Too much 'deja vu' in ICC knockouts hurting India
'Same old story' is perhaps the most apt way to describe Team India's plight in knockout games after they were comprehensively beaten by Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. While there was an air of 'India were missing key players' around, genuine fans still expected a much better fight.
Many cricket experts and former cricketers have come out with scathing remarks on India's performance and have also called for some harsh selection calls to be made. However, the 'deja vu' phenomenon about it is that similar criticism was made when they had crashed out of the T20 World Cup semifinal last year, too.
One may then point at the current team management, including head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma, as the main culprits behind these debacles. The truth, though, remains that India haven't won an ICC tournament in almost a decade, which points to a bigger problem - mindset.
Has the mindset been wrong for India from the get-go in knockouts?
While winning the toss and bowling first was something both captains wanted in the WTC final, what transpired was sufficient for many to realize how the pitch at The Oval has always been - a brilliant batting track.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly had opted to bat first on a pretty green wicket at Headingley, Leeds, in 2002. The decision seemed to be so baffling for Sir Ian Botham at the toss that he asked Ganguly once again whether he was sure about it.
India, though, did all the hard work when the ball was swinging, and scored a mammoth 628-8 in their first innings, eventually winning the game by an innings and 46 runs. Rahul Dravid was present in that team led by Ganguly. So, now it seems even more baffling how India didn't think of being brave enough to bat the first hour out and have runs on the board in perfect batting conditions.
For the current Indian team, chasing in the fourth innings has been a problem away from home, barring some exceptional run chases like the one at the Gabba. Then again, have such decisions been taken for the first time in a knockout game by the Indian management? The sad answer is no.
India opted to go with two spinners and three pacers in the WTC final two years ago when the conditions in Southampton clearly were conducive for seam bowlers. Former captain Virat Kohli back then had announced the playing XI in the press conference on the eve of the final despite conditions changing, with the entire play on Day 1 being washed out due to rain.
Kohli then and Rohit now both spoke about the importance of having three-Test series to decide the winner the final. To that, Australian captain Pat Cummins gave a perfect example of how Olympians get just one shot at glory in the final. That probably shows the difference in the mindset of Team India and other teams and the distance they need to cover to reach that champion mentality.
Does Indian batting lack talent or temperament?
Credit to the Indian team for making it to both finals of the WTC so far, as it speaks a lot about the success they have had in different conditions. However, one should not ignore the number of times the batting lineup, especially the top order, has faltered in testing conditions.
The Indians won two Tests in England and one in South Africa in the 2021-23 cycle. While the bowlers got the plaudits for picking up 20 wickets, a top-order batter also stood out. KL Rahul's centuries at Lord's, at Centurion and Rohit Sharma's second innings hundred at The Oval gave the bowlers the runs to play with.
That shows that they needed at least one or two batters from the top four to get a big hundred to give themselves a fighting chance against Australia. One can understand if the Australian pacers were just too good or if the pitch was too spicy for the batters to bat long. Was that the case, though? Absolutely not.
Rohit Sharma played around a delivery and got trapped in front in the first innings and then threw his wicket away in the second while going for an ungainly sweep. Cheteshwar Pujara inexplicably left a delivery that crashed into his stumps in the first innings and was caught behind while trying to attempt an ambitious upper cut in the second.
Shubman Gill's dismissal in the second innings was controversial, as the catch remains a point of debate. However, even he had a horrific leave in the first innings, which saw him get castled. Virat Kohli, after all his success in England in 2018, chased a wide one beyond the sixth stump line and was caught in the slips.
The Indians need to have a look at their formula of preparing rank turners at home. While that gives their world-class spinners more chances of rattling the opposition, it also rattles the confidence of their batters, as they have to play attacking shots. They probably need to look at the temperament side of things.
A timid batting approach has been hurting the team in the white-ball tournaments, just like what happend in the T20 World Cup last year. However, Test cricket has its own way of grinding the runs out, and for that, the batters need to get the confidence by batting for long period.
Every time there won't be a Rishabh Pant waiting down the order to rescue the situation, as they found out in the WTC final.
Time for a Test rebuild?
Team India will now travel to the West Indies, and the two Tests there will begin their new WTC cycle. One would argue that this is an opportunity for the team to blood new talent into the playing XI. However, they need to be careful about how crucial every win is, with key WTC points at stake.
The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav, etc. may find it difficult to hold onto their place in the XI, with promising domestic talent knocking on the door. However, the team probably still needs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to strike a perfect balance between experience and new blood.
What's next for Team India?
One can question the captain and the management as much as they want to, but it's the mindset that needs to change, especially in knockout games. Also, there still has to be importance given to the basics when it comes to Test cricket, as that remains the ultimate format.
Fans still continue to wait with bated breath for that elusive ICC title. It's now up to Team India to bridge the gap of quality and mindset between themselves and other teams to give fans what they yearn for.