In search of the right combination, the team’s leadership has been bleeding the young men who have established the IPL fire, T20 caps for Ishan kishan Y Suryakumar Yadav against England in Sunday’s second game is the latest move in this effort.
While team composition is a work in progress, the resurgence of Hardik pandya, the off-road vehicle, is central to India’s plans. With the five-game series tied for one-to-all, India will also feature the Pandya X-Factor in the third contest, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday night.
Offering clarity on the role of Pandya, patron virat Kohli said Sunday: “In the next 6-8 months, he promised that he will commit everything to be the all-rounder that the team needs in all three formats. He plays for the team at all times, these types of players are priceless.”
Pandya could help solve several of the riddles in the run-up to the T20 world show in October-November. On Sunday, he easily slipped into the role of fifth bowler, throwing his full quota of four overs with quiet efficiency. This, after he returned to action as the sixth option in the opener, when he was used for two overs during the trouble-free chase of England.
Both times, Pandya was up to the task. In the second game in particular, he pitched in both the Power Play and death, conceding a paltry 7 and 6 runs in his first and last overs. Pandya played as a specialty hitter for the Mumbai Indians at the 2020 IPL after recovering from a back injury. His four fast medium-paced overs will allow the World No. 2 T20 team the luxury of an additional hitter.
OPENING COMBINATION
India have used two opening combinations in as many games, with KL Rahul being the constant. Shikhar dhawan, who started before Rohit sharma, was replaced by game-winning rookie Ishan Kishan on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if the team persists with Rahul, who until the last series in Australia was the goalie-hitter of choice, after his twin failures. The talented Karnataka starter was fired by 1 and nothing after a long absence from competitive cricket. If Rahul doesn’t get a third chance, he could herald Rohit’s late return.
While Rohit Sharma (left) is expected to return to the side for the third T20I against England in Motera, for Shikhar Dhawan, who lost his place to Ishan Kishan, it may mean spending more time on the sidelines. (Fake images)
The hosts enter Tuesday’s game with many positives after their seven-field victory. Rookie Kishan’s 56 of 32 balls and Captain Kohli’s return to scoring runs with an undefeated 73 of 49 balls bodes well, as does Washington Sundarit’s a neat twist at both the beginning and end of England’s innings. The only thing India will be looking to adjust is their fielding after several missed opportunities on Sunday.
England have many lessons to learn from the great defeat. Having started the series on a winning note, the visiting hitters were duped by a slower pitch with their star hitters save for the starter. Jason roy, struggling as the players slowed down and the ball began to grip the surface. Aside from Sam Curran and Jofra archer, his bowlers were also ineffective with Adil Rashid, the sole spinner, taken to the dry cleaners by Kishan.
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