India lost yet another ODI series in 2015 and rounded off a poor year in the 50-over format for their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The captain is in charge of the limited-overs sides and now quickly needs to make some course corrections for India to retrieve itself in the nation’s favourite formats.
The warning signs were there for all to see when India lost to Bangladesh in June. But as always we chose to be blind to the problems at hand. Now with the series against South Africa gone, India quickly needs to regroup and address some key areas in the 50-over format with just five more ODIs on hand this season.
1. India’s Batting Order
In an attempt to protect some holy cows, the batting order has been tinkered with for far too long. India needs to find an alternative for Shikhar Dhawan who has thus far been below par.
All the pressure is on Rohit Sharma and then Virat Kohli to don the role of a match-winner. Ajinkya Rahane’s confidence has been dented both by Dhoni’s lack of faith and his constant movements in the order. Rahane has shown that he deserves a place at four to build his innings and guide India in the middle overs.
Suresh Raina has benefited from the patience shown by the team management. Time has come to shed the tentative approach and look for a younger player in the domestic circuit who can occupy that number five slot. It should preferably be someone with ability to cart big hits.
The one name that cropped mid-series was that of Yuvraj Singh. But Indian cricket has moved on and so the onus has to fall on someone else. There are many claimants around, its now about choosing the right one.
2. All-Round Focus
Stuart Binny is the chosen all-rounder along with Axar Patel. But India had other options in the mix like off-spinning all-rounder Gurkeerat Mann, plus a young and untested Hardik Pandya in the domestic circuit.
The selectors are looking at Binny, Pandya, Vijay Shankar of Tamil Nadu and Rishi Dhawan of Himachal as seam bowling all-rounders. One or two of them needs to be thrown in to the deep end to check what they are made of.
India’s target has to be the 2017 Champions Trophy in England where they go in as defending champions. In early English summer more seam bowling options on hand will be a big advantage.
In terms of spin bowling all-rounders Patel is still not up there as a batsman, whereas Ravindra Jadeja is a domestic giant who has dropped form in the international circuit. For now Mann needs to be the chosen one, because he has earned his place after a long grind in domestic cricket.
3. Pace is Pace
Dhoni dislikes pace bowlers because they give away runs. It is a typical Indian trait where we keep yearning for genuine pace bowlers and then discard them if they concede runs in pursuit of wickets. India needs to be prepared to throw in Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron to add muscle to the attack.
Dhoni’s preference for medium-paced trundlers has clearly backfired for far too long. He may be able to control the course of an innings for a while, but on featherbeds like Wankhede Stadium they became easy prey. India must shed its diffidence and play the quickies.
After all India’s Test squad plays them, why not the ODI squad?
4. Spin a Win
India seems to have been well served by the recall of Harbhajan Singh. Ravichandran Ashwin is recuperating, then there is Amit Mishra too. But India needs to keep looking for that young genuine spinner for the ODI format, especially because in the long run Harbhajan and Mishra may not be around. Both are very good short-term options in the 50-over format.
5. Leading From the Front
Unfortunately India’s selectors think from September to September (AGM to AGM), hence they do not have the opportunity to think ahead. Ideally, Dhoni should have been spoken to because India’s ODI squad needs to look ahead under a new captain.
This is not about Dhoni the player, who is still the best bet in the format, this is about Dhoni the captain. India needs to plan for the 2017 Champions Trophy and then the 2019 World Cup.
India need to be dispassionate as they have been with likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan. Dhoni as a player will be a very useful asset to whoever is chosen as his ODI successor. Therefore, the time to make that change is now.
6. Hope Everywhere
Above all, one ODI series loss does not mean that all is bad with Indian cricket. We must remember that India has problems in the ODI format and not in Test cricket. The Test side is developing well under a new captain.
The problems in the white ball format are many, but that does not mean it extends into the red ball format.
There can be a tendency to paint doom and gloom scenario in Indian cricket as a whole. We must remember that 50-over cricket is but one of the three formats in this sport that we all love.
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