3 concerns for India despite win over Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2023
Despite Dunith Wellalage bowling and batting his heart out for Sri Lanka, it was India that won a very competitive Asia Cup Super 4s game between the two sides at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday, September 12.
Wellalage did it all for Sri Lanka as India opted to bat first, accounting for the dismissals of five of India's top six and helping bowl India out for 213 after they were 80/0 after 11 overs.
However, on an absolute spitting cobra of a wicket, the Indian bowlers led by Kuldeep, Jadeja, and a spirited Hardik Pandya gave it back to Sri Lanka. Barring Wellalage and Dhananjaya de Silva, none of the SL batters stayed long enough at the crease to make an impact.
While there were many positives to take from India's 41-run victory, there were some worrying signs as well despite the excellent results. Let's look at three areas of concern for India despite their win over Sri Lanka.
#3 Axar Patel's diminishing returns with the ball
Axar Patel's stellar all-round showings have made him the go-to backup option for Ravindra Jadeja in ODIs and Tests, and he was always certain to make the squad for the 2023 World Cup.
However, while his stocks with the bat have risen tremendously in 2023, he has struggled to have the same impact with the ball, a fact that has been overlooked for a while now.
In 2023, Axar has struggled to pick up wickets across formats and tournaments. In six ODIs, Axar has been able to pick up only three wickets at an economy of 5.7 and an average of 63.00.
His inability to pick up wickets was also evident in the Test series against Australia and in other matches, where he has picked up only three wickets in seven matches, a dismal stat for any bowler.
This gulf in bowling output between Jadeja and his backup option Axar was evident as the latter struggled to find his rhythm on a rank-turner in India's win against Sri Lanka.
While Jadeja finished with figures of 2/33 in ten overs, Charith Asalanka picked up 4/18 in nine overs, and Dunith Wellalage picked up a 5-wicket haul, Axar went wicketless in the five overs he bowled, conceding 28 runs as well. His bowling returns are a cause for worry and something India needs to keep an eye on.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja's batting in ODIs
There aren't many undroppable members in this Indian team, given the number of quality players this country produces but Jadeja is the one all-format player India can't even think of sidelining. He's an all-rounder in every sense and is a crucial part of India's first-choice playing XI in the World Cup.
However, his recent performances with the bat in white-ball cricket are a cause for concern. While it may be unfair to single out his struggle (4 off 19 balls) in yesterday's match on a very challenging pitch, it was a reflection of his muted batting efforts in 2023.
In eight innings, Jadeja has scored only 131 runs at an average of 27.8, but more importantly, at a poor strike rate of 57.6. Even accounting for some challenging batting tracks or tricky situations in the match, that SR is too low for a player of his caliber and for the No.7 batter of the side.
Everyone knows what a smart as well as devastating batter Jadeja can be on his day, and India will want him to bat with such an approach and improve that Strike Rate heading into the World Cup.
#1 India's batting against spin
It's unfair to label India as a team that struggles against spin purely based on their performance on a track like the one in Colombo. However, the fact that they eventually won the match shouldn't paper over the cracks and the weak links that the Sri Lankan bowlers exposed.
That Indians or sub-continental teams play spin better is a myth and hasn't been true for quite a while now. Most of the Indian batters, even the best, still struggle to pick a googly out of a wrist spinner's hand. Fans could well see many such dismissals in the World Cup on the pre-dominantly spinner-friendly tracks.
While it was reassuring to see KL Rahul handle the Sri Lankan spinners in an unfazed manner after his comparatively slower start against Pakistan, the rest of the team's struggles against spin and inability to build partnerships raise the possibility of batting collapses against teams with quality spinners.
The likes of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia have the spin bowling to trouble India and the batters need to step up their game.