Former Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth has responded to recent comments made by former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull regarding India’s playing style. Doull had criticized the Indian team, suggesting that they tend to prioritize statistics over playing fearlessly. In response, Sreesanth defended the Indian cricket team’s approach and took a dig at New Zealand’s past performances.
Doull’s remarks came in the context of India’s approach to limited-overs cricket, particularly in ODIs. He had suggested that some Indian batters focus more on their personal statistics than playing with a fearless mindset.
Sreesanth, however, reminded Doull of New Zealand’s fortunate victory over India in the semi-final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. During that encounter, New Zealand had managed to defeat India by just 18 runs in a thrilling match at Old Trafford. MS Dhoni was famously dismissed by Martin Guptill’s direct hit when India needed 25 runs off 10 deliveries.
Reflecting on that game, Sreesanth questioned what New Zealand had achieved after reaching the final. He also predicted a challenging time for New Zealand in the upcoming 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Sreesanth stated, “New Zealand are coming to India. They will get to know if India play attacking cricket or not. We will thrash them. They got lucky in 2019 with MS Dhoni getting run out due to a direct hit. What did you do after playing the final? They made a team like England win the World Cup, who hadn’t won a 50-over World Cup until then. New Zealand are never going to win.”
He continued by advising former cricketers to think before speaking in the media. Sreesanth emphasized that if one is ready to give comments, they should also be prepared to receive them.
New Zealand, in the 2019 World Cup final, had faced a heartbreaking defeat to England based on the boundary count. The Kiwis had reached the finals of the last two editions of the ODI World Cup.
Sreesanth also expressed confidence in the Indian team’s performance against New Zealand in the upcoming World Cup. He stated that if players like Virat Kohli become aware of Simon Doull’s comments, India will perform exceptionally well.
“I just want to tell Simon Doull that Indians are going to have a blast against New Zealand. New Zealand are going to learn a lot against India. Yes, there have been certain matches where they have done well against us, especially in ICC events. But those times have gone now. If any of these cricketers get to know what you said, and if Virat is made aware of it, it will be a lot of fun to watch that match,” Sreesanth concluded.
Simon Doull’s comments had sparked a debate about India’s playing style and approach to cricket. With the upcoming World Cup and the India-New Zealand rivalry, cricket fans will be eagerly waiting to see how both teams perform on the field.