Asia Cup: Loss to Sri Lanka a wake-up call for India ahead of T20 World Cup
India arrived in Dubai for the Asia Cup on the back of a string of outstanding results in bilateral Twenty20 International series. After successive losses to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in their first two games of the Super 4s, they are as good as out of the tournament, though technically, they are still in with a chance of making it to this Sunday’s (September 11) final.
Tuesday night’s (September 6) six-wicket defeat at the hands of the Lankans, themselves staring at elimination less than a week back, can be viewed one of two ways – as another eye-opener, a wake-up call ahead of the T20 World Cup starting next month, or a more serious setback that could point to addled thinking and a case of tying oneself up in knots in trying out numerous options and finding the sands of time running out.
No matter what the external voices might say, the team management isn’t unduly fazed by the last two results. Rohit Sharma, the laidback skipper, acknowledged at the end of the game that the results were far from ideal, but that didn’t mean that it was time to press the panic button.
Also read: India stares at Asia Cup exit after six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka
Rahul’s inconsistency
India was comprehensively outclassed by Sri Lanka once they were asked to set the pace in what has come to be recognised as a chasing venue. Once Dasun Shanaka opted to bat second, India faced another examination of their avowed commitment to aggression through the batting order, and their plans were immediately scuppered when, inside the first three overs, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were back in the hut.
Rahul’s first T20I engagements this year have been anything but productive. A brief flourish last Sunday against Pakistan has been sandwiched by three underwhelming efforts in which he has looked a little out of touch, out of sync, out of kilter. Rohit’s deputy seems to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and oftentimes he has looked nowhere near the dominant, pleasing-to-the-eye run-scorer with two international T20 centuries to his name. His status as vice-captain, coupled with his unquestioned pedigree, might force the brains trust to persist with him a little longer, though perhaps the time isn’t far away when questions will start to resurface over whether what’s best for Rahul is best for the team too.
India’s batting was strangely skewed towards, and only towards, a wonderful third-wicket alliance of 97 between Rohit and his Mumbai mate Suryakumar Yadav. For once, the latter didn’t dominate like in the recent past, but he had the privilege of watching from the best seat in the town as his more celebrated partner took Sri Lanka to the cleaners. Watching Rohit bat is at once a thing of beauty and a joy forever; he hadn’t produced a big one for the last six innings but on Tuesday, the world was his oyster and his unfettered ball-striking was a message to his team that even in adversity, belief in one’s skills and conviction in the processes were bound to pay dividend.
Also read: India stutter with both bat and ball in 2nd half as resilient Pak prevail in last over
Unfortunately, his batting colleagues didn’t seem to have paid heed. On their day, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Deepak Hooda can wreak as much mayhem as anyone else in the world, but especially with Pant in the T20 format, his days are becoming increasingly well spread out. Exuberance and ebullience are his calling cards but in eschewing the percentages and playing strokes that aren’t necessarily his strengths, he is letting himself down. The jury is a little more forgiving of Hooda, whose trysts with No. 7 are too limited to warrant a berth at that crucial slot ahead of the designated finisher, Dinesh Karthik. The latter has played just one ball in the tournament, and given that he is occupying a berth that has the most unique and demanding requirements, that’s simply not enough.
Bhuvneshwar’s death bowling
India’s fascination to keep ‘trying things’ must end at once if there has to be stability and constancy in selection and in allowing players to find total comfort in their respective roles. Far too much chopping and changing and moving up and down the batting order might appear cute and appealing when it pays off, but when it doesn’t, it can come with pretty disastrous consequences as the last two games have showcased.
There is the hope that, given the muscle in the batting group, the good days will outweigh the bad, but the lack of imagination and creativity of the bowling must trigger frown lines on the faces of Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid. The ease with which Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis were allowed to hunt down a not inconsiderable 174 was quite embarrassing, and even accounting for the potential returns to action in the near future of Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar, India must work out game plans to staunch the bleeding if wickets don’t come their way. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been tidy with the new ball but profligate and ill-directioned at the death under pressure, leaving the energetic and confident greenhorn Arshdeep Singh with too little to defend in the final over of chases against both Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Also read: Kohli’s knock in vain as Pakistan beats India by five wickets
Rohit alluded to the pressures of a multi-team tournament as one of the reasons for India not being able to translate bilateral wins into meaningful silverware, though he ruled out any problems – or gadbad, as he called it – so far as death-overs bowling is concerned. As captain, he can’t obviously take his boys apart on a public platform, but it’s almost certain that in the safe sanctuary of the dressing room, he will speak his mind and demand more from them for all the faith the think-tank has reposed in so many for so long.
India still has an outside chance of reaching Sunday’s final but for that, Sri Lanka must win all their matches, Afghanistan must stop Pakistan on Wednesday and India must overcome the Afghans on Thursday. Not even all this will be enough because then net run rate will come into the equation. India’s future in this competition is no longer in their own hands, but their World Cup plans are, and that’s where the focus must shift to from here on.
