"They are too worried about their stats" - Simon Doull says Indian batters are not "fearless" 

Former New Zealand international Simon Doull believes the Indian men's team doesn't play "fearless" but "statistics-driven" cricket with batters who are a bit too concerned about their personal stats.

The pundit's opinions came against the backdrop of India reaching the final of the 2023 Asia Cup with their tried-and-tested methods. On the slow and turning tracks in Sri Lanka, they have relied on one of their top-order batters to anchor the innings while keeping most of the aggression for the death overs.

“Fearless cricket is their issue,” Simon Doull told Sky Sports. “They don’t play fearless cricket enough. They play statistics-driven cricket and they are too worried about their stats too often. And to me, that is the one area I am concerned about their batting side."

England are said to have used "fearlessness" to their advantage in ODIs since 2015. Unlike India, they like to utilize the powerplay for quick runs and batters keep trying to attack even if they lose wickets. Recently, Australia, South Africa and even Pakistan have tried to follow suit with mixed results.

However, most of England's "fearless" performances have come on batting-friendly tracks and all aforementioned teams have struggled to score big on pitches with a bit of swing or extra turn. India also have a problem against quality spin, though.

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"They are so worried about what might be said" - Simon Doull on Indian players

Simon Doull labeled India's players some of the best in the world but added that most of them are worried about media criticism and their own place in the team.

“They have got all the talent and some of the best players, if not the best players in the world," Doull added. "But it is about playing the fearless cricket at the right time of the tournament and I think that is what had really let them down in the last few World Cups. They don’t go out there and and take risks because they are so worried about what might be said or what might be printed or what might someone ask them about their place in the team. That’s the one area I am concerned with."

Although statistical studies have shown that India don't crumble under big match pressure as much as some fans tend to believe, the 2023 World Cup at home would be a big test for Rohit Sharma and Co.'s ability to manage expectations.