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Rahul steps it up as India find higher batting gear
India found the batting level THEY are targetting for the T20 World Cup in the Guwahati T20I win over SA
In India's quest to tick boxes heading into the T20 World Cup, the second T20I against South Africa in Guwahati on Sunday offered thorough satisfaction on the batting front. India's total of 237/3 was their fourth highest in T20Is, an outcome of all the batters scoring at a brisk pace right through the innings.
Although the pitches and boundary dimensions at the T20 World Cup in Australia will be starkly different from what they encountered at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, the batting template – identified by skipper Rohit Sharma as an aspect they needed to set right after the early exit from the 2021 T20 World Cup – was spot on.
That India lost the toss and were batting first provided them a welcome opportunity to show their progress while setting a target. In T20Is, a record of 60 wins in 82 matches gives India a win percentage of 73.17 while chasing. With 58 wins in 101 matches, the win percentage reduces to 57.42 while batting first. It’s one of the areas that has hurt India in the past. At the 2021 T20 World Cup, they suffered losses to Pakistan and New Zealand due to their inability to set a challenging target in conditions admittedly where batting second provided a distinct advantage.
The recent results will please them in this regard. While they won just five of 11 matches batting first in 2021, this calendar year has yielded 14 wins in 20 completed matches. That they have made ten 190-plus scores has perhaps been integral to this. In 2021, they crossed 190 just twice in 11 matches.
On Sunday, the Indian batters understood that merely crossing 190 may not be enough. Taking note of the small boundaries and the placid surface, they made a concerted effort to push for a total above par. It made the difference in the end as India won by 16 runs after South Africa scored 221/3 in reply.
Vice-captain KL Rahul had an integral role in India’s batting approach on Sunday, teeing off instantly and ensuring there was no let-up at any stage of his innings.
“That effort has been there for the last 10 months since the last World Cup. It’s something we’ve consciously tried to do as a team. We have done it whenever we have got an opportunity. It’s something we took back (from the World Cup exit). That was our learning. So, we are trying to do that and we have done it quite a lot of times now,” Rahul, who scored 57 off 28 balls in India's series-clinching victory, said at the post-match press conference.
He’s not always played in this fashion despite clearly having the ability to do so. In 2022, his strike rate in the powerplay is still a middling 117.21, but he was conscious of the need to take a very aggressive approach in the first six overs in Guwahati.
“Yes, that was the demand of this innings. When you are batting first, you give yourself a couple of overs, try to assess the conditions and give yourself a target for the pitch. And you try to play accordingly. While batting first, we are trying to be more aggressive and take a lot of risks. That was what was needed from me today. I tried to do that. I am happy that it came off,” said the 30-year-old.
Once Rahul delivered at the top of the order, it became easier for the in-form Suryakumar Yadav to provide the impetus at the end. His 61 off 22 balls was illustrative of his enormous skill as well as a mindset that is essential while batting first in the shortest format. He searches for a boundary-scoring opportunity off every ball because you never really know whether what you get is enough.
“They just kept the momentum all the way through the innings,” said South Africa’s David Miller, who scored an unbeaten 106 off 47 deliveries. “It is sometimes challenging to know what a good score is while batting first, but it is about assessing the pitch as quickly as possible. They did that tonight. To get a score of around 240, you need an injection at some stage. They were going at 10 all the way through, but Surya came in and absolutely annihilated us.”
The final T20I against South Africa in Indore on Tuesday will give the Indian batters another chance to highlight their progress before their marquee World Cup opener against Pakistan on October 23.
