India vs New Zealand: India's middle overs run-scoring problem in ODIs
When Virat Kohli won the toss in the 2nd ODI vs New Zealand on India's Republic Day, he explicitly expressed his desire to improve his team's run-scoring ability when batting first. Over the past several years, we have witnessed the magic of arguably the two greatest chasers of the game, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. These two Indian batsmen have mastered the art of hunting down totals when batting second. They seem to have a keen sense of knowing exactly when to unleash their explosive selves. They are able to easily choose which bowler's to target.
Team India's Famous Top 3
When India bat first, they still have the services of the world's best ODI opening pair at their disposal. As long as one of India's famed top three is at the crease, the team remains in cruise mode. Even if the openers consume several balls at the start of their innings, they are more than capable of making up for them later. India's top three have contributed almost 50 per cent of the runs that the team has scored since 2015. This proves that the team relies on them to do the bulk of scoring more often than not. However, the real problem begins when two or all of the top three batsmen are dismissed cheaply.
Rayudu's problem in accelerating
It becomes very challenging for India to reach a par total when they are two or three down early in the 1st innings. In such a case, India usually has Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni at the crease. It is a well-known fact that Dhoni is someone who likes to take his time at the crease, but can increase his scoring rate just within a few overs. In recent times, we have seen that Rayudu also takes time to settle at the crease. However, even after settling in, he is unable to score big. In the 2nd ODI vs New Zealand, Rayudu was unable to accelerate even after playing around 40 balls. An ODI career strike rate of 79 does not justify the talent that India's current No. 4 possesses. This weakness of Rayudu may prove to be quite costly for team India when they need to post large totals on the board.
India's Options
There is no doubt that Rayudu is a high-quality batsman, but he needs to work on his ability to up the run-rate during the middle overs. If Rayudu is able to gain more confidence and increase both the volume of runs and his scoring rate, it will be a massive boost for team India. In that case, India will be able to not only recover from the early jolts of top-order wickets but also reach good totals consistently. When the top order contributes as well, India can reach above-par totals easily and bat the opposition out of the game.
Another option is for India to promote MS Dhoni up the order to No. 4. With men like Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik to follow, who can strike boundaries at will, Dhoni will have sufficient support to not only hold the innings together but also keep the runs flowing easily. Getting a good first innings score is essential for any cricket team as the bowlers need enough runs to defend. With the quality of their bowling attack, India will be able to flatten oppositions if they have the cushion of par or above-par totals.
The Near Future
With just 4 months to go for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, India should back Ambati Rayudu to deliver for them. He was also backed by Kohli to occupy the No.4 position earlier in 2018 and it would be quite harsh on him if he is dropped now. Rayudu is likely to benefit from more match practice and must be provided with more opportunities to increase his confidence levels. In the upcoming matches against New Zealand and then against Australia at home, we may see Rayudu transform into a match winner and finally seal his spot in the team and in the World Cup squad. With a rampaging top order, supported by a middle order composed of Rayudu, Dhoni, and Jadhav/Karthik, India may find that all the pieces of their batting puzzle now finally fit together.