to chase 444, they ended Day 4 on 164/3, with Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane at the crease.

The Indian batting, however, came unstuck on the final day as they bundled out for 234. Speaking to Mid-Day from Antigua, Roberts slammed Team India and stated that he did not expect them to chase 444.

The former fast bowler commented:

“I harbored no such hopes. I knew they would collapse. The batting in both innings was bad.”

Making a scathing assessment of India’s priorities, Roberts added that they must decide whether they want to focus on Test cricket or white-ball cricket.

The Windies legend opined:

“There is this arrogance which has crept into Indian cricket and through this, India have underestimated the rest of the world. India must decide what their focus is - Test cricket or limited overs cricket. T20 cricket will run its course. There is no contest between bat and ball there.”

A lot of cricket experts questioned India’s preparations as they played the WTC final just a few days after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

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“I expected India to show their batting strength” - Sir Andy Roberts

While analyzing India’s performance in the WTC final, Roberts stated that he expected the experienced batting line-up to come up with a better show.

The former pacer elaborated:

“I expected India to show their batting strength. I saw no bright spot in the final although Ajinkya Rahane fought hard; got hit on his hand. Shubman Gill looks good when he plays those shots, but he stands on leg stump and is often dismissed bowled or caught behind. He has good hands, but he must get behind the ball.

“Virat Kohli, though, got a brute of a delivery from Mitchell Starc in the first innings. India have some very good players mind you, but they have not performed creditably away from home,” he added.

Speaking of the bowling department, Roberts questioned the decision to leave out Ravichandran Ashwin, adding that the lack of height of the four fast bowlers picked also had a say.

He said:

“That [a tall fast bowler] would have made a difference in terms of bounce.”

India’s next assignment will be a tour of the West Indies, featuring two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is.