India vs England: Suryakumar Yadav’s ice-cool innings leaves behind some burning questions
India vs England: Suryakumar Yadav’s ice-cool innings leaves behind some burning questions
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It would be a little unfair to go ahead without acknowledging Suryakumar Yadav sensational effort in the third and final T20 International against England at Trent Bridge on Sunday. He had absolute ice water in his veins and his manipulation of the cricket bat was something we haven’t witnessed too often from any other batter. His sheer ability to turn his wrists to find near-impossible angles and find cracks in the fielding or go sailing over it almost won the third match of the series as well. But not quite. And that is where all the questions still fester.
With the T20I series done and dusted, with Indian notching up a very convincing 2-1 win, one would have thought that the Indian batting for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup would be all sorted, or at least in some shape. Sadly, that is far from the truth and that is what Yadav’s knock emphasised even more starkly.
Sample this – Yadav scored 117 of India’s 198 runs, while nine other batters together mustered 72. Had even one of them shown even 50 per cent of the diligence or ingenuity of Yadav, India would have won the 3rd T20 as well, without a doubt.
It has indeed been a strange tour for India. After the series with Ireland, India fielded a different side for the first T20I and then named a 22-strong squad for the remaining two. Essentially, two full teams’ worth of players!
We can understand the need for permutation and combinations ahead of the World Cup, and all the players need to be given a run to see if they pass muster. Unfortunately, however, the batting is fraught with questions and few answers have been unearthed.
First, we had Deepak Hooda showing his abilities in the opening T20I with a cracking 33 at a strike rate of almost 195. This, after a super performance in the two T20Is against Ireland, where he scored 47 not out (29 balls) as an opener in the first match, and then smashed 104 off 57 deliveries in the second game.
But after the first T20I of the England series, with almost everyone on the tour being named for the second and third matches, Hooda was left out.
Sure, all the batters needed match-time. With most from the Test squad also waiting in the wings, Hooda’s being a junior came as a distinct disadvantage.
And the difference was starkly held out when the seniors couldn’t match his numbers.
India have problems in the batting, make no mistake.
Rohit Sharma is hitting them well and far, but not for long. The skipper has been in and out, with assorted issues and that hasn’t done a great deal for him in terms of match fitness.
The opening slots remain a problem. Rishabh Pant was tried, but with middling success in the second T20 and none in the third.
Earlier, Ishan Kishan too struggled up top.
Shreyas Iyer has been far from convincing and his struggle isn’t getting any easier.
Then, there is the million-dollar question about Virat Kohli. Where does he stand in all this?
Not too steadily, and that is an understatement.
The whispers about his lack of runs we have discussed earlier too, and on Sunday, there was actually one tweet (maybe many more) which suggested that if India can find better scorers than Iyer and Kohli, they should do well in the World Cup.
So, it is now out in the open. Kohli’s place in the World Cup squad is not a given, unless the cricket board leans towards experience rather than form.
On top of that, his stepping away from the T20 series in the West Indies doesn’t read well at all. For a batter struggling for form, there can’t be any bigger solution than hits in the middle. Or that is how we see it. Kohli of course is the best judge of what he should do. But it doesn’t quite sit so well as it used to when he was in prime form.
Hardik Pandya looked calm and collected as captain but didn’t get enough batting time in Ireland. He made up with a fine half-century in the first match against and his 4/33 with the ball gave India a series win in the second game.
If one were to venture forth, barring Rohit Sharma as skipper, Yadav and Hooda, Pandya should feel reasonably secure about their World Cup slot.
As for the finishers, one tends to get a feeling that the tag is beginning to get to Dinesh Karthik. There are no major alarms yet, but he has begun looking just a shade ragged. Maybe that’s just a blip.
Ravindra Jadeja doesn’t really get too much time to bat, so it would be unfair to judge him. His utility as the left-arm spin option and his sensational fielding keep him in the running.
Quite a quiz this, the Indian batting combination for the big one. There are letters scattered on the Scrabble board of form and fitness, but with some big gaps. These will be filled over time, but surely the words that finally form will leave a few gasping in surprise.
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