India was riding high on consecutive wins in the first round of Asia Cup 2022. Their bowling clicked in the first game while their batters came to the party in the second game. But despite the wins, there were several chinks in their armour. India didn’t tend to these weak links. It came back to bite them in the Super 4s game against Pakistan.
India went down in the last over against their arch-rivals. They are now on the brink of elimination. If they can’t muster wins over Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, their party at the Asia Cup will be well and truly over. They have to up their game if they aspire to stay in contention in the tournament. India will be wary to avoid making a few key mistakes.
We look at 3 mistakes that could hurt India:
#1 Injury-hit team
In the wake of the pandemic and players’ workload, Indian management has adopted a rest and rotation policy. This ensured that players get enough rest between series. The Asia Cup 2022 was one tournament where the first-choice squad was expected to play. But injuries to Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel ruled them out of the tournament.
Ravindra Jadeja too was ruled out after suffering a knee injury. India’s bowling attack now bears a weak look in the absence of its key personnel. The team doesn’t seem to have a quality backup in its reserves.
#2 Team combination clarity
India’s approach of going all-out right from ball one has found many takers. But the team seems to be lacking clarity in the roles assigned to them. India fielded Dinesh Karthik in the first game. They benched Rishabh Pant. Cut to the third game, India did the opposite. Pant looked completely out of place batting in the middle overs. He failed to target his matchup. Pant ended up playing a poor stroke at the most inopportune time.
Deepak Hooda who has excelled as a top-order batter was relegated to number 7. Axar Patel, the designated finisher could have been a better pick. India is yet to field Ravichandran Ashwin who has great numbers against left-handed batters. They were guilty of fielding two wrist spinners, whom Mohammad Nawaz attacked brilliantly. India would do well to better their team combination.
#1 Bowlers looking hapless
India put in a spirited bowling performance in the opening game against Pakistan. Hardik Pandya was the wrecker-in-chief picking up 3 wickets. But Indian bowlers have looked pretty listless in the last two games. Indian bowlers need to be smarter with their plans.
The experienced duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal were guilty of bowling loose deliveries in crunch situations. India needs to fix their bowling issues if they harbour ambitions of playing the finals and winning the trophy.
