New Zealand vs India 2014: Time for Indian think-tank to act

Dhoni is hell bent on using the spin-duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja outside the subcontinent. But can they deliver?

Well, it’s all good to be hailed as the no.1 side in ODI cricket, and praised for what you’ve done in the past, but you can’t go from being masters at home to playing reckless cricket when touring overseas, Team India that is. Now, you can’t have only a couple of batsmen in the side making substantial scores, and no one else making a significant contribution that adds value to the substantial scorers.

Taking a look at the Indian scorecard after the defeat against New Zealand in the 1st ODI at Napier, Virat Kohli once again continues his scintillating form from 2013 with a brilliantly compiled 123. But barring his massive hundred, Dhoni made 40 crucial runs at a stage when the Indian innings seemed to fall apart, Dhawan fell for 32 just as his partnership with Kohli was developing, and that was that.

Between no.4 and no.7 in the Indian batting order, excluding Dhoni’s 40, the trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, and Ravindra Jadeja could only manage a meager 25 runs between them. If you have ambitions of winning abroad, your middle order can’t afford to plummet at that rate on a regular basis.

Now, Dhoni can’t perpetuate this problem that India faced on their tour of South Africa, and again today, their middle order has simply not been resilient enough when facing the challenge of chasing 293 to win the game. If I was Dhoni, I’d call up Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and I’ll fine tune their roles in the side. Keep reading to know what I would do with both of them, if I choose to have them playing in my first XI.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Looking at what Ashwin has managed with the ball in South Africa, and against New Zealand today, I’d use him as a batting all-rounder, who bowls 6-7 overs at the maximum, and bats ahead of Ravindra Jadeja in the batting order. And looking from outside, this is the best possible thing the Indian think-tank can try working out, ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.

Ashwin doesn’t look good, if he decides to slog during the death overs of an one-day innings, and maybe, for what he has done with the bat in his Test career so far, and what he promises on the eye, I’d take that gamble with him and see how he rises up to this strategy of mine.

If Ashwin does render you that flexibility of being a batting all-rounder, it could ease the pressure on Ravindra Jadeja to live with the tag of a batsman, who has three triple hundreds to his name in the Indian domestic circuit, and additionally, get more out of Ashwin’s batting capabilities.

Ravindra Jadeja

No disrespect to what Ravindra Jadeja has managed to do at the international level with whatever he has been asked to do, but my major concern is, what can he do for you at the world cup in Australia and New Zealand next year? How do you use him? In my book, I wouldn’t put his name on the team-sheet only for his fielding. If he can bowl me 10 good overs, there is a good reason for me to accommodate him in the team.

I’d take whatever runs I get from Jadeja at no.8, and push Ashwin ahead of him in the batting order. Ideally, make optimal use of any one specialization of these two utility players in the side, do not ask too much from them and make it cumbersome.

The final touches

I guess, Team India needs to look at the larger picture, which should be the world cup, which is exactly a year away from now. Also, the scenario with Suresh Raina is a worrying sign for India and Dhoni, and needs to be sorted pragmatically. Again, from Dhoni’s perspective, he can’t rate a player and accommodate him in the side only for his fielding.

Bottom Line: Gutted with what the Indian middle order produced today against New Zealand, and I am apprehensive about what next year’s world cup has in store for Team India, if this issue doesn’t get addressed!