Banking on Experience

THE INDIAN TEAM for the T20 World Cup has now been announced. And may I say it is a very predictable team except for the omission of Rinku Singh. The selectors have veered on the side of caution and picked a 15 that has played for India at the highest level for a while and came close to winning the World Cup on home soil last November. But that’s not the point. Rather, the moot question is if this team can go on and win the World T20 in the US and the Caribbean. Does India have the firepower to win an ICC trophy after 11 years? And also, why was Rinku, who has proved himself time and again for India, omitted?

As I write this column on May 1, my first answer is No. India is not among the favourites going into the World Cup. I’d stick my neck out and say I don’t see India in the final unless there is an effort from out of the blue, a spell, or an innings of individual brilliance on the day, which is good enough to win a T20 contest.

Take the bowling for a start. Except for Jasprit Bumrah, who is the best in the world by a mile, and Kuldeep Yadav, not a single bowler picked is in form. Chahal, too, has been blowing hot and cold. The fast-bowling cupboard, which looked full two years back, is suddenly bare, and with Mohammed Shami injured, India is struggling for options. If the Indian Premier League (IPL) is an index, most of India’s fast bowlers have conceded more than 10 an over regularly and the threat that you associate with a bowler in form is missing. Bumrah apart, none of them looks menacing, and batters have easily managed to get them away. And that’s where my worry stems from. If Bumrah has an off day, and he is human, who does Rohit Sharma turn to in the pace-bowling department? Mayank Yadav, who could have been an out-of-the-box selection, is injured, and his knack of picking up multiple niggles isn’t helping.

The scene isn’t any better in the spin department either. Except for Kuldeep Yadav and partly Yuzvendra Chahal, who has made a comeback as India’s premier spinner, the others don’t look like picking wickets. If you are defending 180 or so, you need wickets to win games. Containment won’t work and it remains to be seen who among the spinners put their hands up when the team needs them to.

The all-rounder slot is a huge worry. Hardik hasn’t been in form and has looked rusty. While he bowled well against the Lucknow Super Giants and picked up two wickets, much more is expected from India’s premier all-rounder. While there is no dearth of potential, the pressure of captaincy of a franchise, which is always in the media glare, is starting to tell on Hardik. In Gujarat, he was the undisputed top dog. In Mumbai, he always has a Rohit, a Bumrah, or a Suryakumar Yadav in the dressing room. It is natural that Hardik will feel the pressure. Could it have impacted performance? While there is no definitive answer to this question, suffice it to say that he won’t be skipper in the World Cup and that could well be a blessing in disguise for Hardik.

The other thing I want to mention here is the impact player rule. As a result of this intervention, someone like Shivam Dube did not get a chance to bowl in more than half of the games because he came in as an impact sub. While the selectors have picked him on the basis of his hitting ability in the middle order, his bowling remains a blind alley.

As a result of the impact player rule, Washington Sundar wasn’t even in the scheme of things. Just a year or so earlier, Sundar was the premier off-spinner all-rounder. Now, he isn’t in the reckoning. And the only reason is the impact player rule. It has harmed players with all-round ability with teams playing the extra specialist using the rule.

In batting as well, India looks fragile. Rohit’s form in IPL has been a worry and even if we keep in mind that he is a legend of the game and one for the big stage, somehow, he hasn’t really looked good every time he has stepped out for Mumbai. A shot or two, and thereafter, Rohit has perished to a stroke we normally don’t associate with him. India will need Rohit at his best to make a dash for the title. Virat has looked good in patches and one can only hope that he retains this form going into the tournament. His strike rate after the power play has been a subject of much talk and though Virat dismissed it after the last game as talk without substance, there is reason to be worried. For India to do well, both Virat and Rohit will have to be in prime form. The biggest worry, however, is the middle order. None of the batters comes into the team with consistency behind him. While Surya has looked good each time he has stepped out, very few times has he been able to convert. And his record in World Cups isn’t great either. Rishabh Pant, too, is guilty of the same disease. While his comeback is a story for the ages, he has thrown his wicket away on more than one occasion. Take the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, for example. Pant was batting well and his team motoring along when he played a false shot against Varun Chakravarthy. It was a premeditated hoik and the bat turned in his hand at the very last second. The ball was turning away from him and eventually he was in no position to execute the shot. The result was a skier which might have cost Delhi the game.

When I see teams like Australia that will start with a Travis Head ahead and possibly the young Fraser-McGurk, you tend to feel India is hard done. When we look at South Africa and see a middle order with Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, and Tristan Stubbs, we tend to feel India lacks firepower. New Zealand, too, looks solid, not to forget England.

In such a scenario, the only thing that is going in India’s favour is experience. In events like the World Cup or the Olympic Games, the best teams don’t always win. Rather, the team that soaks pressure the best emerges as the winner. In Rohit and Virat, India has the two best to do this job and their experience could well come in handy in the Caribbean.

The other issue is the assumption that on most occasions, the batters will get starts and make the most of it. It is the result of an IPL hangover where 200 is the new par. Having said that the World Cup is a different platform and if the Caribbean Premier League records are seen, the scores are mostly between 180-200. That’s where Virat and Rohit come in. Even if India is two down for nothing, the fact that Virat is there to take control is solace. But is that enough? Can he and Rohit give it one final charge and do what all of India will want them to do—lift the Cup?

In sum, let me say two things. First, the mind isn’t saying India. The heart, however, always bleeds blue and says that Virat and Rohit could well turn the clock back as Lionel Messi did in Qatar in 2022. Faced with intense pressure, Messi delivered when it mattered the most and achieved cult status. Can Rohit and Virat do so and set the ICC events record straight?

Second, Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t really fired in World Cups. While he has been exceptional in bilateral contests, come World Cups, Bumrah has been modest at best. Can Jasprit raise his hand when it is the most relevant for his country, for he could well have the answer to India’s campaign?

Finally, for Ajit Agarkar and his selection committee, this is a major opportunity. They haven’t managed to be on the right side of things during the World Cup at home and will be hoping they have got it right this time round. A failure will only add pressure on Agarkar and the agonising wait for an ICC trophy will continue. Let me finish by saying that I will be the happiest if I am proved wrong and for once, I am praying that such a thing happens and Rohit’s men go on and win the title.

cricketIndian cricket teamJasprit BumrahKuldeep YadavRishabh PantRohit SharmaSuryakumar YadavT20 World CupVirat Kohli