The tour of Zimbabwe may have been a low-priority one on India’s packed cricket calendar, but its significance in the larger scheme of things hasn’t been lost. The three-match ODI series tested India’s bench strength and was virtually an audition for a few first-team spots. It was also Last Chance Saloon for certain players.
The same players will now turn their focus on two Twenty20 internationals with a bigger prize in mind: A place in the squad for the 2016 World T20 to be held in India. The upcoming T20s will mark the beginning of India’s road to the mega event.
The road to the World Cup
When Ajinkya Rahane and his players step out to play, they’ll be involved in the country’s first T20 international in 313 days. In fact, India have only played once in this format over 450 days since finishing runners-up in the 2014 World T20.
For a format that appears to have taken over world cricket and gained huge popularity in India, this is quite an astonishing number to digest. It reflects on how T20s have struggled to find relevance and context on the international stage, except during World Cups.
Fans have generally treated T20 as a form of entertainment rather than worrying too much about the result. Building up to a world event will at least add much-needed context to both results and individual performances in such matches.
Of course, Indian cricket fans do care about international T20 cricket when it comes to World Cups. The inaugural tournament in 2007 gave the country its first world title in 24 years and led to a cricket revolution back home. It made MS Dhoni a cult hero, forming the basis of his being India’s lone warrior in the Forbes list of riches athletes today.
The defeat to Sri Lanka in the final of the last tournament led to an angry crowd of supporters pelting stones at Yuvraj Singh’s home in Chandigarh. His crime? Slow batting on a tough pitch. That particular tournament was held in Bangladesh. The next one is being hosted by India, which means more pressure and added emotions.
Upsets are easy
The thumb rule in cricket is that the shorter the format, the likelier the chances of an upset. As Rahane pointed out, “one or two good overs for both the teams can change the momentum”. Zimbabwe have been running teams close in limited-overs cricket and their recent visit to Pakistan yielded two close T20 matches as well.
However, Indian players may feel more at home in a 20-over game than they did in the 50-over one. The current squad (without withdrawn players Ambati Rayudu and Karn Sharma) averages 65 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL), even though only seven have ever played T20 internationals for India. The timing of the match is also expected to take the seaming conditions, which troubled India throughout the ODI series, out of the equation.
Of those who flew to Zimbabwe, only skipper Rahane, Mohit Sharma, Rayudu and Karn Sharma played in India’s previous T20I which resulted in a three-run defeat to England in Birmingham. The latter two, who are expected to be part of India’s T20I future, are no longer with the squad owing to injuries. This means opportunity for others to grab their chances.
Who will play?
Team selection will once again be intriguing. Rahane doesn’t appear to be a captain willing to compromise on the strength of the team in favour of giving chances to newer faces. “As a captain, your only thought is to win the series first. Then obviously giving opportunities,” he said of his philosophy on this tour.
This is perhaps a natural reaction of an insecure leader not wanting to let his country down in his first ever stint. Injuries, ironically, have helped him draft in fresh faces.
But this attitude will need to change. Sandeep Sharma, who made his name in the IPL with Kings XI Punjab, must play both the matches to justify the selectors’ choice. Either Mohit or Bhuvneshwar Kumar could sit out, since both are already first-teamers.
Twenty-year-old wicketkeeper Sanju Samson could also replace Robin Uthappa behind the stumps. He’ll add an exciting new dimension to the team. Some thought should also be given to include Uthappa solely as a batsman. Although he averaged 16.67 in the three ODIs, he has made big strides in IPL as an opener. To accommodate Uthappa, it will be worth sacrificing Manoj Tiwary, who has averaged 11.33 and showed absolutely no glimpses of his talent on the tour.
With the IPL taking a huge hit and leading to turmoil back home, India could at least kick-start the buzz around their other showpiece T20 event next year. The first T20I will be played on Friday, followed by the second and last on Sunday.
Discuss this story on Facebook here.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
The same players will now turn their focus on two Twenty20 internationals with a bigger prize in mind: A place in the squad for the 2016 World T20 to be held in India. The upcoming T20s will mark the beginning of India’s road to the mega event.
The road to the World Cup
When Ajinkya Rahane and his players step out to play, they’ll be involved in the country’s first T20 international in 313 days. In fact, India have only played once in this format over 450 days since finishing runners-up in the 2014 World T20.
For a format that appears to have taken over world cricket and gained huge popularity in India, this is quite an astonishing number to digest. It reflects on how T20s have struggled to find relevance and context on the international stage, except during World Cups.
Fans have generally treated T20 as a form of entertainment rather than worrying too much about the result. Building up to a world event will at least add much-needed context to both results and individual performances in such matches.
Of course, Indian cricket fans do care about international T20 cricket when it comes to World Cups. The inaugural tournament in 2007 gave the country its first world title in 24 years and led to a cricket revolution back home. It made MS Dhoni a cult hero, forming the basis of his being India’s lone warrior in the Forbes list of riches athletes today.
The defeat to Sri Lanka in the final of the last tournament led to an angry crowd of supporters pelting stones at Yuvraj Singh’s home in Chandigarh. His crime? Slow batting on a tough pitch. That particular tournament was held in Bangladesh. The next one is being hosted by India, which means more pressure and added emotions.
Upsets are easy
The thumb rule in cricket is that the shorter the format, the likelier the chances of an upset. As Rahane pointed out, “one or two good overs for both the teams can change the momentum”. Zimbabwe have been running teams close in limited-overs cricket and their recent visit to Pakistan yielded two close T20 matches as well.
However, Indian players may feel more at home in a 20-over game than they did in the 50-over one. The current squad (without withdrawn players Ambati Rayudu and Karn Sharma) averages 65 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL), even though only seven have ever played T20 internationals for India. The timing of the match is also expected to take the seaming conditions, which troubled India throughout the ODI series, out of the equation.
Of those who flew to Zimbabwe, only skipper Rahane, Mohit Sharma, Rayudu and Karn Sharma played in India’s previous T20I which resulted in a three-run defeat to England in Birmingham. The latter two, who are expected to be part of India’s T20I future, are no longer with the squad owing to injuries. This means opportunity for others to grab their chances.
Who will play?
Team selection will once again be intriguing. Rahane doesn’t appear to be a captain willing to compromise on the strength of the team in favour of giving chances to newer faces. “As a captain, your only thought is to win the series first. Then obviously giving opportunities,” he said of his philosophy on this tour.
This is perhaps a natural reaction of an insecure leader not wanting to let his country down in his first ever stint. Injuries, ironically, have helped him draft in fresh faces.
But this attitude will need to change. Sandeep Sharma, who made his name in the IPL with Kings XI Punjab, must play both the matches to justify the selectors’ choice. Either Mohit or Bhuvneshwar Kumar could sit out, since both are already first-teamers.
Twenty-year-old wicketkeeper Sanju Samson could also replace Robin Uthappa behind the stumps. He’ll add an exciting new dimension to the team. Some thought should also be given to include Uthappa solely as a batsman. Although he averaged 16.67 in the three ODIs, he has made big strides in IPL as an opener. To accommodate Uthappa, it will be worth sacrificing Manoj Tiwary, who has averaged 11.33 and showed absolutely no glimpses of his talent on the tour.
With the IPL taking a huge hit and leading to turmoil back home, India could at least kick-start the buzz around their other showpiece T20 event next year. The first T20I will be played on Friday, followed by the second and last on Sunday.
Discuss this story on Facebook here.