As this group of Indian leaders begins their last two weeks in power, it is a good time to look back. Their big legacy will drag India into the current limited overs batting. Look at its biggest evolution: Virat Kohli is the best T20 batsman while retaining the qualities that made him a good ODI. In India, however, legacy is judged by ICC awards. Unfortunately, that remains the line for a team that now tends to sit among the best at times.
In what has been a bit of a paradox, it seems like Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma’s last hurray and they will finally decide whether they are fondly remembered by the wider public, their true legacy of pushing the envelope of violence they should have taken. back seat. Their two main batsmen, their modern T20 batsmen, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube, had to play as they would in the middle overs of an ODI.
“As you rightly say, a lot of the momentum in the last couple of years – and I think we’ve done it in many parts – has been to push the needle forward,” Dravid said. “If you look at a lot of our stats and numbers, we pushed the needle forward in terms of our hitting.
“There’s no question about it. Sometimes in certain situations – you have to remember the situations. I think sometimes we get too caught up in T20 cricket and we just talk about pushing the needle forward, pushing the needle forward. But then again, cricket is a very specific game. It’s one of the only sports left where more does such an impact on actual skill levels, actual performance levels, what is an acceptable performance level It’s one game we play where the surface makes a big difference and should be looked at all the time.
“I think we saw that in the US, and we saw that in New York, that should have been considered not only for us but also for other teams. I think everyone should have done that. Actually, even in Australia even in Australia. [during the last T20 World Cup], there were times when you had to consider that. Not all wickets belong to Hyderabad nor are all wickets the same. So, I think that’s something we’re proud of as well. I think we’re trying to find that ability to be smart when making decisions, try to assess situations wisely. “
If India get the kind of performances they had in New York, they are favourites. In the Super Eight, however, they, like many other teams, will have to deal with the unpredictability of new conditions in every match in the West Indies, and decide quickly how to approach their innings. In some forms of cricket, batting is an active activity: the bowlers initiate the action, and the batsmen respond to the appropriateness of the delivery. In T20, batsman’s technique plays a big role. And it all depends on the circumstances.
In some ways, the last two weeks of the T20 World Cup have been a bit of a lottery. You are put in, you take two extra overs to decide what the score is, and you are done. That’s all it takes. That’s what happened to Pakistan when they played against the USA. How do you reduce uncertainty, though? Dravid was asked that just a day before the start of India’s three Super Eight matches over five days in Barbados, Antigua and St Lucia.
“We feel that we have experience and knowledge and the ability to deal with different situations that may exist,” he said. “And then, of course, we look at the things the previous games played here, what was the score, what is the level of swing people are facing, the amount of opportunity they get, what is the bounce. So, you look at all these factors and come up with basic ideas.
“But again, I think you have to keep an open mind. I think that’s an important thing. You may have all the stats, you may have all the data, but on the day, sometimes the conditions can be very different from what you think they are. Because a certain pitch has produced a certain number of runs in the past or even 10 days before, it could be very different because the wicket preparation, the weather, can change a lot.
“Even two or three days leading up to a game, there’s a lot that can change that forces you to re-adjust and re-think. I think we’re going to have to do that, be quick and smart and be able to do that and assess situations. .I hope we do that.”
If New York was any indication, however, one change, albeit subtle, is clearly visible. India fixed itself instead of fixing itself. Err higher rather than lower. The top order, especially Kohli, has shown enough faith in the batsmen to follow. It would have been easy for Kohli to run the ball there but that is not his role. That seems to be a backup option, and one for someone else to pick up. Nothing can guarantee success in T20 tournaments but that approach, as long as they can maintain courage and not care about the result, could hold India in a better position than previous efforts.
Siddharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo
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