T20 World Cup: Bangladesh take a stand; Pakistan’s move reeks of desperation
The trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20Is after their World Cup triumph. Rishabh Pant has failed to improve his T20I game and is no longer in contention.Under Gambhir, India have reshaped their T20 schedule.Abhishek Sharma still has a long way to go to match the greatness of Rohit Sharma. However, since his debut in Harare in 2024, the Amritsar mauler has set the world on fire. In 38 matches, Abhishek scored two centuries and scored nearly 200, at 194.74. His explosive bat goes beyond the numbers. It is the psychological impact he creates in the opposition dressing room that gives India a decisive edge.Since his debut, Abhishek has had two opening partners. On debut, he scored with his childhood friend Shubman Gill at the other end before forming a dangerous partnership with Sanju Samson. After Gambhir took the lead, Samson moved up the order and equaled Abhishek with his own knock as he scored three hundreds in five matches.
Thiruvananthapuram: India’s Sanju Samson, left, and Abhishek Sharma arrive to bat (PTI Photo/R SenthilKumar)
Ahead of the Asia Cup, fresh from his heroics as Test captain in England, Gill was brought in as vice-captain. The Gill-Abhishek experiment lasted 15 games before the Test and ODI captaincy was dropped due to combination issues. Sanju is back on top but his poor outings against New Zealand where he managed just 52 runs in five matches may force him to drop Ishan Kishan who is in devastating form.Kishan entered the Indian team as second choice and played only in the absence of Tilak Varma. Now with 215 runs in four matches, Sanju’s rough patch has given the Jharkhand skipper a huge advantage. With Varma, India’s Asia Cup hero and designated No.3, back to full fitness, Abhishek could have his third opening partner on February 7 for the tournament opener against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium.The biggest concern for the Gambhir-coached side was the form of captain Suryakumar Yadav. In the 25 matches preceding the New Zealand series, he managed just 244 runs at an average of 12.84 and a strike rate of 117.87. He was dismissed just once from 20 balls against New Zealand. His strike rate against fuller deliveries from fast bowlers rose to 217.95. Surya hit three half-centuries, with a top score of 82 not out, finishing as the series’ major winner and amassing 242 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 196.74.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav after winning the T20 International cricket series against New Zealand (PTI Photo/R SenthilKumar)
In Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, India have two six-hitting machines in the middle order. Hardik’s batting talent was never in doubt, but he has taken it up a notch.Dube’s inclusion over Rinka Singh in the last T20 World Cup raised eyebrows, but he has re-emerged and is arguably the most improved cricketer of the Gambhir era. R Ashwin has repeatedly stated on his YouTube channel that Dube is a specialist in taking spinners to the cleaners. However, the burly all-rounder also showed his striking prowess against the pacers. The 32-year-old had the second-best strike rate in the New Zealand series at 248.93, behind Abhishek Sharma’s 249.30. He also made useful contributions with the ball.Then there is Axar Patel who often flies under the radar. Axar played a key role in India’s triumph two years ago and will once again be a key cog in Gambhir’s gambit. In India’s Rink, they have a specialist finisher who only made the World Cup squad after the selectors decided to shelve the Shubman Gill experiment. He too proved himself with the bat in the New Zealand series.With chills running down the spines of the opposition camps, the Indian bowling unit looks even more threatening. In Arshdeep, Bumrah and Hardik, India have three bowlers with 100 T20I wickets each. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are close with 94 and 86 scalps respectively.
India’s Varun Chakravarthy (PTI Photo/Shiva Sharma)
Then there is Varun Chakravarthy’s X-Factor. Between the last two World Cups, the 34-year-old took 57 wickets at an economy rate of 7.42 and struck every 11.2 balls. This is not Varun’s first World Cup but he will have a lot to prove after a very forgettable outing in 2021.Never before has the T20 World Cup had such overwhelming favorites or a side so well equipped to rewrite history. India has the luxury of unmatched depth and adaptability. This team is a refined version of the team that won two years ago.READ ALSO: Rashid Latif on Pakistan boycotting India match: ‘Anything is possible in 24 hours’Gambhir’s men just run in, lob the ball, swing the bat and harass the opposition with smiles on their faces. If the T20 World Cup awaits a team that defies its own history, Gautam Gambhir’s India look set to be the exception.