T20 WC: India have problems, other teams no better

Injury to Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja adds to India’s bowling weaknesses and fielding is a big concern, but other major teams too have issues to address, writes Ayaz Memon

After protracted suspense, India finally has a full 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup. Mohammed Shami being preferred to Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur as replacement for Jasprit Bumrah redounds his skills, of course, but even more to his richer experience of playing in Australia.

Guwahati: Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma inspects the pitch before the start of 2nd T20 cricket match between India and South Africa, at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)(PTI10_02_2022_000280A) (PTI)

For the record, Shami hasn’t played a T20 international since the match against Namibia in the 2021 World Cup in the UAE, and had been informally classified as a Test and ODI specialist.

There will be pressure on the team management on when and how to utilise him in this World Cup, as well as on Shami to justify his belated selection.

Bowling has become India’s biggest worry heading into the tournament. Till the Asia Cup, batting seemed to be the soft spot. Rohit, Rahul and Virat still looked in iffy form while the bowling, though Bumrah was in rehab, looked far more settled.

Then problems erupted. Jadeja suffered an unexpected injury which ruled him out of the World Cup. Bumrah breaking down immediately after returning from injury made it a double whammy. The eight overs which Bumrah and Jadeja would have bowled in most matches will now have to be apportioned to others. Easier said than done.

Bumrah is one of a kind talent, superb in the start overs and in the end. Jadeja’s parsimonious line and length is of enormous value in the middle overs. Their absence presents a major challenge to Rohit’s reading of match situations and handling his bowling resources.

Axar Patel, like-for-like replacement for Jadeja, has settled into a nice groove, but is still relatively new to international cricket. Yuzvendra Chahal seems to have rediscovered his mojo but needs to pick up wickets more frequently. R Ashwin, a surprise selection for many, is a canny, experienced bowler who loves mental and technical jousts with batters. But does he fit in without upsetting the balance of the playing XI?

However, it is not spin but the pace department that Dravid and Rohit will be fretting about now. Bumrah not there, Shami a late addition, Bhuvaneshwar and Harshal profligate in recent matches, leaking runs aplenty. Rookie Arshdeep is in his first major assignment and Hardik Pandya, still somewhat ginger after a prolonged spell in injury and rehab last year. He is the team’s pivotal player, a match-winning all-rounder playing the best cricket of his life and has to be handled with care and caution.

The vulnerability in bowling was evident from the 200-plus scores India conceded in matches just before flying out for the World Cup. This puts greater onus on the frontline batting to give bowlers a further 10-20 runs buffer (depending on the pitch) in each match.

While the top three—Rohit, Rahul and Kohli—will attract greater attention for star value, Nos 4, 5, 6—Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Karthik/Pant—are more crucial to India’s success. No other team in the tournament has such explosive finishing prowess

Fielding has been the team’s manifest weakness in the past year or so. The value of runs saved and catches taken in this format cannot be overemphasised. Suffice to say, a poor fielding side is unlikely to win the tournament, even if it does win the odd match or two.

If this sounds pessimistic, let me highlight that all major teams in the tournament have equally concerning, if not more serious, issues to overcome.

For defending champions Australia, skipper Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell have been in hopeless touch recently. Steve Smith’s place in the team is now open to question compounded by how to include in-form Cameron Green. Australia have also lost the `warm-up’ series to England going into the tournament.

Similarly New Zealand, runners-up in 2021, enter the fray on the back of a T20 series defeat to Pakistan. Captain Kane Williamson’s form has been scratchy to say the least. Daryl Mitchell, the country’s best performing player in recent months who almost missed the tournament because of injury, comes with no practice matches behind him.

South Africa lost the services of all-rounder Dwayne Pretorious on the cusp of the team’s departure to Australia while West Indies suffered a blow when Shimron Hetmyer, who can bat like a tornado, missed the flight from the Caribbean and was not allowed to take a later flight on grounds of indiscipline.

Sri Lanka, winners of the Asia Cup, will miss Matheesha Pathirana who made his debut in that tournament. Moreover, their overall heft in batting and bowling, in a tournament with so many teams, is suspect.

Of teams that have been impressive in the build-up to the tournament, Pakistan’s middle-order still looks wobbly. More worryingly, spearhead Shahin Shah Afridi hasn’t played a match in the past few weeks because of injury.

England look the strongest. Buttler’s back and is at his best. But they are without Jonny Bairstow, whose blazing batting lit up the English summer, and Ben Stokes has looked pedestrian in the last few games.

All told, it’s an open tournament. The gap between the top teams is miniscule and the format, as everybody knows, is topsy-turvy. Only one team, West Indies, have won the title twice. India, having won the inaugural tournament in 2007, have a splendid chance to add to the tally. The task before Dravid and Rohit is to get the team back on the rails swiftly.