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Selectors in fix amid Team India gird up for Asia Cup

The national selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar will be forced to work around quite a bit to zero in on the Asia Cup squad that will also be the nucleus of the World Cup team… Shrikant Bhagvatula

With the recent experimentation by the team management with the Indian playing XI giving mixed results, the senior national cricket selectors will be in a fix when they sit down to finalise the squad for the Asia Cup 2023 and the Asian Games which follow it, which will be important stops on the journey to the ODI World Cup to be held later in the year.

The ICC ODI World Cup in October-November in India follows on the heels of the Asia Cup 2023, which will be held from August 30 to September 17 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and the Asian Games in Hangzhou from September 23-October 8. It is apparent that the selectors will be left with little time to settle on their World Cup squad.

Thus the Indian squad for the Asia Cup will virtually be the one that would also represent the country in the World Cup — barring minor tweaks due to injuries, as the Board of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) has already named a different squad for the Asian Games.

The squads, by name, for the World Cup are to be submitted by September 5 and thus the selectors will have to firm up the squad a few days after the start of the Asia Cup, preventing the team management from conducting any more late experiments.

With injuries to key players in the last few months throwing a spanner or two in firming up the team for the World Cup, the Asia Cup will provide the players returning from injuries some game time and a chance to get match-fit.

Thus the national selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar will be forced to work around quite a bit to zero in on the Asia Cup squad that will also be the nucleus of the World Cup team.

The team has got a boost thanks to the return from injury by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, both of whom have been picked in the squad for the T20Is against Ireland. Bumrah is set to make a comeback to international cricket after being out since September last year because of a back injury and subsequent surgery while Prasidh Krishna too has been out since last year because of a stress fracture in the back.

Bumrah has been named India’s captain for the three-match T20I series against Ireland, which will be played in Malahide on August 18, 20 and 23. If Bumrah passes the Ireland fitness test, he will spearhead the Indian attack in the Asia Cup and try to get into top gear for the World Cup.

Prasidh has also done well with the ODI squad before the injury and a successful return against Ireland will further bolster the bowling department, which looks strong with several options available to the selectors.

With Mohammed Siraj virtually assured of his place in the squad and Bumrah back, the selectors will choose between Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mukesh Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat for the third pacer, unless they are confident Hardik Pandya will be able to bowl his full quota of 10 overs in all matches.

The major areas of concern for the team management and selectors in recent times have been the wicketkeeper-batter and middle-order. The main question that the selectors are facing is regarding wicketkeeper-batter K.L Rahul, who is expected to be fit for the Asia Cup. A few weeks back, the BCCI informed in a release that he has started batting.

Ever since Rishabh Pant suffered an accident and KL Rahul got injured, India have tried various options for wicketkeeper batter, giving opportunities to Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. Kishan has been the preferred choice and has got more opportunities and has done quite well, especially in ODIs, hitting a majestic double century (210) against Bangladesh in the third ODI at Chattogram in December last year. He struck half-centuries in all three ODIs against the West Indies in the series that ended last week.

Kishan’s success with the bat has been as the opener, which is also his preferred slot. With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill slotted in as openers and Virat Kohli at No.3, Kishan has to be accommodated in the middle order. If Rahul gets fully fit, he will definitely get picked for the Asia Cup as it gives him a chance to play some matches before the World Cup.

In case Rahul is not fully fit, Ishan Kishan gets the nod ahead of Sanju Samson, who has also done reasonably well in the opportunities he has got and scored a half-century in the third ODI against the West Indies a few days back. But, just like K.L Rahul, Ishan Kishan, the Bihar and Mumbai Indians batter, can be a backup opener in case of need.

The other major area of concern for the team management is the middle-order batting. In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, the team management has tried Suryakumar Yadav for the main batter in the middle order but the experiment has not yielded the expected results. Yadav, known for his 360-degree batting in T20 cricket, has not been able to bring that expertise to the 50-overs game.

With Shreyas Iyer still doubtful for the Asia Cup, the selectors might have to give one last opportunity to Surya. But that does not leave them in a good spot because if SKY fails to make the most of those opportunities, it will leave the selectors in a hard place in case Shreyas Iyer is not available for the World Cup.

Hardik Pandya as the medium-pacer all-rounder and Ravindra Jadeja as the spinner-allrounder are virtually assured of their spots in the line-up but there are still concerns about whether Hardik will be able to bowl all 10 overs in all the matches in the Asia Cup and the World Cup?

With Jadeja getting picked as the spinner-allrounder, that leaves only one slot for a spinner in the playing XI, unless match conditions demand picking three spinners in the XI. The team management will have to choose between Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel, a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja because of his better batting.

Whatever combinations the selectors work out for the Asia Cup, they will have their fingers crossed as the major experiments in recent times have not worked wonders and thus leaves the team management with issues to resolve. Though the return of K.L. Rahul and Shreyas Iyer solves many issues, the tricky question is whether they would be able to perform at their best soon after returning from a layoff. Only time will answer this conundrum.

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‘It’s time for a succession plan’

The West Indies tour might see the first signs of a transition for the ageing Test squad….reports Asian Lite News

After India’s crushing loss in the World Test Championship final against Australia, former head coach Ravi Shastri has said that it’s time for the team management and the selectors to chart a succession plan, saying that they need to draw inspiration from the Australian side in terms of blending youth with experienced players and getting them Test-match ready.

India will begin their 2023-2025 WTC cycle with a two-match series in the Caribbean on July 12. Dominica will host the first Test, which will be India’s first at the venue in over a decade. The Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad will stage the second – and final – Test from July 20.

The West Indies tour might see the first signs of a transition for the ageing Test squad.

“That’s what the think-tank and the selectors will have to sit and see, draw a plan, have the vision to see how you replenish your squad. Australians are very good at doing that over the years. They see where they want to be in three years’ time. They don’t wait for suddenly five players to go away from the side,” Shastri told Star Sports after the WTC final.

Notably, Australia have managed to blend in the youngsters such as Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Cameron Green in the setup in presence of experienced Steve Smith and David Warner, which is allowing them to reap the rewards.

Shastri feels that the Indian selectors need to take the “hard calls” and look at the team’s interest – as the paramount thing.

“They’re constantly getting in youth. So there’s a combination of youth and experience all the time. The youngsters learn quickly from the senior players. So your team is healthy and strong right through. So that planning has to be done. They’re hard calls, people might not like it, but it’s the team’s interest that is paramount and that’s how you should look at it,” he said.

Meanwhile, India skipper Rohit also spoke about the succession plans.

“Any tournament you play, you start looking at what possibly you can do moving ahead. Honestly, the game just got over. We haven’t really given too much thought to what we want to do in the future. Obviously, there will be some talks around it and we’ll see whatever is required and whatever is best, whatever the brand of cricket we want to play in the next two years,” said Rohit.

“And who are the guys who can do that role for us? That is the question that we need to find answers to. And there are a lot of guys, there are a lot of players who are doing really well in our domestic cricket as well. It’s just about finding them and giving them that space, enough time to go forward and do the job for us. It’s all about that. The focus will be obviously on that,” he added.

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Pant’s absence leaves Team India in a fix

Rishabh Pant

MSK Prasad, former chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, opined Bharat must be given a chance as he has been groomed for the Test spot, especially when keeping wickets in home conditions in mind…reports Niharika Raina

With Rishabh Pant ruled out of cricketing action for an indefinite period, India is without the belligerent left-handed batter who would rescue the side from troubling situations through his counterattacking knocks and have an effective yet cheerful presence while on keeping duties.

The absence of Pant means India must now choose between two uncapped wicketkeeper-batters — KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan — for the upcoming Test series against Australia, starting from February 9 in Nagpur.

Bharat has been an understudy to Saha and then Pant in the Test team since 2019 apart from being a regular in India A side. Kishan kept wickets for the Indian team in this year’s white-ball games against New Zealand and Sri Lanka (barring ODIs). He also kept wickets for India A in two unofficial four-day matches on the tour of South Africa in 2021.

MSK Prasad, former chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, opined Bharat must be given a chance as he has been groomed for the Test spot, especially when keeping wickets in home conditions in mind.

“You need to have a keeper who can keep wickets well and then who can contribute with the bat in the tried and tested Indian conditions time and again, especially when you have bowlers like Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar. So, I think it’s a fair call to start off with KS Bharat and give him some opportunities as for the last two-three years, he’s been waiting in the wings for this spot,” he said to IANS.

Bharat had given an excellent account of his wicket-keeping skills during the Kanpur Test against New Zealand in 2021. Coming in as a substitute keeper due to Wriddhiman Saha having a stiff neck, Bharat took a good low catch to dismiss a well-set Will Young off Ravichandran Ashwin and took a lovely catch of Ross Taylor off Axar Patel. He showed good alertness and athleticism to stump Tom Latham short of his crease off Axar’s bowling.

Prasad, who played six Tests and 19 ODIs for India, remembers the time when he saw Bharat as an 11-year-old kid while playing for Andhra. “As a wicketkeeper, he always had a very good and soft pair of hands, very similar to Wriddhiman Saha. Whenever we used to play Ranji Trophy matches in Visakhapatnam, I used to see this small kid keeping wickets. I ensured he would keep wickets in my nets and since then, I have been seeing him.”

But it is Bharat’s development as a batter which makes Prasad believe he can be a good fit in the Test team. In 86 first-class matches, Bharat has made 4707 runs, averaging 37.95 and holds the distinction of being the first player to score a triple century in the Ranji Trophy as a wicketkeeper, apart from taking 296 catches and effecting 35 stumpings.

“He’s been a very good keeper and subsequently, developed himself as a very good batsman and even got a triple hundred in domestic cricket (308 against Goa in 2015). He has scored quite a few centuries for India A against Australia A, South Africa A. This is exactly what he was groomed for, especially in the Test format. He fits in very well and with opportunities coming his way, it is up to him how he grabs it with both hands.”

Experts back KS Bharat to be India’s preferred wicket-keeping option for Tests against Australia.(photo:Twitter)

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta thinks Bharat should be the preferred keeper-batter for Tests against Australia while expressing confidence in the abilities of Kishan. “To start off with Bharat, as he’s been an understudy for a while now. I think Bharat is a good enough batter and Ishan is also a good enough keeper.”

“I don’t think that is what I am thinking of (better keeper v better batter) while deciding because I have confidence in both these guys. One has maybe a little bit of edge in a certain facet. But I don’t think that’s the deal-breaker for me.”

“What I feel is important is the plans which have been in place for a good six months, which is KS Bharat in red-ball cricket, who is your second in line after Rishabh, who is not available. If that’s the plan, you got to stick with the plan because what’s the point of the plan if you don’t stick with it,” he said to IANS.

Prasad feels Kishan, who has amassed 2985 runs in 48 first-class matches and averages 38.76 apart from 99 catches and 11 stumpings, will have to wait for his chance in Tests. “Even Ishan has got a good pair of hands and is a very aggressive batter too. But I understand that as far as white-ball cricket is concerned. In domestic red-ball cricket, he even hit 280 or 300 also (273 against Delhi in 2016).”

“He has to keep waiting for his opportunity, just like how KS Bharat has waited for his opportunities when he’s been a deputy to Saha or Pant. There’s no doubt that Ishan is a good wicketkeeper-batsman, but he has to wait for his opportunities.”

Amidst the Bharat-Ishan toss-up, the absence of Pant is unquestionably a big setback to India’s plans of continuing its domination in home conditions. Since 2020, Pant has scored the most runs for India in Tests, amassing 1517 runs in 38 innings, averaging 43.3, which swells to 62.4 when facing Australia.

“Very unfortunate (his absence). We know how important Rishabh Pant is, especially against the Australians, both at home and in Australia. We saw his exploits and heroics; it’s a big loss for us from team and country point of view and also, individually from Rishabh’s point of view. It’s a huge loss, as we know Australians get a little worried about what Rishabh can do in the middle,” added Prasad.

“He’s one of the biggest match-winners, at least in this format across the world. I can’t think of too many guys who can do what he does in terms of winning games. So, undoubtedly, that’s a huge blow,” concluded Dasgupta.

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‘Gill has got the style to play all formats’

Gill’s 126 not out, laced with 12 fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 200, is also the highest score by an Indian in T20Is…reports Asian Lite News

After India opener Shubman Gill announced himself as an all-format player with his unbeaten 126 off 65 balls in the 168-run victory over New Zealand in the T20I series decider, skipper Hardik Pandya was full of praise for the young right-handed batter, saying his technique is so strong that he makes batting very easy for himself.

“He’s technically so sound that it’s (batting) very easy for him. It’s just a switch he needs to do to play T20, ODI and Test cricket because he has the game for all three formats. So, to be honest, he’s not someone who does not need to play behind the wicket because of the kind of shots he can play all around in front (of the wicket) with the kind of gaps there.”

“He’s actually one of those batsmen along with Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) who can actually hit good balls and make them a bad ball,” said Pandya in the post-match press conference.

Gill’s 126 not out, laced with 12 fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 200, is also the highest score by an Indian in T20Is, eclipsing the previous best by Virat Kohli, who had smashed 122 not out against Afghanistan during the Asia Cup in the UAE in September 2022.

“Having said that, it’s just tremendous seeing his growth and it has been very fruitful for me (as captain). He’s a kid who has a right head on his shoulders and going forward I think he’s going to be a great value and asset for the Indian cricket team. I wish the best to him, and I do want him to continue the great run, which he is having,” added Pandya.

Gill also became the fifth Indian batter to have scored a century in all three formats of the international game after Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul. Pandya signed off by saying it was not surprising for him to see the kind of knock played by Gill at Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

“I have always felt that he has got the technique and style to play all formats. To be honest, for me, it was not surprising. The time he has, the effortless batting he can do, I don’t think a lot of people can do that.”

“So, for me, I knew this would happen and it’s good to see doing this in this format as for him, it means a lot and as a youngster, if you can get success in all formats possible, it just adds more dimension to your game.”

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Team India fined 60% of match fee over slow over-rate

India penalised 60% match fee for slow over-rate in first ODI win over New Zealand.(photo:Twitter)

India captain Rohit Sharma accepted the offence and the subsequently proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian team has been fined 60 per cent of its match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the first ODI at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Javagal Srinath of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India were ruled to be three overs short of the target, with time allowances taken into consideration.

In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

India captain Rohit Sharma accepted the offence and the subsequently proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Anil Chaudhary and Nitin Menon, third umpire K N Ananthapadmanabhan and fourth umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal levelled the charge.

Coming to the match, India won a closely-fought contest against New Zealand by 12 runs in the ODI series opener. For India, opener Shubman Gill became the youngest player to score a double century in men’s ODIs through his 208 from 149 balls, propelling the side to 349/8.

In reply, New Zealand were down and out on 131/6. All-rounder Michael Bracewell hit 12 fours and ten sixes in his 78-ball 140 while adding 162 off just 102 balls for the seventh wicket with Mitchell Santner, who made 57 off 45 balls.

But India bounced back by taking the remaining four wickets to bowl out New Zealand for 337 and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The sides will next face each other in the second ODI at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Cricket Stadium, hosting its first international match, in Raipur on January 21.

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SKY, bowlers shine as India seal series win over Lanka

3rd T20I: Suryakumar, bowlers power India to 91-run win, 2-1 series victory against Sri Lanka(bcci)

Arshdeep Singh was the most successful bowler for India with 3-20, while Yuzvendra Chahal (2-30), Hardik Pandya (2-30) and Umran Malik (2-31) picked two wickets each with Axar Patel also getting one wicket….reports Asian Lite News

Suryakumar Yadav’s blistering unbeaten century (112 not out off 51 balls) and dominating performance by bowlers helped India thrash Sri Lanka by 91 runs in the third and final T20I and clinch three-match series 2-1 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, here on Saturday.

With his beautiful wristy shots, Suryakumar made the opponent team feel like he isn’t from the same planet, treating every bowler with disdain to power India to a mammoth total of 228/5 in 20 overs. Apart from Suryakumar, Shubman Gill played a decent knock (46 off 36) while Rahul Tripathi gave India some quickfire runs in the Power-play with his 35 off 16.

In reply, openers Pathum Nissanka (15) and Kusal Mendis (23) gave Sri Lanka a solid start but they failed to build on it and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The likes of Dasun Shanaka (23), Dhananjaya de Silva (22) and Charith Asalanka (19) got starts but couldn’t score big as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 137 in 16.4 overs, losing by a huge margin of 91 runs.

Arshdeep Singh was the most successful bowler for India with 3-20, while Yuzvendra Chahal (2-30), Hardik Pandya (2-30) and Umran Malik (2-31) picked two wickets each with Axar Patel also getting one wicket.

Earlier, India, who won the toss and opted to bat first, lost the first wicket early as Ishan Kishan poked outside off and edged behind a swinging bouncing delivery from Madushanka in the very first over of the innings.

Kishan’s opening partner Shubman Gill also struggled to open his account for the first nine balls before he smashed Madushanka for six and four in back-to-back deliveries to get things going.

Rahul Tripathi, who walked in to bat at No 3 again, showed his attacking intent by hitting Theekshana for three fours in an over. He smashed five fours and two sixes in his blistering innings of 35 off 16 balls to give the much-needed impetus to Indian innings. He got out, cutely steer the ball to third man and found the fielder in the 6th over.

Nonetheless, Tripathi’s innings meant that India finished the Power-play at 53/2, which was good after they lost Ishan in the first over as Shubman Gill was batting steadily at the other.

But, it was Suryakumar Yadav, who wasted little time to get off the block and toyed with Sri Lankan bowlers by hitting them all around the park. The stylish batter got going with a four and a six off Karunaratne, driving over mid-off and executing the whip-pull. He also cracks a short ball from Hasaranga past point for a four.

Theekshana sneaked in a quiet over but the visitors couldn’t keep Surya quiet for too long. A four coming down the track to Karunaratne followed by a typical scoop over fine leg for a six for Suryakumar helped India past 100 in the 11th over, and also brought up his half-century stand of 29 deliveries with Gill, who was watching the ball sail over the boundary line from the other end.

A boundary over extra cover brought the 14th T20I half-century for Suryakumar in just 26-balls. It was also Surya’s ninth fifty-plus score (including a century) in his last 15 innings as India were 131/2 after 13 overs.

After watching the Suryakumar carnage from the other end, Shubman Gill too decided to free his arms and hit Hasaranga for an 84m six over mid-wicket. However, the spinner had the last laugh as he deceived Gill by the length and bowled him, leaving India at 163-3 after 14.4 overs.

Once Gill got out, the stage was set for finisher Hardik Pandya but the skipper couldn’t capitalise on it and got out for just 4 runs. The next batter Deepak Hooda started his innings with a four but got out soon on a cutter from Madushanka.

But, there was no stopping Suryakumar, who slammed his third T20I century in 45 balls, which was the second fastest half-century by an Indian in the shortest format of the game after Rohit Sharma, who got the milestone in just 35 deliveries against Sri Lanka as well in 2017.

On the other hand, Axar Patel (21 not out off 9) continued from where he left in the previous game and played a little cameo towards the end. With both Suryakumar and Axar hitting, India scored 28 runs in the last two overs and posted a total of 228/5 in 20 overs.

Brief scores: India 228/5 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 112 not out, Shubman Gill 46, Rahul Tripathi 35; Dilshan Madushanka 2-55) beat Sri Lanka 137 all out in 16.4 overs (Kusal Mendis 23, Dasun Shanaka 23; Arshdeep Singh 3/20) by 91 runs

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VVS Laxman in line to be next India coach: Report

T20 World Cup: VVS Laxman picks his India playing XI for clash against Pakistan. (Credit : Facebook)

V.V.S. Laxman was with the team for the bilateral series against Ireland in June 2022, as well as for the first T20I against England and the short tour of Zimbabwe…reports Asian Lite News

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may consider making V.V.S. Laxman the next head coach of the Indian men’s team after the end of Rahul Dravid’s contract, which currently runs till the 2023 ODI World Cup.

A report by News18 Cricketnext has said it is reliably learnt that should Dravid not consider an extension as men’s team head coach, then Laxman, who is currently the Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, could be the person to take the top job.

Laxman, 48, has filled in as the head coach of the Indian team in Dravid’s absence. He was with the team for the bilateral series against Ireland in June 2022, as well as for the first T20I against England and the short tour of Zimbabwe.

He was also with the Indian team for the 2022 edition of the T20 Asia Cup in the UAE when Dravid was down with Covid-19 and has also travelled to New Zealand as the head coach of the team for their white-ball tour immediately after the T20 World Cup ended in November 2022.

Apart from grooming the next generation of players at the NCA, Laxman had travelled with the India U-19 team for their successful 2022 World Cup too and played a very proactive role with the young bunch during their campaign in the West Indies.

The report also said that for now, split coaching will not be happening. “Has that happened in Indian cricket before?�” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying in the report when asked about the possibility of split coaching coming into the set-up.

Ever since he took over from Ravi Shastri as the head coach in November 2021, Dravid has had an indifferent run at the helm of the Indian team.

They lost to England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup and didn’t reach the final of the 2022 T20 Asia Cup apart from losing the Test and ODI series in South Africa and rescheduling the fifth Test to England at Birmingham.

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India’s ‘left’ nightmare not over yet

The lack of habit of facing left-arm quicks ever since the troika of Zaheer, Pathan and Nehra retired is slowly causing problem for Indian batters, especially the top-order, as they don’t have a quality left-arm fast bowler who can swing the ball both ways…reports Asian Lite News

“They need to play to left arm (pace bowling) a little bit better. History tells you that Shaheen Shah Afridi blew them away one evening in Dubai, Mohammad Amir blew them away one afternoon at the Oval in a final, and Reece Topley has blown them away here (at Old Trafford),” were former England captain Nasser Hussain’s words during the ODI series decider match on Sunday.

Hussain’s words came after India’s star-studded top order of captain Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli fell to left-arm pacers for second time in as many matches during the ODI series in England. It again highlighted that India’s top-order batters facing trouble and getting out to left-arm pace bowlers has been a perennial problem, which doesn’t look like going away anytime soon.

Mustafizur Rahman at Bangladesh in 2015. Mohammad Amir at the 2017 Champions Trophy final in 2017 at The Oval. Jason Behrendorff in a T20I match at Guwahati in 2017. Trent Boult in 2017 and the ODI World Cup semi-final in 2019. Shaheen Shah Afridi in Dubai in 2021 T20 World Cup. Now, Reece Topley has joined his name in the list of left-hand pacers troubling the Indian top-order in white-ball cricket.

At Lord’s, with England finding some nip off the pitch, Topley ran through the Indian top-order. With his tall frame of six feet and seven inches, he got some bounce as well and got a full ball on middle stump to nip back in from over the wicket and sneaked past the inner edge to rap Rohit on his back pad in front of stumps.

Topley’s persistence fetched him another scalp when he strangled Shikhar Dhawan down leg with a short ball. From the other end, David Willey was accurate and was rewarded for the same when he bowled a length ball wide of off-stump and had Virat Kohli chasing it away from the body, only to nick behind.

Virat Kohli

At Old Trafford, it was Topley again who was causing issues to India’s top order. He enticed Dhawan to go for a drive away from his body, which the left-hander couldn’t keep it down and gave a low catch to backward point. Rohit was undone by a full delivery going across, which he nicked to slip. Kohli was also given the full and across ball from Topley, but he had committed to coming forward and gave an edge behind.

If one goes by the overall record in ODIs, then the struggle of India’s top three becomes more apparent. In ODIs, Sharma has been dismissed by left-arm pacers on 28 occasions and averages 50.46 with a strike-rate of 54.4. Dhawan averages 37.5 against left-arm pace with a strike rate of 96 and has been dismissed 26 times. Kohli has been dismissed 30 times by left-arm pacers and averages 47.67 with a strike rate of 97.5.

In general, batters find it hard to face a left-arm fast bowler. One of the reasons could be that the number of left-arm pace bowlers are rare in international cricket. Also, in helpful conditions where there is movement or bounce available, especially when coming from over the wicket, they tend to be unplayable occasionally.

Another basis could be the lack of quality left-arm fast bowlers in the current Indian set-up. After retirements of Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan and Ashish Nehra, India have tried many left-arm pacers like Barinder Sran, Khaleel Ahmed, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan and more recently, youngster Arshdeep Singh (who is currently down with a right abdominal strain). The IPL 2022 also threw in new, promising names like Mohsin Khan, Yash Dayal and Mukesh Choudhary.

But the lack of habit of facing left-arm quicks ever since the troika of Zaheer, Pathan and Nehra retired is slowly causing problem for Indian batters, especially the top-order, as they don’t have a quality left-arm fast bowler who can swing the ball both ways and extract bounce to face in the nets. Not facing left-arm pacer regularly in nets means that the Indian top-order batters find it difficult to adjust their stance and movement at the crease when an actual match happens.

So, how do the Indian top-order batters solve their left-arm pace problem. The solution to it lies in a masterclass video done by England’s talismanic batter Joe Root, which is available on Youtube, on how he would make adjustments to counter left-arm fast bowlers coming from over-the-wicket angle.

“Generally, I would stand on middle stump, trying to keep it quiet neutral, opening up both sides of the wicket. Maybe to a left-armer, my back foot goes slightly further across. My left foot will open up slightly and I try and just align my shoulder with where the ball is coming from.”

“I want the bat to come down dead straight and following it back down the path it came. Early on in my innings, I would try and make sure that widish mid-off is where you really want to hit it to give yourself the best chance.”

Root’s masterclass could be a good tutorial for the Indian top-order to tackling the left-arm fast bowlers in white-ball cricket. In numerous previous occasions, India’s top-order meltdown to left-arm pacers has costed them crucial matches, especially in the ICC tournaments. Hopefully, Indian top-order batters will fix this chink in their armour ahead of two crucial white-ball World Cups coming in the next 16 months.

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Virat Kohli quits as India Test captain

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Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy as the most successful skipper in the longest format of the game for India and fourth overall, reports Asian Lite News

A day after India lost the series 1-2 to South Africa with a seven-wicket defeat at Cape Town, Virat Kohli has stepped down as the Test captain.

Kohli, who first captained India at the Adelaide Test in 2014 against Australia, was appointed to the full-time role after MS Dhoni announced his retirement from the format ahead of the fourth Test at Sydney in January 2015. It also means that the Cape Town Test was the last match of Kohli as India captain.

“It’s been 7 years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction. I’ve done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now. There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief,” said Kohli in his statement posted on his social media accounts on Saturday.

Kohli stepped down from Test captaincy as the most successful skipper in the longest format of the game for India and fourth overall. Under his time as the captain, India played 68 Tests, winning 40, losing 17 and drawing 11 matches, having a win percentage of 58.82 while registering memorable wins in overseas and home conditions.

“I have always believed in giving my 120 percent in everything I do, and if I can’t do that, I know it’s not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team. I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the teammates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation. You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful,” added Kohli.

The most notable victories from the time under Kohli will be the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win, where India won a Test series in Australia for the first time and leading 2-1 in England in the 2021 series apart from reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Southampton in the same year. He also took the Indian team to the number one ranking in Tests apart from overseeing the development of the pace-attack reaching a world-class level and fitness being given prime importance.

“To Ravi Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life. Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a Captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian Cricket forward,” concluded the 33-year-old Kohli.

In September 2021, Kohli had announced that he would be leaving the T20I captaincy after the Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. He had also stepped down as the captain of IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after the completion of the second half of the tournament in the UAE. Two months later, in December, Kohli was replaced by Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain.

It will be interesting to see who becomes the next Test captain of India. The team’s next Test assignment will be against Sri Lanka in a two-match series at home in February-March.

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What Went Wrong With Men in Blue?

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Cricket is very much of a mind game and with New Zealand taking the early initiative, the Indian team looked like a side that had got lost in a maze, writes Yajurvindra Singh

The defeat against Pakistan and New Zealand in the T20 cricket World Cup has brought about a reality check for Indian cricket. The disappointment was more in the minds of the millions of Indian cricket followers, who had been made to think that Indian cricket was better than it’s ever been before. The superstars who adorn the Indian colours are professionals who are fitter and more skillful than the Indian cricketers of yore.

The Indian economy, a decade ago, went through the same euphoria of “India shining” and a feeling that intellectually we are the rising brains who will shortly control the world. A positive approach and attitude is great to get one to believe in themselves. However, to understand one’s ability and capability is what finally prevails in order to be successful.

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Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath and loads of former cricketers were successful not because they could play all the shots in the book but because they knew when to do so. In cricket, the ability to apply ones game to the prevailing conditions and to play accordingly is half the battle won. The basis to do so is naturally for the team’s benefit and this is an area where, one feels, the present Indian cricketers are lacking.

A cricketer reaches the highest level by sheer cricketing common sense. Similarly, as in all the other professions, a cricketer acquires or is born with a natural cricketing instinct, based on their experiences and capabilities. The great Garry Sobers, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Vinoo Mankad may not have got a distinction as students in academics but on the cricket field they were masters in the way they thought and analysed the situation. Their “cricketing brains” was what made them match winners. One feels that the element of thinking for themselves seems to have disappeared in most of the present-day cricketers.

One can blame it on the progress made by technology, technical tools and professional, certified and accomplished coaches who draw up plans to implement the strategy. However, one feels that many cricketers are getting confused between their natural thought process and the roles that have been assigned to them.

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The Indian cricketers seem to be prime examples of this. They have played some wonderful cricket in the last few years. However, they have succumbed to pressure when most required and especially in an ICC-organised World championship. The burden of responsibility of winning a major cup seems to weigh on the Indian cricketers to such an extent that their eagerness and anxiety is driving them to despair.

An Indian cricketer at present is a well-paid professional. Most of them have a rags-to-riches tale to relay. This, one feels, makes them an easy target for the famous corporate jargon “value for money” and millions of their fans and followers expect them to live up to it. The hopes and wishes of the fan following puts on additional pressure on the cricketer who understands the bricks-bats and scrutiny they would receive if they fail.

India’s defeat against Pakistan was a deadly blow to the team’s morale. A billion Indians see this not as a sport but as a battle of supremacy. The attack on Md. Shami for his below-par performance in the match was another of the immature reactions that one sees every time an Indian cricket team fails. One hoped that the Indian side would have been strong enough to put themselves mentally past the loss and the criticism. Unfortunately, each one of them was deeply affected by it and one could feel the tension and uncertainty when they took to the field to bat and bowl against New Zealand.

Cricket is very much of a mind game and with New Zealand taking the early initiative, the Indian team looked like a side that had got lost in a maze.

India does still stand a mathematical chance of qualifying for the semifinals but that would depend solely on them winning against Scotland and Namibia by a large margin and New Zealand losing their match against Afghanistan.

The regular Indian defeats on a world cup platform in the last seven years remind one of the stigma that got attached to the South African side of being “chokers”. India are showing signs of this symptom especially in the way their giant superstar batters seem to collapse when most required.

The perennial question which is being asked by one and all is, “What went wrong with the Indian side”?

India boasts of being able to field three International sides and have the world’s leading batters and bowlers, hence it could not be the quality and skills of their players.

Was it the six months of being away from home, playing cricket and living in a bio-bubble that made them homesick and depressed? The claustrophobic atmosphere of being day and night with each other?

The appointment of MS Dhoni as a mentor? This could have been seen as a message that the BCCI were not happy with the existing think-tank.

Was it the timing of Virat Kohli’s announcement of stepping down from the T20 Indian captaincy after the World Cup, as well as the coach and support staff stepping down?

Was it the selection of the playing eleven? This is always a point to ponder over when a team loses. However, the combination could always be debatable. One never knows.

All this could have had a significant effect in the dressing room.

Diwali is an Indian festival which also symbolises the victory of light over darkness. The Indian team requires all the blessings and prayers to give them that light of hope.

In T20 cricket one never knows till the last ball is bowled!

(Yajurvindra Singh is a former India cricketer)

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