T20 World Cup 2022: 5 Indian players who failed to step up
In a disappointing end to their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign, India were trounced by England by 10 wickets in the second semi-final at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10.
India could only muster 168/6 after batting first. Needless to say it was an under-par total, and England made a mockery of in the end, chasing it down in 16 overs.
The Indian team management will have a few questions to answer after a loss like that. The truth of the matter is that the players never clicked as a unit at any point in the T20 World Cup.
With several players underperforming, India were overdependent on Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and a couple of bowlers to bail them out of tough situations.
On that note, we take a look at five Indian players who failed to step up at the T20 World Cup 2022.
#1 KL Rahul
If there is one Indian player who has got the long rope, it's KL Rahul. It's not difficult to understand why either. Immensely talented, Rahul is one of the most elegant batters to watch and someone who can dismantle any bowling attack on his day.
However, he was rather underwhelming this tournament. The opener scored 123 runs, including two half-centuries against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. In the other five games, he recorded scores of four, nine, nine, and five.
The most disappointing aspect of his game, though, was how defensive and tentative he was at the start of his innings. Off the 76 balls he faced in the powerplay, Rahul only managed 68 runs and averaged 17. That often meant India were unable to capitalize on the field restrictions, thus falling behind in the game.
#2 Rohit Sharma
As far as underwhelming campaigns go, Rohit Sharma had one to forget. After failing to make his mark in the tournament opener against Pakistan, the Indian captain scored a half-century in the second game versus the Netherlands. Even that innings was rather unconvincing for the most part though.
After that, Rohit recorded scores of 15, two, 15, and four. Often left trying to compensate for the sluggish starts by the other batters around him, the 35-year-old perished cheaply on more than a few occasions.
With 116 runs at a strike rate of 106.42, the captain failed to execute the new attacking template.
With the openers failing to set the tone at the top of the order, the team always found themselves in tricky situations and struggling to break the shackles. It was a small aspect of the game but it certainly made a big difference in their campaign.
#3 Axar Patel
Disappointing.
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Filling in the boots of Ravindra Jadeja was always going to be a tall order for anyone, as Axar Patel found out the hard way. To be fair to the all-rounder, he was impressive in the bilaterals in the build-up to the tournament. However, his performances at the T20 World Cup didn't live up to the expectations.
While he was brought in to provide balance to the side, Axar never really helped India plug the holes they wanted. He bowled fewer than 10 overs in the tournament, taking three wickets and conceding runs at an economy rate of 9.11
Even on the batting front, he was never really promoted to take on bowlers as a left-hander. He only faced nine balls in the tournament, scoring nine runs. The southpaw could make an argument for being underutilized, but he was also underwhelming.
#4 Dinesh Karthik
Wonder if we've seen the last of Dinesh Karthik as an India cricketer. If we have, it's time to doff our hats off. Made his debut in 2004. That he's lasted so many years is testimony to his commitment. Rain or shine, played domestic cricket. Inspired the next gen.
Tagged as India's finisher after an impressive IPL 2022, Dinesh Karthik was backed to play the same role for India in the T20 World Cup. However, Karthik didn't manage to live up to the hype generated before the tournament. The team management's approach might have to share some blame in that regard too.
Executing the role of a finisher is one of the most underrated and tough jobs in world cricket. Consistency in that regard can only be judged over time, and not in small samples. It's certainly hard to judge the contribution when the batter has only faced 22 balls in the tournament.
Karthik scored only 14 runs in those deliveries, not managing to hit his stride on any occasion. With runs lacking at the top of the order and at the backend of the innings, India's batting unit failed to deliver throughout the T20 World Cup.
#5 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
It was always going to be a major test for the bowling unit in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. As a pace trio, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar rarely managed to click against the top sides. Arshdeep managed to bag 10 wickets in the campaign while Shami bagged six.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the only Indian bowler with an economy rate of under six in the tournament. The numbers were even better in the powerplay, at 4.76. However, it was the lack of penetration that troubled India on most occasions.
With Bhuvneshwar, the Men in Blue lacked that yard of extra pace which would give them a cutting edge given the conditions in Australia. The bowling unit managed to take all 10 wickets just once, that too against Zimbabwe, and Bhuvneshwar's lack of teeth was possibly a factor in that.