The gaps in Team India

Team India have had an up an down tour in New Zealand. From winning 5 T20is to losing 3 ODIs, they have made some new records in this series. But the fact that Indian team is not 100% prepared as far as the World Cup is concerned cannot be ignored. And a big reason for that is some minor holes or gaps in the lineup.

There is no doubt that India is one of the best cricket team. The consistency with which they have always made the knockout stage of every ICC tournament and the manner in which they play their day to day cricket, whether at home or abroad is admirable. But with the recent series whitewash they suffered in the ODIs against the kiwis shows that there are still some areas the team is vulnerable. And it is precisely those areas which become targets of opportunity for the other teams to aim for. And this is what costs the Indians, sometimes very dearly in ICC tournaments where they end up losing the title with just one foot away from the finish line, even with being the hot favourites for the title.

The main reason for this is a lack of equivalent game exposure for all players, especially youngsters. The top three, with players like Dhawan, Kohli and Rohit, plus the newest sensation KL Rahul have always done the bulk of the scoring in every game for the team. Whether it is a regular series or the big stage, these 3-4 top order batsmen have always been the backbone of the success of the team. Even though the lower order with Iyer and Pandey have contributed on some occasions, because of their lack of exposure in high pressure games at the international level. With Dhawan and Rohit both injured and unavailable for the series, (Rohit missing the ODIs), India were forced to try out the duo of Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw. Though both showed promise in 2 out of 3 games, they were unable to make that much of an impact. The pressure was highly mounting on Kohli and Rahul and even though they delivered, it was just too steep a cliff for those 2 to climb on their own. The middle order with Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey also were chipping in but the lack of exposure was always going to stand in their way. The top 3 or 4, with Rahul now moved to no.4 or no.5, have always carried the burden of scoring runs. And in the final games of a tournament or even in a normal series, if they fail, the lower order always faces the pressure and crumbles, as we have seen in may games and in the last 2 ICC tournaments with India.

Speaking of the middle order, the one thing India need desperately now is a good, reliable and consistent finisher. With the Windies having Pollard and Russel, Australia having Maxwell, India need someone who can go big in the death overs. Kedar Jadhav has shown some glimpses of being that option but there is no getting around the fact that in T20Is, we need someone who is even more aggressive. Which is where India is recently looked vulnerable. India managed to get 79 runs in the last 10 overs in the last ODI for the loss of 3 wickets. Going by the level of team India, that is substandard. And a similar trend has been seen whenever the middle order has to play in the slog overs. With no signs of Dhoni coming back into the team soon and Hardik Pandya still not battle ready, India need to explore for suitable batsmen. And with just the home series against the proteas left after this series and before the IPL, Kohli and co would want to fill these gaps to prepare for the world T20 in October.

Another reason for these failures is the bowling. India do have the services of Bumrah and Shami at their disposal, but the newly brought in Saini, Thakur have been very expensive. Even Kuldeep Yadav has looked off beat, because of which he was replaced by Yuzi Chahal. The Indian bowlers have picked up wickets but with so many runs leaking from the pipe of the pacers, winning games will be that much more challenging and hard. An option would be to try out someone like Bhuvaneshvar Kumar who can be lethal if in the right form is definitely a good try. But India need someone to put a lid on the run flow and strike at regular intervals.

Currently, I would rate India as:

8.5/10 in batting

8/10 in bowling

9/10 in fielding

These numbers do favour the Indian team making it to the knockout stages in the World Cup but winning will take that extra half a mile. It will be interesting to see how India will bridge this gap to repeat as world champions in the shortest format after 13 years. All eyes will be on captain Virat Kohli as he leads India in the world T20 for the first time in Australia, where he loves to play his cricket. And with South Africa as their first opponents, it remains to be seen how India will fare.