For practical purposes, India’s World Cup countdown starts with the ODI series against the West Indies. Uncertainty persists over players like Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. Although they are making progress, their participation in the quadrennial event is not confirmed yet. So India have three ODIs in West Indies, another six if they reach the Asia Cup final and three more against Australia at home to find out who they will take to the World Cup.
While 12 is not a bad number of ODIs to play with two months to go, it can’t be said with conviction that the Indian team is making optimum use of the time remaining. In between these ODIs, there are eight T20Is, which will not help World Cup preparations in any way. These are not sudden developments, but were scheduled months in advance in accordance with India’s Future Tours Programme. Whoever agreed to this itinerary on behalf of India must not have taken into consideration the final leg of the run-up to the World Cup.
These are formats involving dissimilar sets of skills. What succeeds in T20Is may not in ODIs. Plus, there is this matter of mindset. One has to prepare for and go into a T20I with a fixed frame of mind. It can be totally different when it comes to an ODI. Often, teams prefer different players for the two formats. Most importantly, it’s not simple to switch on the T20I mode and then turn off after and before two ODI series.
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Would India have been better off playing more ODIs instead of five T20Is against West Indies and three against Ireland? There is room for debate as far as India’s potential World Cup XI goes. The No. 4 and No. 5 slots in the batting line-up are not certain, with Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul, Ishan Kishan and even Sanju Samson in contention. The wicketkeeper can’t be finalised until Rahul recovers and takes part in some of the ODIs. The bowling department, too, needs flexible plans. For example, one if Bumrah is available, and another if he is not. There are matters to be sorted out with spin as well.
That is why the maximum 50-over game time was important. India’s 2023 ODI record of seven wins and two losses looks impressive. All were home fixtures. But the defeats came against Australia in the last two of a three-match series where India started with a win. The batting was a mess, and Rahul was the only one to show some consistency. If both he and Iyer get fit, they will require matches to reacclimatise and reboot. Having T20Is holding little relevance adversely impacts this process.
India lost to Australia due to batting malfunctions. As the World Cup comes closer, the think-tank does not seem to have found an answer to this. There are pieces missing from the puzzle or decisions to be made in pace, spin and wicketkeeping. If not Bumrah, can Umran Malik be the X-factor, and should Kuldeep Yadav’s wicket-taking ability give him an advantage? Does Rahul’s calmness in the middle order count more than an aggressive striker of the ball?
Only game time would have helped the captain, coach and others to find out the right answers. That way, 12 is not a negligible number in two months, but eight T20Is taking up the space for more ODIs is difficult to understand. Hosting India is a jackpot for the boards of West Indies and Ireland in terms of TV revenue, and monetary considerations must have played a part in the slotting of these matches. If true, this is a tale of misplaced priorities and mistimed scheduling.
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