Does India's team for the T20 World Cup lack batting firepower?
Most major sporting events in the world have been cancelled or suspended due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Cricket has been no exception, with several bilateral series between nations getting postponed for the time being.
The Olympics and Euro 2020 have both been postponed by a year, and there is a strong likelihood that the same fate might befall the T20 Cricket World Cup due to be played in Australia later this year. However, there is cause for some optimism in this regard. As the tournament is scheduled for November, there is a possibility that it would take place as initially planned.
If the competition does take place in its original slot, all eyes will be on the Indian team. Virat Kohli's side are among the favourites to lift the trophy, as they attempt to end their 7-year wait for an ICC title. India have one of the strongest T20 sides in world Cricket. The question remains, though, if they would be good enough to achieve glory down under.
The 2008 T20 world champions have a team squad brimming in quality in all departments. However, there are a few shortcomings that the team management needs to address. One of them is in the batting department. Despite having some of the biggest names in world cricket, the Indian middle-order remains an area of concern.
A top 3 like none else
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On most days, India's batting will barely face any issues. In Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, the team arguably has one of the best top three in the world. The prowess of Sharma and Kohli in limited-overs Cricket needs little introduction. The duo has firmly established themselves as two of the best players in the world against the white-ball.
Over the last couple of years, KL Rahul has also established himself as one of the better players in the shortest formats of the game. Having played 42 T20Is, he has scored 1461 runs at an exceptional average and strike rate of 45.65 and 146.10, respectively.
Rahul is the only Indian apart from Sharma to have multiple T20I centuries (2) to his name. In the last two seasons of the Indian Premier League, Rahul has been among the top-three run-getters in T20I cricket, with 659 runs and 593 runs in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Further, there is a certain Shikhar Dhawan in the mix who has been a crucial part of Indian teams in white-ball cricket for the last few years. .Each member of the quartet can succeed in all conditions, and adjust their games to any situation. Quite clearly, it is a happy problem of plenty at the top of the order for the team.
The middle-order
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As the last few ICC tournaments have shown, merely having an explosive top-three is not good enough to win the trophy. India's top 3 flopped in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan, and in the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. In both these games, the fragile middle order wasn't able to rescue the team from defeats.
Going into the 2020 ICC T20, there is bound to be added focus on the team's middle order, given its relative inexperience and propensity to collapse.
Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, India have put their faith in Shreyas Iyer to solidify the middle order. The Mumbaikar has strung together several impressive performances to almost seal a slot for himself. During this period, Iyer has scored six ODI 50s and a century in 12 games. In 22 T20Is, the right-hander has an average of 50.99 while scoring 417 runs.
Along with Iyer, Manish Pandey has moved up the pecking order in the last few months. Following a spell on the sidelines, the Karnataka batsman played all five T20I games in New Zealand earlier this year. While not getting many opportunities to bat, Pandey remained unbeaten in the series, and scored a crucial half-century in the fourth T20I. The right-hander's overall T20I record is also healthy. Pandey averages 47.13 in 38 games in the format.
At the outset, both Iyer and Pandey look reliable options for India in the middle order. However, herein lies a significant problem. Both these batters generally bat at either number three or four in the IPL, playing the anchor role for their respective franchise. However, in an Indian T20Iside, the duo is required to bat lower down the order.
More often than not, they walk out to bat when the team expects them to ensure a grandstand finish. In this respect, one is bound to ask whether they are the right personnel for this job? Can the duo shift gears and accelerate from the start? Indeed, that is something they are not used to frequently doing, and their batting strike-rates indicate the same.
Iyer's international strike rate is 129.5, while Pandey's is 127.62. Even in the IPL, Iyer and Pandey strike at 126.96 and 120.82, respectively. While these numbers are impressive in isolation, but in the lower-middle order, they will need to bat at a significantly faster clip. Neither of them has done the job of 'a finisher' in their career.
For years it had been a non-issue for India due to the presence of a certain MS Dhoni. However, with the 38-year-old not playing any international cricket since July last year and the IPL getting postponed indefinitely, it looks increasingly unlikely that he will make the squad. Dhoni's absence makes it even more challenging for the team to find the right players for the role.
Thus in this scenario, who is entrusted the role of a finisher at the 2020 T20 World Cup remains a huge question.
So what are India's options in this regard?
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If Hardik Pandya can regain form and stay fit, it will go a long way in solving India's search for a finisher. The Baroda all-rounder has emerged as an extremely dangerous lower-order batsman capable of hitting big shots with ease. His strike rates of 147.62 in T20Is and 154.78 in IPL respectively are accurate reflections of his prowess with the bat.
His explosive batting played a crucial role in Mumbai Indians IPL wins in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Over time, Pandya has only got better and become a more complete batsman. The fact that last year's IPL was his most productive, with 402 runs at a strike rate of 191.42, is a welcome sight for Indian cricket. Although, it remains to be seen how he manages to return to the top level after a lengthy lay-off from the game, having undergone a surgery on his back.
Another player capable of being the 'X-factor' for Virat Kohli's side is Rishabh Pant. The diminutive wicket-keeper batsman from Delhi has, for long, been touted as one of Indian cricket's most exceptional young talents. The explosive left-hander has time and again displayed his ability to take games away from the opposition in the IPL, playing for the Delhi Capitals. His overall IPL strike of 162.69 after 54 games, and an impressive average of 36.16 are testimonies to what Pant can bring to the table.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old has not been able to showcase the same abilities in T20 international cricket. In 20 T20Is, Pant has scored 410 runs at a strike rate of 122.02, and an underwhelming average of 20, registering only two 50+ scores.
There is no doubt about the left-hander's ability with the bat. Quite evidently, Pant is India's best option to add firepower in the middle order. But by not featuring in any of the five T20I games in New Zealand early this year, there are telltale signs that the team management might be running out of patience with him.
Another viable option for the finisher's role, but ignored for the better part of last year, is Dinesh Karthik. While a lot of people might have lost faith in him in ODI cricket after years of below-par performances, his story in T20 cricket is slightly different. After taking charge as captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Karthik has emerged as one of the best finishers in the league.
This is something the Tamil Nadu man has been able to do very successfully on the international stage, most recently exhibiting his finishing prowess in the 2018 Nidhas Trophy final against Bangladesh. Since the start of 2017, Karthik has featured in 23 T20Is for the team, scoring 299 runs at an average of 49.83 and a strike rate of 157.36.
His axing from ODI cricket post the 2019 World Cup was inevitable. However, the decision to also drop him from T20Is is debatable. In Karthik, India has an experienced option for taking up the responsibility of finishing games. However, with the Indian Premier League unlikely to take place, will Karthik get the chance to prove his mettle?
As the West Indies' success in the T20I format has shown, possessing a plethora of hard-hitting batsman in the line-up is a blueprint for success. For India, their top three will do the job on most days. However, whether their middle and lower order gives them reliable support would be vital in deciding if the 2007 champions can lift their second world title in the format at the next T20 World Cup.