India have once again exited in a multi-nation tournament for the 2nd successive time. In the 2021 T20 World Cup, the team exited in the very first round after losing to Pakistan and New Zealand and now, if Hong Kong is discounted as a viable opponent, India have again exited in the first round. The Indian team management, the selectors, the board and the supporters will be really worried about this early exits. One major reason for the Asia Cup exit is the lack of penetrative bowlers. This is a major concern. Bumrah was injured but if one bowler’s unavailability hampers the entire bowling attack, it is not a bowling attack at all. Asia Cup where are the bowlers for India?
Were there any positives?
The one major positive for India is the runs and the authoritative manner by which the runs were scored by Virat Kohli. Except for the game against Sri Lanka, he was amongst the runs in all the game topping it with his first hundred in T20. Kohli has clearly adjusted to the new method of batting. There was a small passage of play against Pakistan where he looked unconvincing but once he passed that phase, the old Kohli was clearly seen. This is a great news for the Indian team with the World T20 coming up followed by 6 very important Tests which will determine whether the team can qualify for the WTC finals.
The other positive was the batting of Rohit Sharma. He did not flinch once and walked the talk. He batted quite positively in all the games but one major worry for him and for the team will the fact that except for the game against Sri Lanka, he didn’t go onto a substantial score. A similar score against Pakistan, perhaps we could have posted a score that Pakistan would have found unsurmountable.
Apart from these two, I am afraid I do not see any other positive, whereas, the negatives were far too many.
Rahul the unfit opener
When the Indian team decided to change their approach to the limited overs game, it looks like Rahul was absent for that class. Rahul is afraid to look ugly while playing shots and hence, he is unwilling to change his game to suit the needs of the team. It shows in his consistent slow starts. His slow starts increases the pressure on Rohit and the rest of the batsmen to follow. They are forced to bat at a higher clip than ideal. He is not anchoring the innings either because more often than not, he gets out quickly. The same Rahul at number 5 will be devastating but the team management for some reason does not seem to understand this simple thing. It is time India look somewhere else for an opener to partner Rohit in T20 cricket.
The disappointing Pant
Pant is clearly a misfit in T20. There was a time when it was thought that his game suited the shortest format but he has found the going really tough. Partly because he does not get full value for his shots which really frustrates him and as a result, he gives away his wicket. Perhaps, he is the opener that India is looking for. If he is not good enough to open the innings, he is not good enough to be in the team. Dinesh Karthik is a better finisher than Pant. Taking into account his obvious talent, he has been given lots of opportunities.
Most of the time, at a high enough spot ahead of specialist batsmen. Yet, he hasn’t lived upto the expectations. Rohit and Dravid took the bold decision of dropping him in the first game but because of Jadeja’s unavailability, Pant was recalled. I think it didn’t make any sense. Do not pick a left-hander just for the sake of it.
Hardik Pandya & Surya Yadav went missing during the business end
He had a fabulous game against Pakistan but completely fell by the wayside in the subsequent games. In hindsight, it was probably wrong to have rested him for the Hong Kong game. He must have been itching after a very successful game against the arch-rival but the decision to rest him may have subconsciously affected him and perhaps he felt that he need to prove again which resulted in such a poor showing the second time around against the same opponents. He had 2 consecutive bad games and both of them mattered the most. Pandya failed to perform with both bat and ball in both the games. If only he had scored some runs, India could have posted more than 200 against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It could have been the difference.
Surya on the otherhand, played a blazing knock against Hong Kong but was found wanting against better bowling attacks. It is a concern because Surya is expected to handle the number 4 position for the foreseeable future and if he struggles against good bowlers, perhaps he is not cut-out for international cricket.
Bowlers not good enough to play even school cricket
Kumar ended the tournament with a fabulous spell of 5 wickets for 4 runs. An extraordinary spell but it came when there was nothing at stake for the team. The same Kumar when entrusted with much higher responsibility, came a cropper. 19 runs against Pakistan in the 19th over and 14 runs against Sri Lanka in the 19th over. He virtually did not leave anything for Arshdeep to defend. He had effectively finished the game in the 19th over itself. Much was expected of Kumar in the absence of Bumrah and Harshal but he came out of it a loser.
Chahal and Ashwin are not fit for T20. Chahal especially does not have a clue how and what to bowl. He kept on tossing the ball even when he was clobbered. He was neither able to pick up wickets nor was he able to bowl a tightline. The result, the opponents took the game away easy during the middle overs. I do not know why was Ashwin back in the squad for T20.
Arshdeep has decent potential but with his pace, he will hardly be able to trouble any batsman. He needs to increase his pace and accuracy a lot more to be effective at this level. A left-armer fast bowler will be an asset but will he listen? Avesh Khan, he has got lot more to improve than Arshdeep.
Wrapping up Asia Cup where are the bowlers for India?
Sehwag was correct when he said that Indian bowlers are not top class if they are not able to defend 182 and 173. India will have to look for spinners who can be threatening in the middle overs. Ashwin, Jadeja & Chahal do not fit that purpose. Bowlers with real pace are required. If the team is going to depend on Bumrah for way too long, it calls for trouble. I really do not know what is the point of a multi-million dollar extravaganza called the IPL?
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