sports

Nayar: Sharma 'passed baton of zeroes' to Kishan

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has criticized India's openers following their defeat to South Africa, saying Abhishek Sharma has passed the 'baton of zeroes' to in-form Ishan Kishan.

After India's 76-run loss to South Africa in the Super Eights, Nayar pointed to the batting collapse where India was bowled out for 111 chasing 188. Despite Shivam Dube's 42, the team never recovered from early blows.

Nayar highlighted technical issues against quality off-spin, noting the need for better planning against bowlers like South Africa's Keshav Maharaj and West Indies' Roston Chase to revive India's semi-final hopes.