India Would Work On Dropping Catches : Parthiv Patel

India ended the Super 8 stage on a high with a hard-fought win against the West Indies, sealing the remaining semi-final spot, and will now face England in the knockout game. Speaking on JioStar’s Follow the Blues, JioStar expert Parthiv Patel shared his thoughts on India’s win in Kolkata, Varun Chakaravarthy’s form, and the upcoming match against England.

SPeaking on JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues’, JioStar expert Parthiv Patel spoke about India’s scintillating win against the West Indies:

“It was an outstanding win. It will be a great confidence booster for India going forward. India won the toss and decided to bowl first, thinking there would be a lot of dew. When the game finished, there was no dew at all, but the conditions did get slightly better. In a knockout game, chasing in excess of 190, someone needed to play an outstanding knock, and Sanju Samson did that. The Captain took his hat off. He has scored a lot of hundreds in international cricket, but to me, this innings was right up there. Skill-wise, we all know that Sanju Samson is a very talented batter, but fighting those mental battles is very difficult. I thought Sanju Samson did that really well. He also spoke about how his experience came into the fold. I thought it was a very mature innings. He always looked in control. He did not try to hit the ball hard. He will remember this innings for a long time.”

On Jasprit Bumrah’s knack of taking wickets:

“Bumrah is not a banker. He is the bank. The way he comes out and bowls, when you want to take a wicket against an in-form Hetmyer, he comes in and takes his wicket, then gets a set Roston Chase. Obviously, India has looked up to Jasprit Bumrah most of the time, and he has never disappointed. That is what he does most often. You are playing in a format right now, in this era, where the only way you can stop a batter is by getting him out, and Jasprit Bumrah does that.”

On Varun Chakaravarthy’s form in the Super 8:

“I would like Varun Chakaravarthy to stick to his game plan. Obviously, batters are coming up with plans to attack him, and that is where I feel Varun Chakaravarthy is drifting away too quickly. His strength is to bowl stump to stump. That is where he gets his wickets. But as soon as someone attacks him, he bowls those wide or shorter balls. If someone hits you straight, that is okay. We know what he has done in the last couple of years as a T20 bowler. There is no question of skill. It is just about making sure that you stick to your own game plan."

On the England challenge in the semi-final:

“India obviously need to get England's dangerous batters out as quickly as possible. You have Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, who is due for runs and likes the Wankhede Stadium. Then you have Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook. So, they have a good, solid line-up. It is a good all-round team. Obviously, against England, India will have to be at the top of their game. One concern I feel is the fielding and not just the way India fielded in the game at Eden Gardens. It has been happening for almost a year and a half. We are dropping quite a few catches. That is something India would definitely like to work on.”