Why India must not tinker with the lineup too much ahead of the T20 World Cup
The ICC has a couple of big tournaments lined up in the next couple of years, with consecutive editions of the T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in Australia and India. The 2019 World Cup turned out to be one of the most successful editions ever, with hosts England bringing up victory in an epic summit clash, so the excitement over the upcoming T20 versions has shot up considerably.
From an Indian perspective, the Virat Kohli led side had looked like the team to beat until the semi-final clash. In that game, which spanned two days, the Indian team fell short against the Kiwis despite a spirited late fightback.
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The semi-final loss to New Zealand was particularly painful as the Indian middle order collapsed rather tamely after the fall of the top order. It is a sight that has become familiar with the team over the last few ICC tournaments.
Past mistakes to learn from
If we look at the last couple of ICC tournaments, India have easily been one of the best teams in the fray, tipped by many to go the distance. However, they faltered on both occasions (Champions Trophy in 2017 and World Cup in 2019) when the finish line was in sight.
What surprised the fans and experts alike was the similar pattern in which India collapsed on both occasions, crumbling under the pressure of a chase when the top 3 departed early.
Reasons for over-dependence on the top 3
Over the last 4-5 years, the Indian team has seen an over-dependence on the top 3 batsmen. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scoring bulk of the runs across formats, the middle order has been comparatively less exposed to tough situations.
Though the top 3 scoring runs is always a good sign for any side, the team’s middle-order not showing up on big occasions suggests lack of stability in the lineup.
The World Cup and the tournaments prior to it had everyone focusing on just the number 4 slot. So much so that India even tried different players in the middle of the tournament, including the likes of KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya.
The fact that only MS Dhoni looked like an experienced constant in the middle order was a sign of the troubles to come.
A stable middle-order can be an asset
In the past, India had the services of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina and Dhoni. But the current setup seems to be somewhat dodgy, with uncertainty hovering around the number 4, 5 and 6 slots.
In the build-up to the World Cup, India played a lot of players in the middle in pursuit of finding the right combination. However, experimenting too much can always cause a sense of instability in any team’s formation, as was seen in India’s case.
A fairly young Rishabh Pant (playing a first World Cup) was asked to bat at number 4 in the batting line-up, something he had rarely done in international cricket.
Role of leadership: Team management must earmark players and stick to them
With the T20 World Cup scheduled for October 2020, the Indian team management will be focusing on building the right side for the all-important tournament. As the top 3 looks almost set with Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit and Kohli occupying their usual slots, the management will need to earmark their players for the middle order and persist with them over the next few months.
In the limited overs side Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant have gelled well together, batting beautifully in the series against West Indies. They could well be favored to shoulder the responsibility of handling the middle-order in the mega event.
With the IPL scheduled just before the World Cup, it could provide an opportunity for finalizing the last few players to fill up the 15. However, the core of the team must be identified and persisted with by the team management.
As we all know, the Indian team has seen a golden phase in the last few years. Kohli would be desperately hoping to add a major ICC tournament that is missing in his cabinet full of prized possessions, and a stable lineup could go a long way towards achieving that.