'We were humiliated on all fronts': Ex-India captain fumes after Super 8 disaster
Chasing 188, India imploded spectacularly and were bundled out for 111 in the 19th over. The collapse was triggered early when in-form opener Ishan Kishan perished for a four-ball duck in the very first over, falling to the part-time off-spin of Aiden Markram.
Reacting to the reckless start, Srikkanth did not mince his words while speaking on his YouTube channel.
"Ishan Kishan was almost caught at mid-on the previous delivery, yet he is slogging the next ball. Was it necessary to slog the next delivery? Rinku Singh only scores single digits wherever he comes to bat. It's easy to play in bilateral series compared to ICC events. The batters will now second-guess their approach going forward. Abhishek Sharma already went from striker to non-striker in this match."
The former opener also questioned the team’s batting order, pointing fingers at Suryakumar Yadav for not taking more responsibility.
"Suryakumar Yadav made a big mistake. He should have come in at No.3. He only said all the spots except the openers are flexible. This left-right combination is all rubbish. It's what led to Hardik Pandya coming at 7. Only playing good cricket and your mentality matters."
Suryakumar walked in at No.4 with India tottering at 5/2 and managed just 18 off 22 deliveries. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was surprisingly pushed down to No.7, where he scored 18 from 17 balls.
Srikkanth was particularly furious about the decision to send Washington Sundar ahead of established finishers when India were 26/3 in the fifth over. Sundar, promoted to No.5, made a laboured 11 off 11 balls as the chase slipped further away.
"It was absolutely ridiculous. India were humiliated today on all fronts. It's what we usually do to opponents, but the roles were reversed today. Hardik Pandya has done well in pressure situations at 5. He should have come in at No.5. Instead, they sent him at 7, which was totally unfair. Hardik Pandya coming in at No.7 was ridiculous decision-making," said Srikkanth.
He warned that the fallout from such a heavy defeat could linger.
"The Indian batters' mindsets will become further negative. India's batting throughout the tournament has not been consistent. It's just been bailed out by one or two players and even that went for a toss this match. Dube hit some sixes at the end, but it was all empty calories after the game was already over."
Apart from Shivam Dube’s 42, none of the Indian batters managed to cross 20, marking one of their most disappointing batting performances in recent memory and leaving their Super Eight campaign hanging in the balance.
Monday Cheese Curds: Cap casualties should start coming soon
The Green Bay Packers have some work to do in order to get under the projected salary cap for 2026 before the start of the new league year on March 11th. The team is right around the final cap number for the coming season as it stands presently, and they will need to free up a decent amount of space for their draft class, some extensions or re-signings, and any additions they plan to make in free agency.
The most logical way to free up salary cap space is with the release of a pair of players who have massive cap hits for the coming season but also have failed to live up to them. Yes, in all likelihood, Elgton Jenkins and Rashan Gary will hit the street in the next two weeks looking for opportunities elsewhere.
Jenkins is the biggest value cut. His current contract, which has one year remaining, would have a cap hit of about $24.3 million, according to Overthecap.com, but releasing him will leave the Packers with only $4.8 million in dead money — a savings of about $19.5 million. Jenkins has largely been healthy the last few years leading up to the 2025 season, but with him being 31 years old, coming off a broken leg, and moving from guard to center anyway before last season, that’s a massive and unreasonable cap hit for a player in his situation.
Then there’s Gary, who is still on the right side of 30 (he just turned 28 in December). However, Gary still has never managed to hit double digits in sacks and he was shut out for the entire second half of the 2025 season. That’s right, Gary’s last sack came in week 7, when he sacked Aaron Rodgers twice. Gary’s cap number comes in at just over $28 million for the coming season, with the cap savings from releasing him being worth about $11 million on the Packers’ books.
It’s never a fun time when a team cuts a veteran player for financial reasons. Perhaps Gary and the Packers could work out some sort of pay cut or arrangement to keep him in Green Bay, though that currently seems unlikely. But the Packers could actually end up with some appealing options coming free from other teams during cap casualty season as well. Let’s take a look at that and much more as we get the first Curds of NFL Combine week underway.
Potential NFL Cuts Could Provide More Gain Than Pain for Packers | SI.com
Yes, Jenkins and Gary are logical cuts for the Packers, but there are plenty of potential targets out there who could be cut from other teams. How about the idea of bringing back Kenny Clark?
Ranking deepest, thinnest positions in NFL free agency, draft | ESPN
Good news: it’s a good year to need an interior offensive lineman. Bad news: it’s a bad year to need an outside cornerback with size.
Sean Rhyan statistical analysis: Was his center performance overrated? | Packers Wire
Rhyan wasn’t much of a pass-blocker after moving to center, though he was notably better than Jenkins was in the power running game. Do the Packers look to re-sign him or try to find a free agent replacement instead?
Saquon Barkley ‘super excited’ to work with new Eagles OC Sean Mannion: ‘It’s refreshing’ | NFL.com
I will be watching Mannion’s work with the Eagles with great curiosity, because the former Packers assistant coach is barely two years removed from being an active NFL player.
2025 FAN Hall of Fame inductee Patrick Suplicki: ‘It’s a great feeling’ | Packers.com
Congratulations to the newest inductee!
William Shatner to Release Metal Album Featuring 35 Handpicked Musicians | Consequence.net
I, for one, can’t wait to hear his spoken word version of “Breaking the Law” by Judas Priest.
Breece Hall Noncommittal on Jets Future
After watching teammates Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams get traded at the 2025 deadline, Hall is now the last man standing among the Jets' key players. The 24-year-old running back, who rushed for a career-high 1,065 yards and four touchdowns last season, hinted that he might test free agency waters.
With the Jets appearing deep in a rebuild and potentially drafting a quarterback second overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, Hall could seek a stronger offensive environment for the next chapter of his career. The Jets have struggled offensively during Hall's tenure, ranking no higher than 24th in points scored in his four years with the team.
Scott McTominay: What United are willing to offer for Napoli midfielder
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his associates are prepared to make amends for hastily giving up on one of Manchester United’s academy products.
In their first transfer window in charge of United, INEOS permanently parted ways with Mason Greenwood and Scott McTominay for different reasons. However, both players have gone on to establish themselves as key figures at Marseille and Napoli, respectively.
United are unlikely to consider bringing back Greenwood due to off-field issues, but the club’s hierarchy are hoping to welcome back McTominay.
Manchester United pushing to sign Scott McTominay
According to a report in Football 365, Manchester United have made an offer to re-sign Scott McTominay.
It is understood that Napoli are ready to “listen to offers” for the Scotland international in the summer amid growing interest from the Premier League.
The Serie A giants are “seriously considering selling him to strengthen their financial structure”, as the 29-year-old is one of the highest-paid players in Naples.
With his current deal due to expire in the summer of 2028, Napoli have to decide whether to offer McTominay a pay rise or let him run down his contract, which would plummet his transfer value in the process.
It is claimed that United have “re-entered the picture” for McTominay and “the offer, close to €80m (£70m), is enticing to Napoli, who see it as an opportunity to balance their books and reinvest.”
Antonio Conte highly rates Scott McTominay
That being said, Antonio Conte is not going to be delighted with this development, as McTominay is one of his most reliable players at Napoli. He has started in 22 matches, helping the Parthenopeans remain in the race for the Scudetto.
Earlier this year, Conte claimed McTominay “became a complete player” under his tutelage after working “on the build-up and construction.”
The Italian tactician also took a gamble on United youngster Rasmus Hojlund, signing him on a season-long loan.
Recently, Hojlund, who has somewhat rediscovered his best form in Italy, underlined that he is happy with his choice to join Napoli. The striker has 12 goals to his name across all competitions this term.
Feature image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images
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