Team India have to pull their socks up to overcome the dangerous-looking Carribean in the decider of the T20 series today in Mumbai. India’s bowling and fielding were exposed in the opening T20I in Hyderabad, but Virat Kohli’s scintillating innings covered all the drawbacks.
Fail in all departments
In the second match below-par performance by the famed Indian batsmen, soggy fielding and errant bowling led the team down in Thiruvananthapuram. Young guns are not blazing as expected; their performance is under lenses.
Pant and Sundar fail to perform
The focus has been shifted on Washington Sundar and under-fire wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. The expectation of Pant is high, but he has not justified his talent. Despite getting all-round support from the teammates, he still lacks to execute his performance on the ground. Team management may tilt their attention towards Kuldeep Yadav to replace Sundar in today’s crunch match.
Batting looks solid
As far as India’s batting is concerned, it is rock-like solid. Opener Rohit Sharma, who rarely fail in back to back match, would be ready to blast before the home crowd. KL Rahul and Kohli are in good nick, Shivam Dube’s confidence must be high after scoring a fluent maiden T20I fifty in the previous match.
Bowling and fielding a concern
However, bowling and fielding are a matter of great interest to the team. The wayward bowling of pace duo Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar allowed the opponents to get their arms free and hit big shots.
Ordinary Indian fielding and several dropped catches prompted Kohli to say if the performance does not improve, no score would be enough. Sundar let an easy chance of Lendl Simmons in the second T20I, whose 45-ball 67 runs turned the table and the match finally slipped form India’s hand.
Sweet memory at Wankhede
The visitors would like to continue their splendid form at the Wankhede stadium. They had a loving memory on this ground of defeating India in 2016 ICC T20I cricket world cup and then overpowering England in the final to win the title the second time.
Do or die match for both teams
Their top-order batsmen are in splendid form, Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis and Pooran have scored some handful runs in the first two matches, they would like to continue their way to snatch series from India. The bowling department doesn’t look potent but good enough to contain the opposition in this format of the game. The inconsistent Islanders can be unbeatable on their day. India has to be cautious in the do or die match at the Wankhede match.
India needs improvement in T20I
As T20 world cup will be held in Australia next year, all the top teams are looking for their perfect combination. India’s performance in the shortest format in 2019 is not impressive as compared to Test and one day cricket. India played 15 matches this year; winning eight and losing seven.
Great chaser but poor defender
Team India is a great chaser; out of the seven losses this year, five had come when India batted first. It makes sense that defending the total is a tough job for the men in blue, which has to be erased if the team wants to dictate in this format and lift the world cup next year. The Sunday loss against West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram was the latest example of such a set back while defending the total.
Kohli set to achieve a milestone
Run machine Virat Kohli’s appetite of runs in all formats is continuing. The celebrated cricketer is set to deliver another massive feat to his illustrious career in the deciding match against the Carribean in Mumbai. Kohli needs just six runs for completing 1,000 T20I runs at home, only New Zealand’s Martin Guptill (1,430) and Colin Munro (1,000) are the only two batsmen, who have achieved this milestone.
Team India needs a perfect combination for improving their Test cricket like performance in T20 cricket. With the T20I World Cup not far away, team management has to be careful, and the time of experiments is over at least now.
Related Link:
