Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s maiden India cap in the second T20I in Manchester last Saturday has ended the clamour over his international debut. The greater focus now is back on the entire Indian team, which is under pressure following the loss in the previous T20I.
Since the end of their successful defence of the T20 World Cup, this Shreyas Iyer-led Indian side is yet to win any of the T20Is they have played so far. To ensure the concern doesn’t last long, Shreyas and Co do need to right the wrongs at Trent Bridge in the third game of the five-match series on Tuesday if they are to level the series.
Besides, India’s chances of winning this T20I series will be alive only if they win on Tuesday. Else, with the opening game being a no-result due to rain, India’s battle in the final two T20Is will only be about denying England a series win if they lose in the third T20I.
Obviously, a team cannot be expected to win every time it steps out to the field. For India, though, the worrying factor has been the sloppiness in their batting when the pitch isn’t ideal for strokemaking, something that was hugely responsible for the series loss in Ireland. While in Manchester the other day, they lost the plot in the middle as well as a good part of the death overs even after a robust start.
From 130/3 in 13 overs, scoring only 37 runs off the next 35 legitimate deliveries is a matter of concern, especially for a side that prides its big-hitting ability. Ravi Bishnoi’s back-foot no-balls and his overall struggle with the ball aside, India’s show with the bat too was responsible behind their defeat in Manchester.
Unless the team management shows enormous faith in Bishnoi or there happens to be injuries to other players, it won’t be too surprising if the leg-spinner isn’t seen in any of the remaining games. The conditions at Trent Bridge have lately had some aid for bowlers, so India need to be diligent in terms of deciding who they need to bring in as Bishnoi’s replacement.
Should it be spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar? Or, should Prince Yadav, who impressed in Ireland, be given a chance?
The team management, however, isn’t too perturbed with the current situation Team India are going through. At the same time, though, the team could be feeling the absence of senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who’s still going through recovery at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
“It’s the nature of the game. Sometimes, when there is a transition — the captain has changed, Hardik (Pandya) is not there, (and) you are trying to introduce three-four young players. Even then, it (string of defeats) should not happen, but such things can still happen. The Indian team’s, however, efforts remain the same,” batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said on Monday, the eve of the third T20I.
“Everyone has their limitations, but we always try to improve in batting, bowling and fielding. If we are looking at winning the next World Cup, we will have to get better. We have to do better than what we have done in the last World Cup,” Kotak stressed.
Leading 1-0 in the series, England, on the other hand, are set to go in with an unchanged XI.
Faith in Vaibhav
Sooryavanshi could score only 14 off 10 balls on his India debut in Manchester, hitting a six each of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue before getting stumped off spinner Will Jacks’ bowling. Shot selection is one issue the teenager needs to be careful about, which Sunil Gavaskar too has pointed out.
India, however, will be supporting Sooryavanshi so that he keeps backing his instincts and play accordingly.
“Vaibhav was set to debut from the point he came into the team. There’s no such thing that he was ready for debut only in the last match,” Kotak stated.
“For us, it was all about his game, his instincts and the way he plays, and the way he has played all along to get till this point... He should continue playing that.
“I don’t think there were any specific instructions given to him about doing this or doing that,” the batting coach added.
