Not that India were the favourites going into the T20 World Cup semi-final against England, but the kind of hiding the Men in Blue received at Adelaide Oval on Thursday was unforeseen. The stadium was packed and the global cricket crowd was watching. Defeats can be glorious or inglorious; this was humiliating to the hilt. My Kolkata tries to understand where the team went wrong and comes up with a team for the future.
What the team didn’t do
Chris Jordan celebrates after dismissing Virat Kohli. India made 38 in the power play, managing four fours and a six. England made 63 in six overs with seven fours and three sixes Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
The current Indian team relied on principles of 50-over cricket, ignoring the different dynamics and requirements of the shortest format. Teams that do well in T20 come out all guns blazing. World Cup contenders cannot afford a run rate of around six in the power play. That is what India could muster in Australia. In the semi-final, they made 38 in the passage of play designed for big hitting, managing four fours and a six. England made 63 in six overs with seven fours and three sixes. A day earlier, Pakistan had posted 55 in six overs without losing a wicket during their successful run chase against New Zealand. The difference in planning was palpable on Thursday. England played the GenNext brand of cricket, where every batter in the top eight goes after the bowlers. India relied on the obsolete method of slowly building an innings.
What the BCCI didn’t do
Focussed on influencing the International Cricket Council (ICC’s) economic policy, the richest cricket board seems to have neglected its primary duty of making the national team the best in the world BCCI
Caught up with power tussles and internal appeasement, the Indian cricket board (BCCI), despite having international players at the helm for over four years, lacked cricketing vision. As a direct consequence, so did its selection committees. Unlike India, England changed their approach towards white-ball cricket after a disastrous outing in the 2015 50-over World Cup and have reaped the benefits. Focussed on influencing the International Cricket Council (ICC’s) economic policy, the richest cricket board seems to have neglected its primary duty of making the national team the best in the world. The IPL was born after India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. India has not come close to winning the World Cup since, with the exception of 2014, when they finished runner-up. The board that owns the most profitable T20 league in the world, enjoys the allied advantages and has the most robust infrastructure owes the nation better cricketing results.
The way forward
We cannot go to a T20 World Cup hoping to win it when our main batter contributes 50 off 40 balls on a ground with short square boundaries Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
A change in attitude. We cannot go to a T20 World Cup hoping to win it when our main batter contributes 50 off 40 balls on a ground with short square boundaries. We cannot have two openers happy to score a run a ball in the first six overs or are forced to take undue risks. We need a set of at least seven batters who can belt the ball at a strike rate of 130. England have that, so do Pakistan. The Indian team needs fresh thoughts and impetus. So bring on the younger guns. Have the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda and even Yashasvi Jaiswal in the mix. Give them a year before making the next big call. Keep looking for new talent instead of falling back on the old ones. The selection committee has to be proactive about this and the BCCI has to support the selectors. Virat Kohli might end up the highest scorer this World Cup but he was seldom ahead of the game. He did his best and he is a great player, but what we need are more imposing T20 batters. It is time to invest in guys who have that potential.
Team for the future
Umran Malik could have been India’s X-factor in bowling in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah TT Archives
Get in Umran Malik, who could have been India’s X-factor in bowling in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Take care of the injured Mohsin Khan, the left-arm quick who was impressive in the IPL. See what Ravi Bishnoi can do with his wrist spin. Find out what Kartik Tyagi is doing. Try out Rishabh Pant in different roles. Check out whether Shahbaz Ahmed, who has been left out of India’s T20 squad for the tour to New Zealand, can replicate his performances for Bengal in the national colours. There is talent out there. Find them and groom them rather than sticking to the names, surnames and the age-old practices. Here’s our proposed team to make Thursday the 10th a distant nightmare:
- Ishan Kishan
- Prithvi Shaw
- Shreyas Iyer/Sanju Samson
- Surya Kumar Yadav
- Hardik Pandya
- Rishabh Pant
- Ravindra Jadeja/Shahbaz Ahmed
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Arshdeep Singh
- Umran Malik
- Ravi Bishnoi
