The hoo-ha surrounding the Test team and their predicaments on overseas tours have settled down for a bit now as India head back to familiar territory, courtesy the Asia Cup. They come off a 2-1 series loss to England in England in the ODIs but have been unbeaten in six ODI series prior to that, a streak that runs all the way back to the Champions Trophy in England in 2017.
With comprehensive victories against Sri Lanka (5-0), South Africa (5-1), Australia (4-1), West Indies (3-1), New Zealand (2-1) and Sri Lanka again (2-1), India were seemingly on an interminable crest when they hit the roadblock in England.
After a gruesome Test series, of which only a few had minimal rest before heading out to UAE, India are back to limited-overs format and the Asia Cup presents the perfect platform for them to hit the right notes.
But everything doesn’t look rosy for the Indian side going into the World Cup with several of their issues masked by individual brilliance. The World Cup is still a few months off and the Asia Cup, despite the vastly different conditions in UAE, could present India with a chance to fiddle around with their options before the World Cup.
Here is a list of few issues India will look to iron out by the end of the Asia Cup:
The Familiar No.4 Brainteaser
India’s will hope to put an end to their never-ending issues at the no.4 position in ODIs. Since the 2015 World Cup, India’s no.4 batsmen have the second lowest batting average among the competing Asia Cup teams (Afghanistan have the lowest).
An average of 35.31 with two hundreds and a strike rate of less than 85 is not what India expect from their no.4 batsman.
As many as 11 batsmen have tried their luck at the spot with Yuvraj Singh and Manish Pandey being the only centurions since the last World Cup. The Asia Cup will see a familiar tussle for the coveted spot – Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul and possibly even MS Dhoni could vie for the spot. India could care less as to who wins the bid as long as their issues are resolved.
Who Are Your Back-up Seamers?
Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have virtually etched down their names into the World Cup squad and Hardik Pandya – another who can bowl seam – is almost certain to figure in the playing XI unless things go bizarrely downhill. This leaves India with two spots (considering they might need five seamers in England for the World Cup) vacant.
The chief selector, MSK Prasad, had hinted that slots are vacant in the fast bowling department when choosing Khaleel Ahmed for the Asia Cup. Alongside Siddharth Kaul, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Shardul Thakur, Khaleel will compete for a place in the World Cup squad. Only Thakur and Khaleel are picked in the Asia Cup team and the onus is on them to nail down their spots by the end of the tournament.
Who Plays No.6 and Who is Your Part-Timer?
While the no.4 spot has hogged headlines, India quietly remain on the lookout for a batsman who can finish off games and also chip in with a few overs. At the moment, Kedar Jadhav is the only batsman in the squad capable of filling in a few overs as sixth bowler. He should as such get to play most games which could be a problem if he cannot contribute with the bat.
He has played most of his games in the sub-continent and as such his slingy off-spin has been useful. Considering his 2/22 at Birmingham against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy cannot be taken at face value, Jadhav’s bowling has been tidy but not over the top. That would have been quite alright for a sixth bowler had he contributed consistently with the bat.
That hasn’t been the case, though, with Jadhav averaging 26.90 with the bat since the Champions Trophy. His strike rate has also fallen to 92.21, less than his career rate of 109.01.
All of this means Jadhav is under pressure to prove his place in the side at the Asia Cup. If he cannot, India will need to resume their hunt for an all-rounder good enough to bat in the top 6 or at least a part-time spinner in their top 6.
The Hardik Pandya Conundrum
Another after effect of not having a reliable sixth bowler is having to bank on Hardik Pandya for his quota of 10 overs or at least 8 overs.
The all-rounder has a career economy of 5.56 and has bowled his quota of overs just eight times in 29 matches since the Champions Trophy final.
In the three ODIs in England before the Tests, he conceded runs at 6.71, 7.00 and 7.09 picking just 1 wicket across three matches.
If Pandya is identified as your no.7, India need him to bowl more consistently and economically. Pandya’s returns are especially worrying when you consider the fact that he is the fifth bowler in the ODI setup now. That Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah, Chahal and Kuldeep have been top-notch has camouflaged Pandya’s diminishing returns with the ball in this format.
That said, he was quite good in bowler friendly conditions in the Test series in England and this should give him some confidence heading into the Asia Cup. Can India zero in on him as the fifth bowler and rely on him more confidently will be the lingering question till the mega event in England next year.
Woes Against Left-Arm Seam
The inswinger from Mohammad Amir that trapped Rohit Sharma in front at The Oval in the Champions Trophy final last year is still fresh in the memory of fans. India’s history of struggling against left-arm seamers was rekindled in England recently with the 20-year old Sam Curran causing problems for the established Test batsmen.
Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Jason Behrendorff, Mustafizur Rehman, Mohammad Amir and now Sam Curran have all found success against India’s batsmen.
The Asia Cup will see India facing off against a Pakistan attack that has four left-arm seamers! But it isn’t like they are unprepared for the barrage. India have hired a left-arm throwdown specialist, Nuwan Seneviratne from Sri Lanka, to prepare their batsmen for the onslaught awaiting them. Earlier, Arjun Tendulkar and Aniket Choudhary had made appearances in the Indian net sessions to prep up the batsmen. With a specialist brought in, India have recognized and accepted their issues and it could be an assured step forward if the Lankan can pull it off.
(Rohit Sankar is a freelance cricket writer. He can be reached at @imRohit_SN)
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