If you aren’t vigilant enough, you can end up burning your own opportunities.
The team promised to explode in the T20I series against England. Instead, it imploded in the first game on Friday night. Here is the stage.
Kohli, as of now, only has these five T20Is to set up a combination and game plan for the T20 World Cup at home in October.
India’s timing is uncertain regarding Q20I. After Sunday’s game, they will only have three left. Despite all the enviable resources at India’s disposal, memories of the botch in the run-up to the 2019 World Cup are still fresh.
Kohli’s team has dominated the T20 format for the past two years. They have won the last three series handsomely. The team has many options. They have players ready to go in if someone’s form wobbles a bit. However, Kohli’s team, always chasing the right ‘intention’, have decided to get it going and be a scarier group in the format.
A score of 124/7 wasn’t exactly a great advertisement for the cricket brand they want to play. Maintaining a certain tempo in this blink-and-miss game format isn’t the easiest thing to do. And there is no time for a return on this flounder.
Top-quality international teams don’t give you a break if you stumble to the top, as India discovered against a ruthless English team on Friday.
Going into Sunday’s game, there will be some bruising. But this Indian team is not someone who disavows a philosophy. Over the past three months, every time this team has been cornered, it has found a new emerging hero to get the job done. Losing the first round does little to deflate the morale of this team.
Shreyas Iyer, the only hitter who appeared to be in control Friday, reaffirmed the philosophy.
“It won’t change because if you look at the batting lineup that we have and the power hitters going forward, we don’t have to change anything to be honest. It was a challenging situation when I got in at bat, we had to keep playing the natural game and keep the score going regardless of losing early ground.
“We have come up with a plan and we have to execute as much as possible because, heading into the World Cup, we have to make sure we check all the boxes. This is a five-game series, so it’s a perfect time to try different things and see what suits us, ”said Iyer.
On paper, India equals the England team, which has developed an ideal template for white ball cricket. But they don’t want to go to another World Cup with ammunition scattered around the camp. Perhaps, a Plan ‘B’ is not of more.
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