Archive for the ‘India’ Category
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On Day 3 of this on going Test match after India had conceded 445 to the opposition, India found themselves 6/2 in their first dig. Out walked India’s most celebrated and revered cricketer over the past 2 decades to the crease to join a solid looking KL Rahul. The day so far had been marred by rain and it was certain that India wouldn’t have to face too many overs. You would expect a batter of the caliber of Virat Kohli to try and help India to salvage something to probably try to end the day with no further loss of wickets.
There were only 17 overs possible on the rain affected day for India to bat and India promptly found themselves are 51/4 on the back of yet another top order collapse. Virat Kohli as he so often does nicks one behind the wicket to get out for yet another low score. The fans of the great player might point out to the Perth innings but again at the moment it does seem an anomaly rather than a sign of a player getting back to his best. Rohit Sharma who had a great chance to redeem himself in partnership with KL Rahul on the fourth morning gets out once again to a lose shot leaving India reeling at 74/5.
I have nothing but respect for both Virat and Rohit for everything they have done for the Indian Test team over the past decade but there comes a time when all good things should come to an end. Virat at the end of the day/night Test against Bangladesh on the 24th November 2019 was on top of the world. In 84 Tests at the time, Virat had 7202 runs at an impressive average of 54.97 with 27 Test hundreds. He was on the path to Test greatness and no one doubted that it was going to happen. After that series though Virat has been in a slump which can only be described as something unprecedented. In 37 Tests after that game against Bangladesh, Virat has 1964 runs at an average of 31.67 with only 3 further hundreds. His overall career average has now dropped to 47.49 and unless he has a brilliant last 5 innings in this series, he might not get an opportunity to get to 10,000 Test runs.
Rohit on the other hand isn’t in the same class as Virat in Tests. He established himself in Tests way later than Virat did but again for few years did exceedingly well at the top of the batting order. In 26 Tests since 2019 as an opener Rohit scored 2097 at an average of 51 with 7 hundreds. His batting especially at home against spin was brilliant and he also scored a crucial hundred in India’s Test win in England. Rohit’s slump in comparison to Virat hasn’t been for too long but again it does feel that it will be hard for both these players to get out of this and actually have a career in this format.
Test cricket is a thankless format and which even someone as great as Sachin Tendulkar found during the last 2 years of his career. India are going through a transition of sorts not to dissimilar to the one which they went through under MS Dhoni in 2013-2015. After the retirement of the greats a new crop of cricketers went through 2 years where except for one Test win at Lord’s lost all overseas games but ended up forming a core for years to come. The team under Virat from 2015 was unbeatable at home and also was good enough to win overseas. The Indian team is at the similar crossroads at the moment and it is time to move forward with the young team to build for the future.
The initial results might not be the best but India need to look ahead to the future and build a team which may equal what Virat’s team did for over 5 years. Jasprit Bumrah showed that he is capable of leading the team well and India should probably let him do the same. Rohit has been a very good white ball captain but Test cricket does not seem to be his cup of tea. Over the past few months the one thing which is noticeable with his captaincy is that he runs out of ideas when things don’t go his way which is not that different from what MS Dhoni was criticised for as a Test captain.
India have enough talent at their disposal to build for the future. The future of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin is also under question as both are in the wrong side of 30’s and do not have too many years ahead of them. Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are waiting in the wings and I am sure with enough game time they can do a great great job. The team management need to make some tough calls and should have honest conversations with all the senior players. No player is bigger than the game itself and the longer the management waits to make the changes the difficult it becomes. India as a team is still one of the best in the world and this is the time to ring in the changes in Tests.
The fans are extremely grateful and love the legends of the game but again there comes a time when the team’s needs has to be put first. Thanks to Virat, Rohit, Ashwin and Jadeja for their incredible services to the Indian Team but we need to look to the next phase of Test team. I feel the Australian series would be the right time to bid farewell to the greats. India aren’t going to make it to the WTC final next year which means it would be a fresh start for the team under a new captain and young players.
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Indian cricket team has always been known for its batting over the years. Even during India’s not so lucrative years as a Test team, India always produced great batters. The bowling was a struggle but again the two things India always excelled in was spin and good batters. The last few years though hasn’t been the same for India in terms of batting. In 2012/13 when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman retired from the game there were lots of expectations from the next crop of Indian Test hopefuls. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli were the torch bearers for the future of Indian batting and initially it did seem that they would carry it forward effortlessly.
Despite not having great careers like their predecessors they did keep India’s batting legacy going forward for the next decade. In the recent times though with Virat losing his form and India missing the services of Rahane & Pujara, the batting has become a struggle for India. The one thing even in 80’s and 90’s India were good at was playing at home. The ability to play spin and having exceptional spinners in their side meant India were a hard team to defeat at home. That legacy is fast disappearing as well which was evident in the recent whitewash at home against New Zealand.
When we look at the batting statistics for Indian batters over the past 5 years we can spot a trend. None of the batters barring Yashasvi Jaiswal average over 50 (min qualification: 10 Tests) during that period. The senior batters have struggled and have an average of under 40. This shows a pattern which is hard to disregard. The reason for Indian struggles both at home and overseas and not being able to be consistently good in a format which the team takes so seriously is due to the same fact. When we look at the average of the same batters at home only Pant & Jaiswal shine. India’s best batter Virat Kohli averages just 29 at home and Rohit Sharma is only slightly better at 35. The overall average of Indian top 6 over the same time has been a respectable 36 but again the heavy lifting mostly has been done by middle order along with Jaiswal. If we look at the stats for the 5 years before that for the top 6 it reads 53. When you look at the change in those numbers you can see how badly the batting has suffered over the past 5 years. Virat Kohli during those 5 years before his slump was marching towards Test greatness, Pujara was having a dream run and Rohit who had just made a comeback also was looking in good touch at least in India.
Something suddenly flipped in 2019 which turned the golden period into a slump which is hardly seen with Indian batting for a long time. India before Jaiswal made his debut, went through couple of years without a single batter in top 6 averaging 50 in Tests. I can’t remember when the last time it was? May be after Sunil Gavaskar retired and before Sachin found his feet? We know that every team has a phase where great players retire and there is a period of lull but India have always found someone to take over. Virat Kohli was that person for India for majority of his career until he fell into the biggest slump seen from a top batter in the world. Sachin’s last 2 years of slump was thought of as being disastrous but that has been upstaged for sure. The batting decline over the years finally culminated in that 3-0 drubbing at home, India’s first in 12 years.
When everyone thought that India probably have reversed the trend with their batting in the second innings of the first Test, the second Test proved that innings to be an anomaly . While fast bowling resources have improved enormously for India the batting at the same time has seen a major decline. If we were to look at the history of the sport, the only two teams which dominated Test cricket for a period of time had both the aspects clicking together at the same time for a significant amount of time. India have struggled to do that over the past few years. The inability of the batters to learn from their mistakes and improve on their flaws is completely missing from this era of batters. Virat for example took great effort in improving his technique against the moving ball after the disastrous 2014 series in England but has fallen back to his old habits once again. His will to improve doesn’t seem to exist anymore and his falling Test average is a testament to that. Rohit Sharma, I feel wasn’t the best Test player even when he started off but again with waning reflexes, he does not have anything to fallback on. Pujara and Rahane suffered a slump so big that they are no longer in the scheme of things. Gill is 30 Tests old but he hasn’t been consistent enough and also hasn’t had the luxury of playing in a settled firing batting line up. Only batter who has been consistent and has been performing brilliantly over the last 5 years has been Rishabh Pant. He was India’s best Test batter before his injury and after returning he still has been India’s hope with the bat in hand. The pressure is finally showing on the little man as it is hard to be a lone warrior in the toughest format of the game.
India will go into the 3rd Test at Brisbane with lots of questions. The biggest one is their batting. While Jaiswal and Gill are the future of Indian Test batting, the management would be thinking about who else can make it to the top 6. The batting has to improve for India if they are to consistently challenge teams around the world and also win that elusive World Test Championship. The 3-0 loss against New Zealand at home has almost put paid to their hopes of making yet another finals baring miracle. India need to seriously think about the future of the two senior batters in the line up and also think about who they want to back in the Test format. Virat Kohli is a great of Indian cricket but even his most ardent fan would agree that his method of getting out has become too repetitive to keep defending anymore. Rohit Sharma has been struggling in all formats and has been using carefree cricket to mask his struggles.
India are still a very good Test team and have very talented players waiting to break into the Test team, the question though is if the management has a vision. I never had any major hope on Gautam Gambhir and so far his tenure as a coach has been poor. The team selections, the backing of players in Tests have all been confusing and inconsistent. The only format where India have got things right is in T20Is and we can see the results showing in the recent months. India need to do something quickly if they want to continue to be a force in Tests in the coming years. Identifying the core of Indian batting take India forward for the next decade is a challenge and I hope that the management can think ahead. India fell off the wagon in this WTC cycle suddenly after being at the top for the most of it but again things aren’t that dire at the moment but again selection of the right personnel is important.
The next few years is crucial for the Indian Test team and players like Sai Sudharshan, Jaiswal, Sundar, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill should be part of Indian top 6 in coming years and we also have players like Jurel, Sarfaraz and few others who need to be given consistent chances. If India need to arrest this batting slump, they need to make some tough calls and hope this management is strong enough to make those calls.
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The Gabba Test of 2021 is part of the India cricket folklore and one name that springs to mind immediately after Rishabh Pant when we think of that game is Washington Sundar. Sundar who was picked for that tour out of obscurity only because he was an off-spinning all-rounder had no business playing that Test. Indian bowlers were already doing well and Ravichandran Ashwin was already out bowling Nathan Lyon in that series. But again fate would have a different plan for Sundar as Ashwin was ruled out of the final Test at the Gabba and the former got a surprise call to take his place.
Sundar who hadn’t played a single FC game since 2017 was an interesting selection. His selection was based on his ability to bat and bowl decent off-spin. Him being a like for like backup for Ashwin was the only reason for his selection. Everyone knew that Sundar was a great talent but there were question marks regarding his bowling prowess at least in the longer format. His FC record with the bat and ball wasn’t that impressive. In a way it was lucky for him that India bowled first in that Test which gave him a feel of Test cricket before he would bat couple of days later. Washington Sundar himself had a good bowling innings on his debut accounting for Steve Smith, Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon in his economical 31 overs spell. His spell was crucial as the Gabba wicket mostly known for helping pacers had nothing in it for him. His eventual spell of 3/89 was a crucial contribution in restricting Australian batting to just 369 in the first innings.
His major test though came a day later with the bat in hand. He walked into bat at the fall of the fifth wicket to join Rishabh Pant who once again was looking good at the middle. For a batter who hadn’t played too many FC games the striking feature of his debut was that how assured he looked against the experienced Aussie bowling line up. Soon after his arrival, Rishabh Pant departed leaving India still 183 runs behind. Sundar’s partnership with Shardul Thakur paved the way for a great comeback for the visitors and eventually winning the game on the 5th day.
Sundar in his innings of 62 showed great composure and technique in the middle. He wasn’t faced by the reputation of the Australian bowlers either. He did play an important cameo in the second innings as well aiding the chase. With great technique and temperament India seemed to have found a very good middle order bat. In the home series against England that followed Sundar continued to score runs and at the end of it was averaging 66.25 with the bat in Tests. His bowling was a work in progress but with the bat he had already showed that he belonged at that level. When everything was going right for him with his Test career an injury ruled him out of the England tour later that year and he was nowhere to be see in whites again after that.
The success in the Tests meant that Sundar started playing more FC cricket which in a way helped his comeback into the Indian team for the New Zealand series. Sundar has had an immediate impact on his return with a brilliant spell of spin bowling with figures of 7/59 on Day 1 which helped India restrict New Zealand to just 258 in their first innings. His bowling seems to have improved but again on an aiding Pune wicket everything needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. One thing that needs to be taken into account is that he surely has worked on his bowling as against England in 2021 on similar helpful wickets he was nowhere as good as yesterday. This bodes well for India as Sundar is an accomplished batter and if his bowling can continue to improve he can be the replacement India have been waiting for when the legendary Ravi Ashwin eventually calls it a day.
This has been a great comeback for the southpaw from Tamil Nadu but again he himself would know that he has a long way to go still. For India’s sake though we hope he continues to improve and perform as we all know how fantastic his temperament is. India would surely benefit having a player like him along with Rishabh Pant in the Test middle order. Congratulations once again to Washington Sundar on an incredible comeback and we hope this is just a start to an incredible Test career.
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I want to first clarify that this is not a knee jerk reaction after watching India’s dramatic collapse yesterday. India decided to bat first on a pitch with lots of moisture and conditions which were perfect for the pacers. I understand their thinking behind but the execution was poor. India over the past 2 years have been making good cricket pitches where they have been excelling but everyone knows that the batting is far from settled. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not been scoring runs and India have been largely relying on Jaiswal, Pant and the lower order even at home.
Yesterday’s call was even more baffling considering the only conditions the New Zealand bowling can be successful in India was the one they bowled in yesterday. The lack of experience in the batting showed when none of the batters knew how to handle the situation. They not only went into their shell but also played shots which were implausible in such conditions. When New Zealand came into bat, the pitch eased out and our pacers were under tremendous pressure to deliver and failed to pick any wickets with the new ball. The visitors though would not be complaining as they are sitting pretty with 134 runs lead with 7 wickets still intact.
Gautam Gambhir & Rohit Sharma are taking risks to win Test matches and to make to another WTC finals but the decisions need to be made based on the strength’s of team in mind. It is all good when these things come of but when it doesn’t it looks ugly. The fact that the team who has 18 straight home series wins got bowled out for 46 at home is pretty humiliating. Indian batting line up in such conditions even when Pujara and Rahane were in the middle order struggled which is the prime reason for the team to not win a series in England, New Zealand or in South Africa over the past decade. This Indian batting though with out of form Rohit and Virat was always going to be recipe for disaster. While the team management would have expected troubles even they wouldn’t have anticipated what unfolded on day 1.
The young batters who have predominantly played at home panicked when runs weren’t coming and did not know how to handle such disciplined bowling. The New Zealand bowling was completely at home with conditions resembling of their home and the home team had no answers. Now that the visitors have taken such big lead already they are in a great situation to hand a rare home defeat to India. The Indian team management had only themselves to blame as they thought way ahead into the game rather than looking at the conditions at hand. This also comes with the over confidence of thinking they are invincible at home. New Zealand who were coming to India after trial by spin in Sri Lanka wouldn’t have been able to believe their luck when India gave their bowlers the best conditions to bowl in.
India now have no other option other than hoping that they can bowl the Kiwis out soon and Day 3 and bat better in the second innings. Things do not look for the home team and unless the weather intervenes the chances of saving the game looks bleak. The team management need to think about winning games but also need to make decisions based on the conditions they are playing in. Rohit got the toss completely wrong and the horrible execution by the batters did not help either. I just hope that some lessons are learnt and the team goes forward with better planning in the future. This has also raised concerns about the batting line up for the next 2 Tests and also the Border Gavaskar Trophy later this year. I love Rohit and Virat but I think their time in Tests are coming to an end and I hope the players themselves along with the management understand the same.
While IPL throws light on India’s talent, selectors continue to ignore the same
Posted on: April 29, 2023
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The IPL finally concluded earlier this week and the euphoria of the CSK win is still carrying on few days after the finals as expected. While the entire season was extremely brilliant, for me as an Indian cricket fan the batting talent which was on display was equally exciting. The Indian team while doing great in Tests till the end of 2021 struggled in the ICC tournaments over the last 3 years. A lacklustre T20 WC in UAE was followed by an inconsistent performance in Australia a year later. The biggest negative of both those squads was the lack of power hitters in the batting line up. The Indian batting was steady and except for Surya Kumar Yadav, none of the batters were able to go after the bowling to bat at strike rates required for a T20 game.
I haven’t been following IPL that closely over the past few seasons until this years tournament. I am very glad that I did because this year’s tournament showed the kind of young batting talent we have in our country who the selectors continue to ignore. The Indian white ball selection has been so pedestrian that the Indian performance in the format has gone from brilliant to average. The batting especially has been so unimaginative in recent times that except for Surya Kumar Yadav, the rest of the batting plays at the same pace resulting in below par totals most of the times. While it is heartening to see Shubman Gill finally getting his due at the highest level in all formats, there are quite a few brilliant cricketers waiting in the wings with enormous potential.
Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order this year showed how intent in the power play can be beneficial for a team. He struck at 163 in this season at an average of 53. The Indian selectors have been so adamant with their selections that we mostly played KL Rahul at the top in major tournaments. KL Rahul had one of the lowest Strike Rates for an opener this season in IPL and his international performances haven’t been different either. Not only the openers, India have struggled to pick impactful middle order in white ball formats as well and have heavily relied on Surya Kumar Yadav for impetus in the middle and final overs. We have seen some amazing strikers of the ball this season who should be given chances at the highest level.
This is the year of the 50 over world cup, so we aren’t going to see many changes in that format but T20I format should be used for trialing an overhaul of the white ball teams. We saw some amazing middle order bats this season and KKR’s Rinku Singh features on top of that list. It might be my ignorance but I hadn’t heard much about Rinku Singh prior to this year’s IPL. I was pleasantly surprised looking at his domestic record where he has scored loads of runs at a 50+ average in First Class cricket. I cannot even understand as to why his name was never mentioned as one of the front runners for the National side. Then there was the young Tilak Varma for Mumbai Indians who was brilliant with the bat as well. Both the above mentioned batters struck at 150+ SR’s this season. Then there were some steady batters like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharshan who showed great technique and also the ability to up the ante when needed.
I think under Hardik Pandya the T20I team has a great opportunity for building a team for the future like how MS Dhoni did in 2007. The T20 team can be used as a template to overhaul the ODI team as well after the WC later this year. The Indian cricket team has so much talent at their disposal but the selectors have failed to capitalize on the same. The IPL every year shows the kind of talent the nation possesses but we hardly see any of the top performers get any decent run in the playing XI. The popularity of this season might just buck the trend and maybe we might see some changes in the T20 side.
Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, and Surya Kumar Yadav need to be India’s main stay in white ball format around which the team for the future should be built. It is nice to have some great players among us but again with the format constantly evolving it would be a crime if India do not utilise players when they are in great form.
The Indian team has an opportunity to become on of the best white ball sides in the world and for that to happen the selectors need to be bold and discuss the future with some of the senior players. I agree that someone like Virat Kohli has done brilliantly in IPL this season but again this is the time to rebuild the T20I side and some harsh decisions need to be taken. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have been great servants of Indian cricket over the past decade but I feel it is time for them to hang up their boots at least in T20 format and allow the young batters to flourish and take the team to the next level. If the selectors and the team management don’t take some harsh calls, we might end up with same muddled team selections and might repeat the results of 2021 & 2022 T20 WC. I hope that this IPL has not only been an eye opener for the Indian fans but also for the national selectors and they finally see what the world has been talking about for years about the abundance of talent in Indian cricket.
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So finally the moment has arrived, the Border Gavaskar Trophy begins with the first Test at Nagpur tomorrow. The series also has an extra incentive for India as a win here would give them an opportunity to fight for the World Test championship title once again and also will make the home team number 1 in the rankings. There is a lot at stake for India. The Indian team though over the past 12 months hasn’t had the greatest of time in Tests but again their home dominance cannot be questioned. The pitch at Nagpur has been the talking point over the past few days but again it should not be a surprise as to what sort of surface awaits the visiting Australian team. India who have Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel & Kuldeep Yadav in the squad for sure would be wishing for a track which would aid their strength. The Australian team though know what they would be facing but again apart for Nathan Lyon they don’t have much experience in the spin department.
The Test is all set to begin tomorrow and lets look at the possible XI India might field in the first Test.
Openers:
Rohit Sharma (C) is all set to return at the top of the order after missing quite a lot of cricket over the past 12 months. He has been India’s best batter at the top over the past 2 years in Tests. Rohit averages 45 in the last 13 Tests with 2 hundreds and being the captain his batting will be crucial for India in this series.
KL Rahul (VC) in all probability will return to the top along with Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul has not been in greatest forms over the past year and his career at the top of the order in Tests has been in question for a while now. His Test average is 35 after 45 Tests and with Shubman Gill breathing down his neck he for sure would want to get back to scoring some runs in this series. Being the vice-captain of the side him scoring runs will be a huge boost for the team and for Rahul himself.
Middle Order:
Cheteshwar Pujara will return to the number 3 spot in the batting order after being briefly dropped from the side. Pujara though seemed to have regained some sort of form and had a good time in Bangladesh. His ability to play spin will be crucial for India as the pitches are expected to turn.
Virat Kohli will come in at number four behind Pujara but their returns in Tests cannot be more contrasting. While Pujara seems to have regained some sort of form with the bat, Virat has largely struggled in this format. The series in Bangladesh saw him struggling against spin once again and there is a huge question mark over his career in Tests ahead of this series. Virat scoring runs will be a huge boost for India and his record against Australia will give hope for the fans and the team alike.
Shubman Gill might actually pip Surya Kumar Yadav in the middle order in the first Test in the absence of Shreyas Iyer. The kind of form Shubman Gill is in right now, it will be hard to keep him out of the playing XI. Even though Gill hasn’t played in the middle order for India in Tests yet, he might still get the nod ahead of SKY.
Wicket Keeper:
Few months ago there wouldn’t have been any discussions about this spot in Tests for India but again with Rishabh Pant missing the team need to pick a keeper between KS Bharat and Ishan Kishen. Bharat has been in the Indian squad as an understudy for Pant for a while and he might get the nod ahead of Ishan Kishen who hasn’t been in greatest of forms recently. In terms of their FC records there is hardly anything to separate them but again Bharat has more experience with keeping being crucial on these tracks he mostly will get the nod ahead of Kishen.
Spin Bowling/All-rounders
The return of Ravindra Jadeja will be a huge plus for India. Jadeja is not only one of the best spinners in the world, he also is one of the best all-rounders in the game. Jadeja missing has been a huge hole in the Test side and his return means that India will get back the balance which they had been missing in Tests.
Ravichandran Ashwin is all set to return as India’s premier spinner. While Ashwin’s ability in Asia cannot be questioned with the ball, his batting in Bangladesh is something which will give India some much needed cushion lower down the order.
The third spinner spot is something which will be fought out between Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Kuldeep Yadav has been in red hot form recently in all formats and does give India some variety as both the premier spinners for India are finger spinners as well but again you cannot fault Axar Patel’s Test record with the ball which is nothing short of extraordinary. But again there is a chance that India might pick Kuldeep just for a wrist spin option. This is probably the only position in the XI which might go either way.
Fast Bowlers:
With three spinners in the XI there is space only for 2 fast bowlers and it will surely be Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. Shami is India’s most experienced pacer and Siraj has been in such a great form recently that it is hard to keep him out from any playing XI. Umesh Yadav in the squad will unfortunately miss out.
So that is my playing XI. On a Nagpur pitch which is supposed to be a dry surface aiding spin the above playing XI will probably offer India the best chance of putting one past the Aussies and get to a winning start. The absence of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer would be a big loss for India but I think they just might have enough firepower to challenge Australia at home.
My Indian Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), C Pujara, V Kohli, S Gill, R Jadeja, KS Bharat, R Ashwin, K Yadav/A Patel, M Shami, M Siraj
Australian Likely X1: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey (WK), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (C), Nathan Lyon, M Starc, J Hazlewood
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Australia early in the 90’s was going through a transition of sorts. Allan Border, Dean Jones, Geoff Marsh, Craig McDermott, Merv Hughes, Mike Whitney and David Boon were all in their last legs. While rest of the world might be worried losing so many established all together at the same time, Australia weren’t. Australia’s talent in the 90’s is something which the entire world was envious about. They had Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Paul Reiffel, Jason Gillespie, Justin Langer etc were waiting in the wings. They were so strong that they could actually assemble two international quality teams at the same time and still challenge any team in the world.
Australia for a while at home actually played Tri-Series with Australia and Australia A competing with an international team at home where the two home teams ended up playing the finals. Such was the talent Australia possessed at that time. While so much talent is exciting, the way you use the talent at your disposal is important. While Australia were forced to make wholesale changes with the team with the Waugh brothers and Mark Taylor being the anchors, the way Australia used the talent they at that time is something to be marvelled about. They always picked the right people needed and backed the right talent which meant they were at the top for the next 2 decades.
When you have such a vast talent at your disposal, not everyone is going to get a chance to play for the National side. Even for example for Australia bowlers like Damien Fleming, Michael Kasprowicz, Paul Reiffel etc ended up playing way lesser games than they should have but again they filled the team needs when needed during their dominance.
The Indian team right now are in a similar phase like the Australian team of the early 90’s. India are in an enviable position with abundance of talent at their disposal. When you have so many amazing players to choose from the selectors and the team management need to make sure they are doing the right thing and select the right players for the right format. The biggest success of Australia was their cut throat selections. They never shied away from dropping players who were not performing or for selecting players with talent irrespective of their age. For example Matthew Hayden made a comeback at the age of 29 and became one of the best openers for Australia for the next decade. Michael Hussey made his debut at 30 and became one of the best players in the world.
When you have lots of talent to pick from the one thing you need to do is to shut the outside noise and think what will be best for the team. This is something the Indian selectors and the team management have failed to do over the past few years. It is all good having the richest league in the world and having best young players in the world but again if you don’t pick the right candidates in the squad it will amount to nothing. Not every talented player is going to make the national side but again the right people should always play. This is something which the Indian management need to realise. Just because you have lots of players to pick from the team cannot keep changing every series.
The clarity in selection and picking the right combination is what kept Australia on top for 2 decades which I don’t see from the Indian management. The confusion of picking experience versus young talent is what the Indian think tank are going through over the past few years. The reason for India not doing well in world tournaments can be attributed to picking wrong combination for the conditions they were going to play in. India have a great chance to dominate world cricket like Australia did for a long time but they haven’t been able to do so due to the selection blunders. This is not a phase which will last for long like Australia found out over the last decade or so. There will be time when you will struggle to get good talent coming through. There will be a phase when you might find it difficult to find replacements but before that happens you need to make most of the situation.
India right now are right now at the cusp of greatness and with some clarity in selection they can actually achieve that. The last couple of series have shown some promise and the hope is only that it is not a false dawn. This is the year of World Test Championship and the 50 over World Cup. India have a chance to win both and stamp their authority on World Cricket. No other team possesses the kind of talent India does and it will be shame if the team does not make full use of it.
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2023 is an important year of all teams as they prepare for the marquee event. Every series and every game is viewed as preparation of the major tournament and to iron out flaws with the team combination. India is no different. In 2022 the biggest criticism the Indian team received was that they tinkered with the team combination too much. The team tried to play too many games and by trying to use their enormous talent pool, they just created too many versions of the same LO team. The result was there to see as India struggled to come up with one proper T20 side and the confusion caused an unbalanced team for the World Cup once again.
This is not the first time India have done something like this, the 2021 T20 WC and the 2019 ODI WC were products of the same confusion which led to confusing team selections in important games. So far in 2023 India seems to have steered clear of such confusions. The selectors and team management seem to be displaying much clearer thinking than the past years and it is showing with some consistent selections in this format. Even though there are a few spots still to be confirmed the skeleton of the team looks much more consistent that in 2019.
India were never going to be challenged against a struggling Sri Lanka team at home but again the focus was as to how the team was going to perform and if they can be ruthless. The answer to that question was provided by a very clinical and ruthless win at Thiruvananthapuram last night. The batting on a pitch which isn’t considered as the best in India was phenomenal and the bowling capped off a perfect day for the home team. The biggest positive for India other than Virat Kohli is the faith shown by the team management on Shubman Gill as the opener. Gill has been brilliant over the last year or so and for sure deserved a chance to partner Rohit Sharma in this format. He showed why ODI is his best format once again by scoring 207 runs in the series with a century and a fifty.
The biggest positive for India in regards to the batting is the form of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli has been in tremendous white ball form for the past few months and the fact that he is scoring hundreds again should please both the fans and the management. Virat Kohli scoring runs at number 3 is a huge boost for the Indian top order. Rohit Sharma as well has looked in great nick since he made his comeback after injury. He has been aggressive at the top and will be disappointed to not convert those starts into a big one. Rohit seems to have formed a great partnership with Shubman Gill and hope India do not tinker with that combination.
The other big positive for India has been the consistent selection of the bowling attack. Mohammed Siraj has once again proven that he is India’s best LO bowler presently. He swings the new ball and picks wickets in the power play which is what India lacked in white ball formats. Mohammed Shami is a question mark still but he has been decent with the ball. India also will be happy with the performance of Umran Malik, who has bowled with lots of pace and has picked wickets in the middle overs. Hardik Pandya has looked good as well even though he did not pick too many wickets. Kuldeep Yadav making a comeback and picking wickets again is a huge plus for the Indian bowling attack as wickets in the middle overs will be crucial in the world cup.
There are still a few things the Indian team needs to iron out. KL Rahul despite his very good 60 odd not out is still a question mark as he hasn’t been that consistent over the last year or so. The selection of Surya Kumar Yadav is also another thing India needs to address as he is an impact player in white ball formats. Ishan Kishen who scored a double hundred in his last ODI game also needs to be in the picture as he provides a left-hand option at the top of the order. While India do need to try out different combinations in the lead up to the World Cup it is imperative that India decide on their best XI as well. Jasprit Bumrah will return soon and so will Ravindra Jadeja and India would need to pick the right attach for the tournament.
Right now as far as the pace attack goes only Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah are a lock for the WC playing XI. Hardik Pandya will be the pace bowling all-rounder but again India need to pick from a host of pacers for the rest of the spots. Mohammed Shami has been patchy and his fitness is a huge issue. Arshdeep Singh provides India with a left-arm variation but again he hasn’t played too may ODIs. Umran Malik has been brilliant with his express pace and needs to be persisted with. So quite a few headaches for the Indian team management. The spin combination also needs to be finalised with 3 finger-spinners probably vying for two spots in the squad. Washington Sundar & Axar Patel are probably fighting for one spot in the squad as Ravindra Jadeja when fit will walk into the playing XI. Chahal & Kuldeep will mostly be the two wrist spinners as India haven’t tried too many others in recent times.
India will need to avoid the mistakes of their previous selection debacles and make sure that right people are selected in the WC squad. This series for sure has provided India will a great insight as to who those players might be but again the team management should make sure that there isn’t too much of chopping and changing of the core players to maintain the consistency ahead of the tournament.
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The win against Afghanistan in the final game and Virat Kohli’s hundred after 3 years should not mask what a disastrous Asia Cup campaign this was for the Indian T20 team. India entered into the tournament as clear favorites with Pakistan being their competition but their performances were inconsistent to put it politely. The biggest issue for India was the lack of clarity in selection of the playing XI. While the team composition for the first 2 games looked right, some injuries and management succumbing to pressures of including some players in the XI caused some confusion with the playing combination.
The biggest issue with the previous leadership was the same that they lacked clarity with the team selection. While most often the top 3 remained same the rest of the batting order constantly kept changing which meant that India went into major tournaments without a settled batting order. The current leadership group seem to be following the same patter ahead of an important tournament. India is the number 1 T20 team in the world by a comfortable margin but again you wouldn’t be able to guess that by their performance in the Asia Cup.
The batting order was muddled. While the top 3 were okay, the rest of the batting kept changing. The first 2 games had the 2 all-rounders in the middle which gave the captain 6 bowling options, which wasn’t the case in the second stage of the tournament. India had to bowl just the 5 bowlers as it seemed like the captain did not have confidence in the bowling of Deepak Hooda. One has to question the selection of Hooda in the XI if he wasn’t going to bowl. India did have the option of Axar Patel in the absence of Jadeja which the management for some reason failed to make use of. For example Dinesh Karthik was chosen in the squad for his finishing abilities but again he wasn’t there for the two crucial super 4 games where a good finish might have given India those extra 10-15 runs.
The World T20 is just over a month away and India as usual are struggling to figure out what their ideal combination for the tournament would be. This is exactly what happened in the 2019 WC and the 2021 T20 WC last year. The team keeps experimenting till the last minute and manage to include players who haven’t played much in the squad leading up to an imbalanced playing XI in crucial games. I agree that the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel left a big hole in the bowling line up but again there were no excuses in the batting.
If India want to seriously win a world tournament they need to identify and stick to a playing XI for at least a few games to let them settle. India have announced their T20 WC squad and except for the return of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, there isn’t many surprises in the 15. The good thing is that India have picked the same squad for the series against Australia and South Africa which gives them ample opportunities to figure out their right playing combination for the World Cup. I understand that the playing conditions are completely different but again India for sure need to try and play the best team composition which they think will work irrespective of the surface they play on. If they continue to experiment too much leading up to the WC, they might end up with an unbalanced playing XI in the World Cup which might come back to haunt them in crucial games.
World T20 Squad:
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
Standby Players: Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar
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The biggest problem we have had over the past few years with the Indian cricket team has been arriving at the right balance for a LOI XI. While in Test cricket there isn’t much room for experimentation in ODIs due to the enormous talent pool at their disposal India started to play around with their combination so much that they end up playing an unbalanced XI at most times.
In the ongoing Asia Cup if we look at the first 2 games, the balance was perfect. The two all-rounders at 6 & 7 followed by 4 bowlers was the ideal combination for a T20 team. India had 6 genuine bowling options in the first 2 games which helped India to juggle the bowlers better. When Jadeja was injured after the Hong Kong game, the Indian team broke that combination in their first Super 4 game against Pakistan which led to an unbalanced XI.
India had finally given into the wish list which the fans and experts have been calling for since the start of the tournament. The inclusion of Rishabh Pant is one such wish list which wasn’t needed in the scheme of things. Dinesh Karthik who played the first 2 games of the tournament hadn’t done anything wrong to be dropped for the game against Pakistan. Also the inclusion of Deepak Hooda did not make sense as well as India already had a like for like replacement for Jadeja with Axar Patel.
While Hooda was selected in the XI as a batter who could give you couple of overs, the fact that Rohit never used him with the ball is perplexing. This would only lead us to believe that Rohit Sharma or the team management do not have much confidence in the bowling abilities of Deepak Hooda. We saw that both Hardik Pandya & Yuzvendra Chahal had an off day and still they completed their full quota going for 11 an over. An over or 2 by the 6th bowler could have helped Rohit if he had the services of someone like Axar Patel at his disposal. This is what happens when you start heeding to chatter around you instead of selecting a team which gives the best balance for the XI.
If India wanted to play Rishabh Pant, he should have replaced Karthik but Hooda does not make into the XI as it affected the balance which the team had for the first 2 games. If Axar Patel was available and fit, he should have been in the XI in the place of Ravindra Jadeja. Axar is a genuine bowler, who most often than not gives you miserly overs in the middle and also picks up wickets. The lack of conviction in picking up the ideal LO XI has come back to haunt India. To be frank except for couple of forced changes, India did not have to make any more changes to the XI but they did it anyways.
The T20 WC is just over a month away and neither the fans nor the management know what India’s ideal XI is. Winning the Asia Cup is important but more than that India need to decide what batting ideal for the T20 team leading up to the marquee tournament. The biggest problem India had in 2021 WC in UAE was that the team was all over the place and there was no consistency in selection. India came into the Asia cup with some strange selections where players who played most games over the last 18 months were overlooked and now with this ridiculous meddling with the playing XI they are digging themselves into a bigger hole.
India take on Sri Lanka today for an important clash which will decide whether they can make it to the finals or not. I hope that some sense prevails and they go back to the combination they had for the first 2 games. Having a lot of talent is one thing but playing the right combination is what wins you tournaments.
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