2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 2nd T20I vs Afghanistan
Team India won their final T20I series ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 14. They beat Afghanistan by six wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match rubber.
While India's bilateral form has been encouraging largely, there are a few holes they are yet to address. The combination they are fielding hasn't played much together over the last year or so, and there are plenty of questions to be answered in various departments.
The hosts' performances in the ongoing series have been convincing, but they have a long way to go before they can be labeled the outright favorites for the T20 World Cup. Reflecting on their display in the second T20I will surely give them an idea of the way forward.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by Team India in the second T20I against Afghanistan.
#3 Mistake - India won the toss and elected to field
The Holkar Stadium in Indore has always been a batting-friendly wicket, and the second T20I was no different. There was barely any assistance for bowlers, and India motored along at a run rate above 11 in the second innings.
However, having won the toss, why didn't the Men in Blue challenge themselves by batting first? Chasing down totals is clearly easier in T20 cricket most of the time, with the effect of dew and the knowledge of the exact target. And recent history suggests that India are much better at chasing than they are at setting scores.
Rohit Sharma and Co. had a deep batting lineup for the second T20I, and many of those players are in of time out in the middle. The ideal thing to do would've been to bat first and tick off several boxes instead of playing it safe and adding another win to the column.
#2 Masterstroke - Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal displayed some serious intent
India lost Rohit Sharma in the first over, but Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal ensured that they didn't lose momentum in the remainder of the powerplay. While Kohli made a conscious effort to bat at an excellent tempo, Jaiswal was at his destructive best while the field restrictions were in place.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq were not spared as India brought up their 50 in just 4.4 overs. Kohli was dismissed in the last over of the powerplay, but the hosts put themselves well ahead of the chase by amassing 69 runs.
It would've been easy for India to take a bit of time to recover from Rohit's early dismissal, but they did the right thing by keeping their foot on the pedal.
#1 Mistake - Shivam Dube needed to be tested but not in the 19th over
On paper, what Rohit Sharma did was a welcome move. Shivam Dube needs to be given overs if he's to be tested as a genuine all-rounder. However, was it needed in the 19th over of the Afghanistan innings?
Going forward, it's very unlikely that Dube will find himself in a situation where his death bowling will be tested. He needs to be used in the middle overs, and in that phase, Rohit has given him only two overs in each of the two T20Is thus far.
Dube went for 20 runs, including two sixes and a four. Mukesh Kumar, whose place in the T20I side is far from secure, watched on as the death-bowling responsibilities he was supposed to take on fell to the tall all-rounder instead.