India vs West Indies 2019: 3 areas India need to improve in to win the third T20I
After a loss in the second T20I, India will be keen on winning the third and the final T20I in Mumbai on Wednesday. There were quite a few things that went wrong for the Indians in the second T20 and they lost the match, deservedly so.
Follow Sportskeeda for more Cricket news.
However, even in the first T20I, the Indian team looked far from their best. The Hyderabad surface was a good batting track, yet nothing compared to high-scoring grounds like the Wankhede and the Chinnaswamy. The Indian bowlers got taken to the cleaners and the Indian batsmen were left to chase 207 in their 20 overs. KL Rahul got the team off to a flier, yet many fans were doubtful as they watched Virat Kohli struggle to find his timing in the first half of his innings. They got over the line at the end (courtesy Virat Kohli), but the team looked unsettled as a whole.
This came to the fore in the second T20, as the Indian players failed to set a demanding total. To be fair, the total was defendable, but Windies batsmen coasted to their way to the target courtesy some ordinary bowling and disappointing fielding.
Keeping all that in mind, here are three areas that India will need to improve in, ahead of the 3rd T20I.
#1 Fielding
The current Indian side has built a reputation for being outstanding in the field but their fielding in the first two T20Is has been rather ordinary. In addition to dropped catches, the ground fielding has also been sloppy. In the 2nd T20I, both Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons were dropped in the same over. Simmons, who was on 6 when he was dropped went on to remain not out on 66, while Lewis was stumped on 40.
While there have been glimpses of brilliance on the field, the fielding is still the biggest issue with the team.
#2 Pace bowling
The Indian team's bowling has also been under par. Deepak Chahar, after bowling phenomenally against Bangladesh, has leaked runs in both games thus far. Shivam Dube too has leaked runs in the few overs that he has bowled. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the pick of the bowlers, even he has been a touch expensive. This is mainly due to the excessive use of the short ball. The Indians' lengths have been consistently short and they have paid the price. They have also been predictable and lazy with their variations. They will look to show more intent in the 3rd T20I.
#3 Opening partnership
The opening partnerships in the first two T20s are 24 and 30. Rohit Sharma failed to get going in both the matches, while his Partner, KL Rahul covered up for him in the 1st T20. Sharma's T20 numbers are starting to be an issue, as he has scored only one 50+ score in his last 9 innings. He will look to score a big one at his home ground, the Wankhede, and give the team a healthy start.