- The Indian cricket fans must be sensing that something is not right with the way Team India’s ICC T20 World Cup campaign has proceeded in the last few days. India is co-hosting the ICC event with Sri Lanka. Team India had to face three minnows and Pakistan in the initial stage of the tournament. Right from the first match against the USA, Team India appeared not up to the mark, as the much-vaunted batting lineup simply did not take off as expected. Though Team India convincingly won against the arch-rivals Pakistan, the matches against the lesser-known sides like Namibia and the Netherlands were not as one-sided as one wished. Opening batter Abhishek Sharma has endured a nightmarish World Cup so far, scoring three consecutive ducks.
PC: Republic World
- Captain Suryakumar Yadav, opener Ishan Kishan, and all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube contributed to the team’s cause when the chips were down. However, the defending champions not only appear to be vulnerable against the opposition bowling, especially off-spin, but also are unable to press ahead with scoring freely. The sudden loss of form of the No. 1-ranked batter in the T20Is, Abhishek Sharma, has only compounded the woes of the home team. Batter Tilak Verma has failed to step up the scoring by scratching around without any meaningful contributions so far. Surya Yadav is not at his fluent best. Hardik Pandya is coming too down the order to make any impactful contributions with the bat. Batter Rinku Singh hasn’t stepped up either.
PC: Deccan Herald
- However, the most worrying factor for Team India must be the inability of the batters to counter opposition off-spin right from the powerplay. As one cricketer pointed out, it appears Abhishek has passed on the zero to the non-striker, Ishan Kishan, who also got out without scoring against the Proteas in the Super8s. The comprehensive beating endured by Team India against the Proteas would place the chances of the home team under slippery slope. With the West Indies completely dominating the match against Zimbabwe by winning comprehensively, the pressure on Team India will head northwards as the run rate will come into the equation when the points are shared by other teams in the group. Can Team India overcome the seemingly challenging times quickly?
PC: NewsBytes
- First and foremost, the batting order at the top needs to deliver consistently and in line with the present-day T20 format. If it requires benching Abhishek and bringing in Sanju Samson, so be it. Surya Yadav should bat at the No. 3 position. Tilak Verma and Hardik Pandya can be sent early or later, depending on the situation. The bowling lineup should have Kuldeep Yadav since he is the X-factor. And Axar Patel should also be playing in the eleven every match. Pacers Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube should go all out and/or showcase variety while they bowl. Unidimensional bowling only means the opposition batter will take them to the cleaners. Every player on the eleven must be primed to deliver optimally. Only then can Team India reach the knockouts. Will they?
