Sehwag, Nehra voice concerns over Pakistan's spin attack

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Virender Sehwag and Ashish Nehra didn't hold back in their criticism of Pakistan's bowling performance, particularly targeting spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan.

Rohit Sharma's 86 and an inspired bowling display helped India hammer Pakistan by seven wickets in their high-profile World Cup clash at the 132,000-capacity Ahmedabad stadium on Saturday.

Pakistan spinners were unable to take any wicket, as Shadab conceded 31 runs in his four overs, whereas Nawaz was also ineffective, going for 47 runs in 8.3 overs.

While speaking to Cricbuzz, the duo expressed concerns about the diminished threat posed by Pakistan's bowling attack, which lacked the usual menace associated with their pace options, including Naseem Shah.

Nehra highlighted the all-round nature of Shadab and Nawaz, emphasizing that despite the conditions favoring spin, they failed to make a significant impact.

"Pakistan's bowling attack also didn't look as threatening as it used to when they played four pace options including Naseem Shah. Even their two spinners Shadab and Nawaz are a bit like all-rounders. While the ball was gripping a bit for the spinners, till they came into the attack, India had already scored a lot of runs. Alongside their batting, Pakistan's bowling is also a major cause for concern. They just didn't stand any chance," Nehra said.

Sehwag honed in on the pivotal issue of the spinners' inability to take wickets. In the context of Indian conditions, he stressed the necessity for spinners to be wicket-takers to alleviate pressure on the fast bowlers.

Nehra further dissected the performance by pointing out the lack of penetration in Pakistan's spinners compared to their Indian counterparts.

"The big problem that Pakistan is facing is their spinners Shadab and Nawaz not picking wickets. In India, your spinners need to pick wickets else there's added pressure on the fast bowlers. We have seen how we lost tournaments when Jadeja-Ashwin couldn't pick wickets in middle overs. Tours become too long when your bowlers can't pick wickets and batters can't score runs. If they don't sort this out, they're in trouble," Sehwag said.

"If you look at India's bowling, Pakistan had got off to a great start. But it was the over where Kuldeep picked up two wickets that changed the game. He created that pressure in his initial overs and then got the rewards later. You don't see that penetration in Pakistan's spinners when you compare it to India's." Nehra said.