Team India must bounce back against Bangladesh in Adelaide to carry forward the World Cup dream
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India versus Bangladesh in a crucial league match of the ICC T20 World Cup on Wednesday in Adelaide becomes very significant. Having been peppered and pummelled into submission by South Africa two days ago, there are many grey areas for India. One is not talking about grey in relation to the skies abut also areas of concern.
Everyone knew that on a pitch with bounce and pace, the Indian batsmen would flounder. Their Lungi dance on Sunday was a shocker, with only SKY — Surya Kumar Yadav — being an exception. He showed that he is one of the best batters today in T20 cricket. The flop shows were in plural, with skipper Rohit Sharma and his partner in crime, KL Rahul fumbling like novices.
There has to be something special in the birth charts of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul that they enjoy such massive support from the BCCI. Agreed, Rohit still hits once in a while, and a big knock may be due. The backing for KL Rahul is baffling. Even on Tuesday, at the pre-match conference, coach Rahul Dravid was batting for his namesake. It was as if minus this jaded opener, India have no other batting options at the top.
Dravid is usually the reticent type, or so we are made to believe. His show of support makes it obvious he is biased and backs someone from his state — Karnataka — despite non-performance. The bigger tragedy is KL Rahul will enjoy vice captaincy after a short break during the series in Bangladesh. On Tuesday, at nets in Adelaide, Virat Kohli was watching/supervising the out-of-form opener KL Rahul at nets. That is a sure shot sign that coach Dravid and batting coach Vikram Rathour now need someone as special as Kohli to find out what is wrong with KL Rahul!
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Pressure is on Rohit Sharma and Team India after loss to South Africa in a high pressure match on Sunday in Perth
When you are going through a crisis, not scoring runs and falling like a bunny, the best thing would be take a break. No, KL Rahul is being talked of as indispensable, God knows for what reason. What he has done to deserve special treatment, none knows. Rohit has come across as a captain riding on the luck of his two talismanic star performers — Kohli and SKY. The way he has used Deepak Hooda is a tragic-comedy. Hooda has failed with the bat in the Asia Cup and in the World T20. The hesitancy to give him a bowl is surprising.
Take for example the case of England. On Tuesday they defeated New Zealand in a must-win match. If England scored 179, they backed it up with good bowling. In all, they used seven bowlers. It showed they were willing to do something unconventional and upset the batting rhythm of the Kiwis.
Whatever sanguine hopes India have of defeating Bangladesh, one must not forget the infamous match of the 2016 T20 World Cup. For its part, Bangladesh, a nation with Test playing status, have played above par. Their results in this World Cup — against Netherlands and Zimbabwe was good, though they lost to South Africa. Taskin Ahmed has been their stand-out bowler.
To be sure, the confusion and conundrum in Team India continue with Dravid saying keeper Dinesh Karthik will be assessed (fitness) on Wednesday. The BCCI has kept mum on him but there is every reason to believe Rishabh Pant will come in on Wednesday for Karthik. DK and R.Ashwin certainly do not seem to be part of the LTP — long term planning — vis a vis for future T20 international tournaments from here on.
The focus should be on the present, defeat Bangladesh and get back the rhythm. Fans, BCCI, and everyone else is praying for India to do well. It seems like ages since India last won an ICC Trophy, 11 years to be precise. Hopefully, Team India will not bomb at the box office in Australia. There are injuries to key bowlers who have been left behind in India. There are other worries as well for the Men in Blue.
One hopes the weather is clear and India can bounce back after that numbing loss. For a country which wields financial muscle power in global cricket, it is imperative the team shows the same intent on the field. Over to Adelaide.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)