Atul Wasan calls India’s T20I collapse ‘a concern’ after Melbourne defeat

New Delhi: Former India pacer Atul Wasan has termed India’s batting collapse in the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne “a concern”, saying that the World Cup-winning team showed traces of overconfidence and failed to play to its potential.

Reflecting on India’s defeat, Wasan said T20 cricket leaves no room for recovery once momentum slips. “What to say about T20Is? If it goes wrong suddenly, you can’t recover. Once a few overs or sessions go against you, the match is gone from your hands,” he told IANS.

Wasan was critical of India’s batting performance. “You are losing 10 wickets within 18 overs — that’s a concern. Though we dismissed six of their batters, it still shows we didn’t play to our potential,” he remarked.

The former cricketer said that a degree of experimentation was understandable after India’s World Cup triumph. “It’s a new team now. You’ve won the World Cup, and 2-3 players might move on, so this is the time to try combinations — every team does that from one World Cup to the next,” he said.

When asked about playing in Australia, Wasan dismissed suggestions that conditions were difficult for Indian players. “That was the old story. We have started winning in Australia; it’s not like before when you’d lose 80% of matches. We now have players who perform anywhere in the world,” he said.

However, he warned against complacency. “From this loss, it’s clear there’s a little overconfidence. Only two players reached double figures. A collective collapse for a good team should not become a pattern,” Wasan added. IANS

Also Read: Patrick Vieira departs Genoa with club bottom of Serie A