T20 World Cup: India must play a smart, sensible game to beat feisty Afghanistan

It’s a wait that has become increasingly testing, increasingly frustrating, increasingly extended. India haven’t won a global title since 2013, a World Cup of any kind since 2011, and a T20 World Cup since 2007. For a team that occupies the top position in both white-ball formats and is ranked No. 2 in Test cricket, that’s a bitter pill to swallow.

India’s exalted rankings point to a consistency in bilateral competitions in different parts of the world. It isn’t just that they have climbed the top rung of the ladder; they have enjoyed a top-two standing for several years, which speaks to the depth of their talent pool and the exceptional domestic structure that keeps throwing up versatile, finished products with the clockwork efficiency of an outstanding assembly line.

And yet, the absence of a world title rankles. For all the consistency and sustained excellence, there is nothing like silverware in the cabinet, which is why every time India enter a world event, the desperation — among the fans, for sure, but also among the players, one is sure, even if they dismiss such talk — becomes that much more.

No guarantee of safe passage

Having come unscathed from Group A of the T20 World Cup, India begin a fresh campaign on Thursday at the hallowed Kensington Oval, the home of such giants of Caribbean and world cricket as Sir Garfield Sobers, the three Ws (Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott), Malcolm Marshall, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes and the venerable Wes Hall, among others. Up against them in the first of three Super Eight encounters are Afghanistan, well below them at No. 10 on the ICC charts but carrying a potential for damage that far outweighs their modest ranking.

Also in India’s Group 1 are new bitter rivals Bangladesh and perennial bugbears Australia. In theory at least, this is the less strong of the two Super Eight pools — Group 2 is populated by two-time former champions West Indies, defending titlists England, formidable South Africa and Untied States — but that certainly doesn’t come with the guarantee of safe passage to the semifinals for Rohit Sharma’s men. They must play well, and play well consistently, if they are desirous of extending their stay in the competition which, given the resources they can fall back on, is certainly well within their reach. The trick lies now in execution, in the flawless implementation of plans worked out in team rooms.

Game of nerves

No format brings teams closer than the 20-over version. More often than not, the side that holds its nerve and sticks to its conviction comes out triumphant, but whereas the “weaker” outfits find it harder to compete on an equal footing in Test cricket, the T20 variety offers a slightly more level playing field where one over, or a stretch of 10 balls, could prove to be a decisive phase.

Afghanistan are by no stretch of the imagination one of those “weaker” outfits. They possess some of the most sought-after players in franchise-based T20 leagues, among them their mercurial captain Rashid Khan and explosive opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz. In a stat for the ages, Gurbaz was the tournament’s leading run-scorer after the 40-match first phase of this World Cup; equally impressively, the wicket-taking charts were topped by his compatriot Fazalhaq Farooqi, which is saying quite something given the array of fast-bowling riches on show and Afghanistan’s reputation as a spin-heavy bowling unit.

A banana skin around every corner

India are unbeaten in eight T20Is against the Afghans — six wins in regulation time, one in the Super Over, one no-result at the Asian Games last year — but in January this year, they needed two Super Overs to quell Afghanistan’s challenge in Bengaluru. “What I take away from the match is we should have won it,” reflected Jonathan Trott, the former England batter who is now the Afghan head coach. “But what I also take away is that it shows how the gap is closing with regard to our side, the ability that our players have to be able to chase as well in T20 cricket. It would have been nice to walk away with a victory, but hopefully we’re saving that for tomorrow.”

India will feel they have been saving their best batting for a while. The drop-in pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, the focus of so much attention during the first 12 days of the tournament, made batting particularly fraught with genuine danger. T20 is a format designed to produce batting fireworks and tall edifices; forget about matching the Manhattan skyline, the totals were abysmally below normal, with batters forced to think about survival rather than run-scoring. More than anything else, those surfaces made the lesser teams appear significantly stronger than they were. India must pat themselves on the back for coming through unbeaten, with a banana skin lurking around every corner. Their defence of a modest 119 against Pakistan was truly brilliant, and it’s on that gain that they will seek to build over the next five days, when they play three opponents in three different islands.

Need for intelligence rather than bravado

The Kensington Oval surface, bare and dry and infinitely better for batting, may play slightly on the slower side if the practice decks are anything to go by, but it is unlikely to match New York’s diabolical nature. The boundaries are large, especially on one side with the centre surface not being used for this game, which will call for intense running between the wickets and intelligence rather than bravado. India will need to be smart and sensible about neutralising the Rashid-led spin threat, but by the same token, Afghanistan must come up with tangible game plans to keep the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah and his band of fast bowling brothers at bay.

There are no secrets anymore in modern-day cricket, and certainly not when players from most sides know each other inside out, thanks to shared dressing-rooms in the IPL. But that works both ways, and knowing what someone is capable of doesn’t mean one can stop them from doing so. Afghanistan will be a handful and more, their natural flair now having been bolstered by a greater understanding and awareness of the art of winning matches, but India are clearly the more skilled, pedigreed and experienced unit. With Virat Kohli chomping at the bit following three successive failures. This should be worth a watch. Well worth it.