India recorded its first-ever series win over South Africa courtesy of a 16-run victory in a very entertaining Guwahati encounter. The inadequacies in the team, however, remain glaringly obvious.
India beat South Africa by 16 runs on a pitch that could be described as a batsman's paradise. The match ended with 450+ runs scored in 40 overs, with just six wickets lost over the span of the two innings. The match could be labelled as an anomaly as there is a minuscule probability of a team that scored 221 runs at a loss of just 3 wickets and ended the match with an opener unbeaten at 70, and the other one scoring an exhilarating unbeaten 107 off 47 deliveries, yet the side lost the game.
The supporting audience would be jubilant as the nation celebrated its first-ever series victory over South Africa in T20 cricket. Considering Team India’s recent fortunes in the Asia Cup, the results (series win) against South Africa and Australia might seem to indicate progress towards consistent performances prior to the World Cup. However, it appears that the match against South Africa conversely emphasized Team India’s blatant vulnerabilities and exposed the team’s susceptibilities. India should be struck by nervousness after this encounter. The victory is cause for celebration, but with the World Cup starting in less than a fortnight, Team India should be introspective about its shortcomings.
The selection of Ravindran Ashwin in the team raised several eyebrows, as it meant dropping Yuzvendra Chahal from the starting 11. Given the presence of left-handed batsmen in the African unit, the rationale for including Ashwin in the team may appear strategic. But Ashwin’s mediocre T-20 record is evident for all to see. His performances in the IPL have been ordinary at best. What the coach needs to comprehend is that Ashwin is a world-class red ball cricketer. However, he has been absent from the national T-20 setup for a long time now, and including him in the world cup seems like a paratrooper's panicky decision.
It happens to be a travesty of justice as Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi, both brilliant bowlers in the shorter format of the game, were overlooked for the World Cup squad. Combine that with the absence of Ravindra Jadeja from the team and it has strikingly wrecked the balance of the team. As in Jadeja, the team had an absolute 3-dimensional player. His prominence in the team in terms of contribution might only be second to his fellow Gujju, Hardik Pandya. With Bumrah all but confirmed to be missing the world cup, death bowling, as was apparent in this match against Africa, is also an area of grave concern.
Without the presence of Jadeja or Bumrah in the line-up, the team combinations have been lacklustre ever since. South African bowlers were playing baseball for team India, as evidenced by the sheer number of generous full tosses they delivered, inviting Indian batters to hammer them. Assessing team India’s endeavours over the last couple of years, pundits and fans have been sceptical of India’s batting and have commended the bowling unit, as frequently over the past two years, bowlers have saved the team’s grace while the batting struggled with mediocrity and underwhelming performances.
Contrarywise though, with the onset of the world cup, bowling seems to be India’s biggest Achilles heel. As demonstrated in the Asia Cup and the last few bilateral tournaments, the bowling unit has been incapable of defending scores. Even targets above 200 have been chased comfortably by the opposition, which might have been plausible again versus Africa. India’s bowling since the T-20 series in England has deteriorated, and both the pace and spin departments are in tandem delivering adversely. Except for Axar Patel, who must be considered a lock to start for Team India in the World Cup, the spinners appear frail, with Chahal also failing to deliver on a consistent basis.
Hardik Pandya’s situation is also peculiar and complex. He is, unquestionably, the team’s imperative white-ball player. His form since the IPL has been nothing but spectacular. He has single-handedly won India's matches with both his batting and his bowling. However, his fitness remains a precarious subject, as his back has frequently distressed him. If India can get 4 overs from Pandya on routine in the world cup, it would be impeccable for the team combination. But if his injury prevents him from bowling or causes him to miss the action, there lies another team combination headache.
Though Team India’s batting appears settled, with Kohli, Sharma, and Rahul all three rejuvenated and scoring constantly, and considering Yadav’s purple patch and Pandya’s finishing exploits, There remains the pertinent question of DK or Pant with 5 bowlers, or playing both and relying on Panday to bowl his complete quota. India may have won the series against Africa, but the victory raises more concerns than it alleviates.
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