Afghanistan Probability and the Road Ahead

The last two games have witnessed an Indian side that has showcased its strength and asserted their dominance in the cricketing world. One could, of course, argue that these performances came against relatively weaker sides such as Afghanistan and Scotland, but nonetheless, the manner in which these games have been won show that the old frightening Indian side is perhaps back. 

We are definitely in a situation we don’t like right now, depending on Afghanistan beating New Zealand, and then beating Namibia by a certain margin to ensure a spot in the semis, but even if that does not happen and this year does not belong to us, what are the factors that we could look at for the next edition of the world cup in Australia next year? 

Selection Consistency 

One of the things that have been troubling the Indian line-up has been consistency in team selection. This perhaps started some time from 2018 when the ‘who would play at number 4?’ conundrum began. Speculations were rife whether it would be Ambati Rayadu or Shreyas Iyer and ultimately the spot went to Vijay Shankar (wonder where he is now by the way). Inconsistency in team selection and the batting order has been our hallmark even this world cup. We gave practice games to Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ashwin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and practically every player in the squad. Yes, that’s a good idea to give everyone some practice and game time so that they are prepared should the need arise. However, whether Suryakumar is in the team or Ishan, the speculation around Hardik Pandya playing or not, and should Varun Chakravarthy play instead of R Ashwin are all questions that have cost us our performances. 

These are small things when you isolate them, but collectively, they affect the team’s performance. One fails to understand the logic behind Kishan opening against New Zealand. Maybe the idea was to rule out swing and the early dismissal of Rohit Sharma, but does that protect him or create doubts in his own abilities? Something similar happened with Ajinkya Rahane in the tests against England. These are big, heavy decisions indeed and how you handle these will impact the mindset of the team. Getting into the right mindset before big games is essential for a stellar performance, and it is easier said for a team to play with the ‘right intent’ but unless there is some security within the squad, none of the players (even the best) will be able to bat or bowl with a sense of freedom. And this sense of freedom, a feeling of having nothing to lose that has perhaps given the impetus for the team to go out there and do their best. 

Youth vs Experience 

Should you have gone ahead with Ashwin instead of Chakravarthy? Should you have persisted with Rohit as an opener for New Zealand and trusted in his abilities? These are questions answered better in hindsight, of course. Whatever Kohli does (or did) would always be a gamble, a try in the hope of success. You could empathise with him and laud him for the courage to try something different when things weren’t specially going your way, or you could criticize him calling his decisions the reason for our losses. In any case, these are things the team and the captain could take a note of and learn from. 

A combination of youth and experience, I believe, is the best approach to crunch games. Perhaps (and that’s one big perhaps there), Ashwin could have made some difference in the first two games had been playing. Ashwin brings to the table numerous variations, the ability to contain runs, and pick up wickets. Even if the track is a minor turner, he comes into play along with Ravindra Jadeja and could rule the middle overs choking the teams and forcing them to ply loose shots. Ashwin also brings the experience with him of having played situations like these before, and therefore, would not have fired it in like most spinners do when they are taken for runs. The problem was that Chakravarthy got a little uncertain with himself when he started going for runs and started to lose shape. He is an exceptional bowler and learn with more games. Maybe next year, he will have a better understanding of what to do, but until then, I think Ashwin would have been the better bet for our first choice spinner. 

I personally think it’s a not a great idea to tinker with your batting line-up unless the situation demands so and a player needs to be promoted. So, it does not make much sense for me to see Rohit sitting in the dugout and Ishan Kishan opening. It’s a decent gamble, agreed, and on his day Kishan can take the best of bowlers to the cleaners. But persisting with Rohit could perhaps have been the trick. Changes display a sense of uncertainty, and good oppositions sense that and exploit them. 

More Breaks and Rotation? 

The IPL started its second leg in September, the World Cup in October, and we now have a New Zealand series lined up from 17 November. The players are in the middle of the action all time without a break. How much of fatigue can they cope with before their performance is affected? Perhaps it is time for the BBCI to look into the workload of the players and schedule enough rest time for players to relax, or have a second-string Indian line-up play for experience (because we can now afford to do that). More breaks and rotations ensure that players are at the peak and rejuvenated enough to do well. More breaks also rule out the possibilities of injuries. 

Whatever the road ahead, I am sure the Indian side will bounce back strongly as we have always known to. As for this world cup, even though the probability is very low, let’s hope that Afghanistan pull up their socks and deliver the game of their lives.