Shane Warne has launched a ruthless attack on India's young batsmen and felt MS Dhoni's captaincy was being affected by his below-par wicketkeeping as the visitors slumped to a massive 319-run defeat against England in the 2nd Test.
"As far as the batting is concerned, it is three down, all down. If you get Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman out, the rest all follow suit because they can't handle the intensity of the position," Warne wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
Warne was particularly critical of Suresh Raina and finds the left-hander a misfit for the challenging Test Cricket Format.
"The way some of the Indians play the short-ball is embarrassing. Suresh Raina just does not look like a Test player when the ball is dug in. He is OK in Twenty20 Cricket and ODI matches because teams can't bowl that many short balls at him, but in Test cricket they can batter him."
"India have to bounce back to make this a competitive series and the guide has to come from Dhoni. He needs to lift everyone. He looks too casual at the moment. He has lost his positive body language. "The skipper has to set the tone with the fielding. He cannot hang on to a ball behind the stumps and that is hurting his captaincy, batting and having an impact on the whole team. He needs to work really hard on his keeping over the next week because you can't carry on like that," he said.
"There is an argument that says he should not be playing the next game because he can't keep hold of the ball. Dhoni is a quality person and leader so I am sure he will turn it around but deep down he will feel a bit embarrassed about how it has been going," Warne added.
"As far as the batting is concerned, it is three down, all down. If you get Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman out, the rest all follow suit because they can't handle the intensity of the position," Warne wrote in the Daily Telegraph.Warne was particularly critical of Suresh Raina and finds the left-hander a misfit for the challenging Test Cricket Format.
"The way some of the Indians play the short-ball is embarrassing. Suresh Raina just does not look like a Test player when the ball is dug in. He is OK in Twenty20 Cricket and ODI matches because teams can't bowl that many short balls at him, but in Test cricket they can batter him."
"India have to bounce back to make this a competitive series and the guide has to come from Dhoni. He needs to lift everyone. He looks too casual at the moment. He has lost his positive body language. "The skipper has to set the tone with the fielding. He cannot hang on to a ball behind the stumps and that is hurting his captaincy, batting and having an impact on the whole team. He needs to work really hard on his keeping over the next week because you can't carry on like that," he said.
"There is an argument that says he should not be playing the next game because he can't keep hold of the ball. Dhoni is a quality person and leader so I am sure he will turn it around but deep down he will feel a bit embarrassed about how it has been going," Warne added.
