Herschelle Gibbs is right. India are not favourites in this ICC World T20. The batting has not clicked, bar one amazing innings from Virat Kohli. The fact that India go into their last Super 10 game against Australia with semi-final qualification still in their hands is a testament to how well the bowling lineup, led by Ravichandran Ashwin’s craft, has done.
In many ways, the problem that India have was summed by Brendon Julian at the toss in last night’s game against Bangladesh. He asked MS Dhoni, “I know the answer to this, but are there any changes to your team?”
Honestly, it is becoming more unfathomable with every passing game as to how India just refuse to make changes to their lineup. It is becoming infuriating to hear Dhoni say, “We’re playing with the same squad.” Why? Because there are some players in the Indian XI that have started these two games that should count themselves very lucky that they are not yet on drinks carrying duties.
Atop that list is Shikhar Dhawan. In 2016, Dhawan has scored 288 runs from 13 innings at an average of 24, and a strike rate of 118. Both the average and strike rate are hugely helped by the fact that he had a 25-ball fifty against Sri Lanka and 44-ball 60 against Bangladesh.
With all due respect to both those sides, their bowling attacks are average, at best. Also, the fifty against Sri Lanka came at Ranchi, where the wicket was a belter, and the one against Bangladesh came on the best batting wicket provided through all of the Asia Cup.
As an opener, Ajinkya Rahane has a proven track record in his T20 stints with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. It would not take rocket science to figure out that Rahane must be given an opportunity ahead of Dhawan. He was tried in the series against Sri Lanka. But, that was at no. 3, and Rahane’s strengths are nullified there.
It is obvious that Rahane is someone who relies on his timing and placement ahead of power. He has to bat in the powerplay for his abilities to be used fully, and the only way that can happen is if he opens the innings.
Given the three pitches that India have played on, it has also been very surprising that neither of Harbhajan Singh or Pawan Negi has got a game. The pitches have turned square at all the venues where India have played but Dhoni has stuck with the same team in all three games. MSD uses the word ‘balance’ as something important in the selection of his sides.
But the team that has looked the best so far in this tournament – New Zealand – have adopted horses for courses policy, and picked their team solely based on the conditions prevalent at the venue for each match.
Dhoni’s argument for not picking the extra spinner is that he has had the likes of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh to fill in with overs of spin, if necessary. He did get four overs out of Raina against New Zealand. But both against Pakistan and against Bangladesh, Dhoni’s use of his bowlers has been curious, to say the least.
At Eden Gardens against Pakistan, the conditions ensured that Ashwin was near unplayable, but for some unfathomable reason, Dhoni had the off-spinner bowl only 3 of his allotted four overs. In Bangalore, it was obvious that the pitch was helping the spinners. Raina bowled only one over. It was evident that Hardik Pandya was not getting too much assistance from the pitch, nor was he trying anything different.
In such circumstances, it was perplexing that he was given two overs in the middle of the innings. It would only be logical to think that even the part-time spinners would have got more assistance from the pitch than Pandya.
Dhoni seems to have this strategy of trying to get the ball to spin away from the batsmen, as much as he possibly can. But with spinners of Ashwin’s quality, that should be an added advantage, and not a criterion to introduce him into the bowling attack.
Dhoni can consider himself extremely lucky that India have pulled off wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh. These are matches they could have easily lost, if not for Virat Kohli’s brilliance and Bangladesh’s brain freeze in the last three balls.
They say it is the sign of a champion team when it pulls off wins even when it is not playing well. But the level of India’s cricket right now is hugely alarming, and everyone needs to step up their game, right from the top.
