ICC MEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2022: INDIA STRUGGLES TO FIND THE RIGHT COMBINATION
The T20 World Cup 2022 is just around the corner and team India may be struggling at the moment which can be threatening for them to get into the World Cup. The performance of the Indian squad in recently held Asia Cup 2022 restricted them to step into the finals and had a little improvement in the T20I opening match against Australia.
Despite the series Against Australia and the upcoming matches against South Africa, India is still unsure of their preferred starting lineup which can pose major challenges for them to go to the main event.
Let’s know where India stands currently and what the situation can be.
India’s Battle to Find the Right Combination
Firstly, India is uncertain of Pant’s performance and his position is doubted in the team. Rishabh Pant appeared in Super 4 matches in the Asia Cup 2022 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan whereas Dinesh Karthik got a chance to play for the T20I match against Australia.
Since the woefully shocking performances in the T20 World Cup 2021, there have been multiple changes in the squad, including the head coach, captain but many things have remained the same so far.
With the bat, India started with playing bold but they have continuously experimented in shuffling the players and playing members in every series. Seemingly, this experimentation is backfiring on the team’s performance. The men in blue are troubling to set the right pair for bat and ball together.
Consequently, due to the undefined position of the wicketkeeper, the rest of the batting order secures the top four, which is not decided so far.
An Alarming Situation Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022
At the moment, team India has to take each step cautiously. The former cricketer of India, Reetinder Singh Sodhi gave an exclusive interview where he mentioned about India’s struggle and how the captain of Indian team, Rohit Sharma must recheck his decision of playing XI in to ensure that the T20 World Cup 2022 starts on a high note for a tough competition.
Sodhi said, ‘There is no second thought that the Indian team is struggling at the moment. We thought that India would do really well in the Asia Cup but it didn’t happen and against Australia (in the first T20I) our bowling struggled, while in the Asia Cup our batters were not at their best, the middle-order is supposed to be very heavy but we struggled in that department’.
Continuing his words, he further said, ‘There are a lot of things which India need to improve and it’s important to tick all the boxes before the T20 World Cup 2022. We hope we will win the remaining matches before the World Cup as it will boost their morale because the Asia Cup performance dented it. You need to enter a premier tournament like the World Cup with positive momentum’.
Jasprit Bumrah Returns: A Positive Sign for Team India
Sodhi appeared in the Legends League Cricket 2022 and he believes Bumrah to be a strong contender. Moreover, his comeback in the team has the chances to improve morale of the team but won’t be of much contribution for the whole bowling department.
‘Not only one bowler, but you also need your combination to work – both spinners and pacers need to excel. However, the return of Jasprit Bumrah is a good sign for India, he adds experience to the bowling attack. He has variations but having said that he hasn’t played much in recent times. He is coming out of a long break, it will be interesting to see how he moulds himself in the XI after the return – said Sodhi.
If India wants to win, the four main players in the squad are crucial enough for them to bring the World Cup trophy home.
In the end, Sodhi concluded that for the upcoming matches in the tournament, India needs the great form of Rohit and Virat Kohli with the batting power while Yuzvendra Chahal and Bumrah will be the key players from the bowling department.
After a hiatus of 15 years, Indian squad will depart to Australia in the hope of clinching the T20 World Cup 2022 title. In the ICC events, the men in blue struggled to go the distance and couldn’t lay their hands on the trophy since 2013 Champions Trophy Triumph under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
The squad designated for the upcoming matches for the mega event, is the oldest as per the latest cricket news when compared to the previous campaigns. The cricket enthusiasts are expecting much more from the men in blue this year.
The participant cricketer in Legends League Cricket said, ‘If you got an all-rounder (fast bowling) and a couple of spinners, four fast bowlers it is a bit of a risk. But India are probably looking at playing two pacers and an all-rounder Hardik Pandya and two spinners.’
‘In Australia you surely need to play three fast bowlers, possibly four in certain conditions, for example Perth. I guess they have a plan going in but it is a bit of a risk if you only take four (pacers), the former left-arm tearaway quickly said.
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