India's selection in ICC meets have gone wrong, need plan B: Nasser Hussain

Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels that Indian team has lacked an alternative plan in major ICC tournaments primarily due to a superb top-order that rarely fails.

Wher it is ICC World T20 in 2014 (Yuvraj Singh got stuck at death) or 2017 ICC Champions Trophy or 2019 World Cup in England (top-order collapse), it has been a case of one bad match for much-vaunted line-up when it mattered most.

"I would say selection is where India have gone wrong over ICC tournaments, adapting to conditions a little bit. So it's t just about having one game plan," Hussain, one of most respected voices in game, told Star Sports' 'Cricket Connected'.

former England captain feels that it has got a lot to do with stupendous performance of skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma in most of white-ball games which effectively means that middle-order is t always ready to deal with tough situations.

"Adapting to conditions, if it's nibbling around (ball swinging) and if you are in a World Cup semi-final against New Zealand and it's doing a little bit, where is your middle-order if you are 20 for 2 and Kohli and Sharma are out?" Hussain questioned.

"It could almost be a fault of Indian cricket that y are too good at top of order. When it's good and flat, okay Kohli hundred, Sharma hundred, hundreds at top and lads in middle order don't get a hit," he commented.

India have answers once y quickly lose three wickets in early overs, opined Hussain.

".....and suddenly you are 20 for 3 because you have come up against (Mitchell) Starc, (Josh) Hazlewood and suddenly all guys haven't had a hit and we are four down and how we are going to get out of it w. So it's about having a Plan B that will get m across line, t just having a Plan A." While Hussain loves that Kohli is his "own man", very different from 'Ice Man' Mahendra Singh Dhoni, re are areas where he would like Indian captain to improve.

"So, he's his own man, he's got better at certain things or still certain areas I'd like to see Kohli improve on. I call him 'tinker man'.

"Every over, you have to change field, he is running up changing things, he tinkers a little bit too much. Selection - I kw people say what's that got to do with Kohli, but you got to have a selection plan.

"I think India did a lot of things well, I'm t sure selection is one of m," Hussaid said.

In fact, Hussain also spoke about India t having a permanent number four in World Cup, which hurt team's chances.

"Coming to a World Cup, t kwing who your . 4 is when you got so many great batsmen in India, re are selection issues that need to be sorted out, but whole point of captaincy is to win games of cricket.

"And if you look at Kohli's record as a captain, it is right up re with best re's ever been."