It has been 17 years since India won a T20 World Cup. The first and last time that happened was back in 2007, when the inaugural T20 World Cup was won by MS Dhoni’s upstarts, when the BCCI selection committee headed by Dilip Vengsarkar, unsure of what this slam-bang format was all about, sent a squad comprising of youngsters and middle-of-the-road players to South Africa. What happened is history, with the IPL being announced while Dhoni’s team was in South Africa – this writer was at the official launch in New Delhi – on their way to glory.
Seventeen years on, India have not won the T20 World Cup since, despite boasting the richest board in cricket and the most lucrative T20 league of all, the IPL. How then, can we view their chances at the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies?
This squad boasts two of India’s greatest white-ball batsmen in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli; the most destructive T20 batsman the country has produced in Suryakumar Yadav; and the finest white-ball bowler in Jasprit Bumrah. Most certainly, post this World Cup, there will be wholesale changes in India’s T20I plans. Thus, this editions represents one final chance for arguably India’s finest white-ball crop of players to win an ICC trophy (and it’s been 11 years and counting, for the record)
India have personnel problems. Except for Bumrah, they lack pace bowlers in proper rhythm. Hardik Pandya’s lack of all-round quality during the recent IPL is a major concern, as is his mindset heading into the World Cup after two taxing months on and off the field. Rohit’s form in the IPL was patchy and doubts linger over his ability to bat beyond the 10-over mark, and his likely opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal has suddenly appeared susceptible to short-of-a-length deliveries as witness during his disappointing season with Rajasthan Royals.
Suryakumar Yadav blew hot and cold for Mumbai Indians during the IPL – three fifties, a century and three ducks – and an apparent weakness against changes of paces saw him miscue plenty of shots. Shivam Dube and Yuzvendra Chahal looked in excellent touch when the BCCI named them in the T20 World Cup squad, but since then both have gone off the boil. Ravindra Jadeja had a good IPL with the bat, but with the ball he was very ordinary.
And yet, if all the positives and potential in this Indian squad click, this is a final four team at the World Cup. For them to go one further and win the trophy they have not managed to win since 2007, India will have to remove the fear of failure. The attitude and mistakes of 2022 will not work in 2024, such as when the belief was that 180 is a winning total. That the BCCI selectors have against picked too many safety-first batsmen in the current squad is evident in the fact that from the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cup squads, five of the top six are the same. The difference being no KL Rahul, and Jaiswal included as the fresh face.
India’s batsmen must play more aggressively and fearlessly and take more risks at this World Cup if they intend to compete with the likes of England, West Indies, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. Not being fearless has dogged India for too many years, with the back-to-back Asia Cup and World Cup in 2022 being glaring examples. During the 2022 T20 World Cup, Rohit had a batting strike-rate of 106, Rahul’s was 120, Kohli’s 136 and Pandya’s 131. Only SKY struck upwards of 150, and not having a big hitter at No 7 often meant that the batsmen played well within themselves. If you don’t take risks and play boldly, how do you expect to put up match-winning totals?
Thus, it is very good to see Kohli make changes to his batting in the recent IPL, where he hit more sixes (38) than ever before in a single edition, played the slog sweep to spinners with regularity and improved his strike-rate during the middle overs. If Kohli bats like that at the World Cup, and his team-mates take a hint and take more calculated risks like Kohli has been doing, then India can surely take down a couple big teams during the second round in the West Indies.
The question is: will the Indian team management bat Kohli as an opener at the World Cup, given that he’s just come off a bumper IPL for RCB with 731 runs at a strike-rate of 155? In 117 T20I matches, only nine times has Kohli opened the batting. He has the numbers from IPL 2024 to justify him opening the innings, and if he does, it could open a spot for Sanju Samson or Dube in the 11.
However, barring Kohli, no Indian batsman has been in as good form. This also puts focus on which wicketkeeper India choose. Rishabh Pant looks like the man to get the nod, given that he batted in the middle order for Delhi Capitals and scored over 400 runs at a strike-rate of 155 in his return to cricket after 15 months. Doubts will also linger over Samson’s ability in big matches, after his terrible returns in the IPL 2024 playoffs.
Coming to the bowlers, barring Bumrah, the rest of them are too defensive. This means thar India are often unable to put their opponents under pressure. If Bumrah finds support from Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Pandya, and whichever two spinners Rohit opts for do the job, then India will look a tougher team at the World Cup.
Kuldeep Yadav, in T20Is played in the West Indies, has five wickets with an economy rate of less than seven and a strike-rate of 14. Chahal has played three T20Is in the West Indies, from which he has managed four wickets at roughly seven and a half runs per over. Jadeja has four wickets from seven T20Is in the Caribbean at an average of 50 each, while going at nearly nine per over, and he hasn’t played there since 2017. His competitor for a spot in India’s 11, Axar Patel, has one wicket from three T20Is in the West Indies. So, not a lot to take confidence from if we look at past performances.
But, if India make the right mental changes to their T20I outlook; if Rohit bats the way he should be batting; if Kohli carries his solid IPL form to the World Cup; ft Jaiswal overcomes his recent troubles; if SKY clicks at the biggest stage instead of in meaningless bilaterals; and if Bumrah has a World Cup to remember, then there is hope of a memorable campaign for this team.
