Cricket does not usually adhere to protocols of the fourth dimension – time. If it did, a span of two weeks and a half should not be remotely comparable to that of 10 months, but the Indian fans will know well how the former is much more significant than the latter.
An underwhelming performance in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 brought up radical reforms in the Indian team, with personnel changes in the hierarchy and technical changes in the gameplay.
The changes paid dividends, or so it seemed. Between the last T20 World Cup and the recently-concluded Asia Cup 2022, India had lost only three of 24 T20I matches. Everything was perfectly in control, until it was not anymore.
We could use a couple of sporting analogies for a better comprehension of the situation India find themselves in. Imagine Usain Bolt pulling up his hamstring just as the starter fires his gun ahead of a 100-metre race, or Lewis Hamilton's car failing to start as the lights go green in a Formula 1 race – a false start of biblical proportions.
After 10 months of laborious work and multiple trophies, the Indian team find themselves engulfed with the very same questions from a year ago, showing how the seemingly unbreachable façade they had built was nothing but a house of cards, and all it has taken is three gusts of wind to expose the hidden skeletons of the past.
A defeat against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, followed by a defeat against Sri Lanka, and then a loss to Australia in the ongoing T20I series – this sequence, spanned across 17 days, has sent the Indian fanbase from a sense of pseudo optimism to a full-blown panic mode.
From the team's end, however, the reaction has been very different. Be it skipper Rohit Sharma or all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the guise of calm and composure is a common denominator, as they assure that a few poor performances cannot justify their level of preparation, one month ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Despite the results, there have been undeniable improvements in multiple aspects, the most prominent being India's approach with the bat. After a nationwide post-mortem last November, the Indian top-order did change their batting approach to adapt to a style not natural to them.
Yet, there are loopholes, and while the calm demeanour has its share of positives, it is about time that India address the conspicuous problems. With two T20Is against Australia and three against South Africa coming their way, the men in blue will be looking for answers.
The Matter of Life and Death
'Death' is doing justice to its literal meaning in addition to its cricketing connotation, for bowling at the death overs is proving to a paramount challenge for the Indian bowlers.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who once was the nemesis of many renowned batters at the death, has somehow transformed into the most charitable bowler in terms of giving away runs. In the last four T20I matches, which also includes the match against Afghanistan where he scalped a fifer, Kumar has conceded 13.40 runs per over at the death (between 16-20 overs).
Harshal Patel conceded 22 runs in the 18th over in the first T20I against Australia. One could sympathise with him, for it was Patel's first match since recovering from an injury, but his performance in Mohali perhaps should spark an inspection. Being a batting-friendly deck, Patel's pace variations had absolutely no effect at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium, and the Indian think tank could ponder on its effectiveness on the Australian tracks.
Hardik Pandya has conceded 10 runs per over at the death in the last four matches, while the spin alternative also has not worked, as Yuzvendra Chahal's economy rate at the death in these four matches is 12.
Surprisingly, Umesh Yadav has emerged as a playing XI member for the series against Australia, but since he is not a part of the T20 World Cup squad, India might stick to their usual options for the death overs.
Jasprit Bumrah, the only Indian pacer who seems to be reliable at any given time of the innings, will be playing the next two T20Is, and it is imperative for Sharma to use him at the death. Besides him, youngster Arshdeep Singh has also done well at the death overs recently, but he has been rested for this series.
Deepak Chahar, a reserve for the T20 World Cup, could be included at Yadav's expense for the next two matches, but the litmus test will be in the series against South Africa, where India should field the Bumrah-Arshdeep pairing at the death.
The Spin Dilemma
Besides the pacers, the Indian team management will also need to zero in on their spin combination, as Yuzvendra Chahal has not proven to be as reliable as the management would ideally want him to be. The leg-spinner has conceded over 30 runs in five of the last six matches where he bowled a minimum of three overs.
In 2022, Chahal has maintained a T20I economy rate of 7.67 runs per over. The figure, in isolation, does not look too bad, but its appeal diminishes significantly in comparison with the likes of Adil Rashid (6.97 rpo), Adam Zampa (7 rpo), Shadab Khan (6.05) and Maheesh Theekshana (6.73 rpo).
As for the alternatives, Ravichandran Ashwin is the only other frontline spin option, with Ravi Bishnoi not being selected in the team. In case India prefer both Chahal and Ashwin in their team, Axar Patel will have to be kept out of the playing XI, which would mean considerably weakening the batting department.
The Wizardry of Wicket-Keeping
Picking a wicketkeeper could be the luck of the draw, as neither Rishabh Pant nor Dinesh Karthik has inspired confidence recently. Yet, after switching their plans frequently, it is time for India to stick to one player and give him a fair run of games to inculcate self-belief.
Karthik, who made his international comeback on the basis of his performance in the Indian Premier League, has maintained an average of only 19.90 in T20Is this year. One could argue about average not being the right parameter of judgement, as Karthik's role is that of a specialist finisher, but his strike rate of 132.67 is a massive decrement on his IPL 2022 strike rate of 183.33.
Pant, on the other hand, has not mastered the T20I format despite boasting of a plethora of unorthodox shots in his arsenal. His strike rate in T20Is this year is 133.48, which does not do justice to his potential.
This particular selection will also trigger a domino effect on the team. Karthik's inclusion might mean Axar Patel's batting promotion when the match-ups are favourable, for he will be the only left-handed batter. Alternatively, Pant's selection will mean demotion of Hardik Pandya in the batting order, as the latter will then have to don the finisher's cap.
Do India Need an Anchor To Conquer?
While the 'England model' of aggressive batting has paid dividends more often than not, it is a clear deviation from the top three's natural style. In many of India's recent defeats, two of the top three were dismissed in quick succession, which has led to pundits like Robin Uthappa highlighting the importance of a now-anachronistic anchor.
Rohit Sharma's average has dropped from 33.26 to 24.11 this year, Kohli's pre-2022 T20I average of 52.05 has dipped to 44.88, while Rahul's average of 40.69 is down to 31.17 since 2022. Rahul Dravid will need to address the issue, and in the next few matches, it will be interesting to see if anyone from the trio plays the anchor's role, should a wicket fall early.
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