Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: India’s crushing defeat by South Africa in the opening tournament of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has raised serious questions about an underperforming batting unit, with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitting that changes – including the possible inclusion of Sanju Samson – are firmly on the table.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!India’s top order on the left again crumbled under pressure during the chase of 188, eventually collapsing for 111. The spotlight fell heavily on unsung opener Abhishek Sharma, who managed just 15 – his first runs of the tournament after three consecutive ducks – and Tilak Varma, whose struggles were compounded by India’s fragile starts.
T20 World Cup: Ryan ten Doeschate’s press conference after India’s loss against South Africa
Dealing with the selection dilemma, Ten Doeschate acknowledged that introducing a right-handed option like Samson is being seriously considered.“Yes, of course, we’ve looked at the five outings we’ve had now, four teams have started at part-time and it’s got a wicket every time, apart from the USA game where we lost Abhi scoreless (with pacer Ali Khan) anyway,” he said.“So to start every innings with zero for one, I think it was literally zero or a couple of runs for one every time obviously puts pressure on the link players. Tilak and SKY (Surya), their role is to connect with the guys at the back end and it doesn’t work like that,” he added.
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India now faces a tough dilemma between supporting struggling players and making bold changes.“Are you going to stick with guys who we think have done really well over the last 18 months and who are maybe a few runs shy now? Or do we twist and bring in Sanja who is also a fantastic player and obviously helps tactically by having a right-hander at the top of the order and I’m sure that will be talked about in the next few days going into these two very important games,” he said.Ten Doeschate also revealed that Abhishek’s poor run was exacerbated by illness.“You want him to be on the run and confident in his swing and confident in his game plan (on Abhishek) and when you give three zeroes it starts to weigh on you. I saw some really good signs in the nets on Friday night. I think I mentioned it in the press then. But it looks a bit short and our job as a coaching staff is to make it through four days.He also defended Rinka Singh, whose returns as a finisher were modest.“There’s no point talking about the rhythm in the nets or how the guys are feeling or what they’re not feeling. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get a performance out of all the players and as I’ve just said, it’s a challenge for the staff, along with the players now, to regroup and put in a big effort leading up to the next game against Zimbabwe,” he concluded.
