India registered one of their most impressive T20I series wins in recent memory against England as the Men in Blue comprehensively beat the hosts 2-1 to continue their incredible progress under Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma in the shortest format.
India have now won 15 of their 17 completed T20Is since the 2021 T20 World Cup, and here is what we learned about their potential starting XI for the 2022 tournament Down Under following the three-match England series.
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Despite making his T20I debut for the Men in Blue just last year, there is an argument to be made that Suryakumar Yadav is currently India’s best batter in the shortest format. If there were any doubts over Yadav’s spot in the starting XI for the upcoming World Cup, they were totally squashed by the middle-order superstar with his mesmeric century in the third T20I at Trent Bridge.
Yadav manipulated the field and opposition bowling like an artist, using his wrists and feet expertly to create new scoring angles against a high-quality attack. Following this century, Yadav has a T20I career strike rate of 177 in 17 innings, making him nigh-on impossible to leave out from India’s starting XI at the World Cup due to his high-intent approach and ability to take on pace and spin.
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The T20I series against England was not the best of outings for Virat Kohli, with the former captain scoring just 12 runs in two innings. However, the one consolation for India is that both of Kohli’s dismissals occurred due to attacking shots and the number three looking to take on the bowlers. Kohli got the execution wrong on both occasions, but the mindset and approach were correct, and the superstar just needs more confidence and time at the crease to reclaim his former glories.
There have been calls from ex-players for Kohli to be dropped from India’s plans for the upcoming World Cup, but most of them should fall on deaf ears. Kohli has been India’s most successful T20I batter over the past few years, averaging 62 in his last 12 T20I innings at a healthy strike rate of 135. More importantly, Kohli is one of the few Indian batters that will thrive on the bouncy pitches of Australia. Kohli averages 64 at a strike rate of 145 in T20Is Down Under, and his weaknesses against spin are likely to be marginalized on the pacy pitches of Australia, making him one of the first names on the team sheet.
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India’s biggest Achilles heel in the leadup to the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE was the lack of a sixth bowling option. With Hardik Pandya unfit to bowl regularly, team India went into that tournament with just five primary bowling options, a recipe for disaster if one of those bowlers ends up having an off day. However, Pandya has returned to bowling fitness after a successful rehab and IPL for the Gujarat Titans, and the benefits of him returning to the side were on show in the first 2 T20Is at Southampton and Birmingham.
Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar ripped open the English top order in both encounters with the new ball to make life easier for the rest, India had the luxury of six bowlers to choose from. This gave them more tactical flexibility through the innings with their matchups, helping them bowl out the hosts for 148 and 121.
Additionally, Pandya and Jadeja are two of India’s most dangerous hitters at the death, and both all-rounders notched their highest T20I score for India in this series, lending unbelievable balance to the team with bat and ball.
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India fielded their best available batting unit in the 2nd T20I at Edgbaston, with Pant and Rohit opening and Kohli, SKY, Pandya, and Dinesh Karthik occupying the middle order. However, when KL Rahul returns to the side after recovering from his sports hernia injury, one of the top six will have to make way.
Of the top six batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are untouchable due to their pedigree and ability to take on the short ball, Hardik Pandya is the only all-rounder, while Suryakumar Yadav has recently made himself undroppable. That leaves two options, Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik. Both wicketkeepers offer different skillsets to the team, with Pant being a left-hander that can smash spin and bat anywhere across the top five while Karthik performs the role of a finisher and end-overs pace hitter.
The current Indian management has placed plenty of faith in both batters in recent times, and it will be interesting to see which keeper is sacrificed to make way for the mercurial KL Rahul.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar was named the player of the series for his two game-breaking spells with the new ball against England, and the veteran seamer once again proved his worth for the Men in Blue with his incredible control and skill.
Kumar swung the ball both ways prodigiously against the English top order, picking up priceless wickets in the powerplay that dented the hosts’ chances early on. Although Bhuvi is unlikely to find similar swing on Australian pitches in the World Cup, the SRH seamer offers astonishing accuracy across different phases of an innings, making him impossible to leave out from their starting World Cup XI.
[Featured Image Credit: ANI]
Shivaan Shah