India pulled off a heist in New York. For 75 per cent of the game against Pakistan, they looked down. But Rohit Sharma’s troops refused to be out. Pakistan, on the other hand, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. They seem to have lost their winning DNA. That apart, we also learned a few other things from Sunday’s game.
Bumrah is indispensable
After 18 overs, in their chase of 120, Pakistan needed 21 off 12 balls with five wickets in hand. It was still their game to lose. But Jasprit Bumrah bowled the 19th over, gave away just three runs, dismissed Iftikhar Ahmed and turned the equation in India’s favour. Bumrah returned with 3-14 from his four overs to win the Player of the Match award.
He is the Koh-i-Noor of Indian cricket, the only player in the team who is indispensable. India can make up for Virat Kohli’s absence, for example, and win matches or series, as they did in the Test series against England earlier this year. But Bumrah is irreplaceable.
India sacrificing Kohli at the top
The great batsman is not an opener in international cricket. Yes, Kohli has been very successful as an opener for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. But in international cricket, opening is not his natural habitat. Against Ireland and Pakistan, Kohli got out cheaply, opening the innings. By playing him as an opener, India are forcing him to adjust his game on a tricky pitch and sort of sacrificing their best batsman.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is a specialist opener and India would be better off partnering him with Rohit. Kohli at No. 3 followed by Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4 and 5 respectively would make the team’s batting meatier. It also allows India to start off with a left-right combination that can upset the bowlers’ rhythm.
Dube is a misfit in international cricket
India had made the mistake of picking players for international cricket based on their IPL performances before. Varun Chakravarty, for example, was taken to the 2021 T20 World Cup on the back of a good show for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan unravelled his mystery in the very first game.
Similarly, Shivam Dube has been preferred over Rinku Singh this time, based on his IPL performance as a batsman. The southpaw is learning the hard way that international cricket is a different ball game. He struggled against Bangladesh in the warm-up match. Against Pakistan’s world-class fast bowlers, he looked out of his depth, at times even struggling to put bat to ball on a difficult surface. Dube is a limited player who can take the attack to the spinners on good pitches. Against quality fast bowling, he was clueless, and his confidence looked shattered. Naseem Shah effected a caught-and-bowled to put him out of his misery. Dube is not being used as a bowler. So, going ahead, India should consider playing Jaiswal in place of him.
Kuldeep over Axar would be an attacking move
India are playing Axar Patel at the expense of their best spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, because the former provides an extra batting cushion on a tricky surface. Against Pakistan, Axar was sent at No. 4, and built a steady partnership with Pant before getting out.
India aren’t playing Kuldeep because they are a bit unsure about their middle order. The team management ostensibly wants extra protection. But Kuldeep is a match-winner and playing him would be an attacking move, something that is expected from the title contenders.
Pakistan going deeper in the mire
They struggled to draw a home T20I series against second-string New Zealand. They lost a game in Ireland and then lost the series in England 2-0. At the ongoing T20 World Cup, they were stunned by the United States. And a defeat against India has pushed them closer to early elimination. Nobody wants Pakistan cricket to follow the path of hockey in their country. But they are not in a good place.
“The Board is not stable. The selection committee is not stable. The coaching team is not stable. The (playing) team is not stable,” former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif told RevSportz. Pakistan seem to have lost their winning mentality and that is probably the biggest concern.
Also Read: Bumrah wears multiple hats in India’s stunning win