"You cannot have four rabbits from 8-11" - Michael Vaughan ridicules India's team combination

Former England captain and broadcaster Michael Vaughan ridiculed the combination India chose for the last two Tests against England. He opined that no team can afford to have “four rabbits” batting in the lower order.

India skipper Virat Kohli had opted for four pure pace bowlers in the second and third Tests after Shardul Thakur was injured during the first outing. They offered plenty of resistance in the Lord’s Test. However, the pack fell more in line with their usual batting performances, aggregating just 20 runs among themselves over the two innings of the Test.

Michael Vaughan reckons that the partnership between Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah at Lord’s might have given a false sense of security to the side.

“You cannot have four rabbits from 8-11. The resistance at Lord’s lulled them into a false sense of security about their tail. In reality, they cannot have Mohammad Shami coming in at eight,” Michael Vaughan wrote on his Facebook page.

Mohammed Shami has the highest average with the bat among the four, which is a paltry 11.80. Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj have an average of a shade over 8, while that of Jasprit Bumrah hovers at 4.80.

---

"India did not have the determination and right mindset" - Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan fears India might have thrown in the towel after the first day

Michael Vaughan felt that India lacked the determination and the right mindset coming into the Leeds Test. He fears the team might have thrown in the towel after a disastrous performance with the bat on Day 1.

“India for whatever reason did not have the determination and right mindset (…) In a five-match series, particularly with modern players, I think you have weeks where teams write off a match quickly if they go behind early. They almost treat it like a tennis match. It is as if they think ‘we will give you this set and start again next week’. That was India’s approach after day one,” Michael Vaughan added.

However, Vaughan believes that India can still get back to their best once they get to the Oval for the fourth Test.

“We have seen here it only takes a couple of good hours at the start of the next match for that to change and Virat Kohli will soon be back at England again if his team start well at the Oval.”

The fourth Test will commence on September 2 at the Oval. The five-match series is currently tied at 1-1.

Great teams can’t be so mercurial unpredictable and inconsistent so frequently @imVkohli @RaviShastriOfc

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) August 28, 2021