5 reasons why the Indian team will be extremely worried now
Almost all experts predicted that India would go on to win the ICC World T20 2016 this year. Coming to the tournament on the back of a great run of form and a successful Asia Cup campaign, India must have been very confident against the Black Caps.But a chastening defeat has now thrown the tournament wide open. It is not just the loss but the manner of the loss that has particularly hurt India badly. A lot of uncomfortable questions are being raised and India needs to address these issues fast to get their campaign back on track.Here are 5 reasons why the India team will be extremely worried now:
#1 Weakness against spin bowling
When the Nagpur pitch first offered some spin against the Kiwis, the Indians were licking their lips in glee. But things took a turn for the worse as the Black Caps beat the Indians at their own game.
Ashwin, India's standout bowler in the last few years, looked flat and conceded runs. Ravindra Jadeja spun the ball and lacked control. Only Suresh Raina was a surprise package as he put in four really good overs.
The Kiwi spinners were at their very best as Santner, Sodhi and McCullum combined between them to pick nine Indian wickets. The most curious thing was the way the Indians collapsed under pressure. There weren't many runs to get and more of application than unfounded aggression was required.
The Indians went at the deliveries with hard hands and paid the price in the process. No Indian batsman was prepared to wait and play on the backfoot. Nor did they try to step out and kill the spin. Thus, they ended up on the front foot, jabbing hard at deliveries.
There is a strong belief among pundits that contrary to popular expectation, the current Indian batsmen are not good at playing spin. The days of classical batsmanship as represented by Dravid and Laxman are long over.
Used to getting flat tracks where you can heave deliveries or play through the line, the current Indian batsmen typically struggle in spin-friendly conditions. Bowlers like Moeen Ali and Imran Tahir have troubled India in the recent past.
Question marks also remain over team selection and captaincy. Should Ashwin have been held back to control the middle overs? Could India have played an extra spinner in Harbhajan Singh or Pawan Negi in place of Hardik Pandya in spin-friendly conditions? Whatever is the case, the myth that India can use spin-friendly tracks to bully the other countries has now been busted.