Is too much talent a problem for Indian cricket?

1 year ago 68

Virat Kohli of India celebrates winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup lucifer  betwixt  India and Pakistan astatine  Melbourne Cricket Ground connected  October 23, 2022 successful  Melbourne, Australia.Image source, Getty Images

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Virat Kohli has been 1 of the apical performers successful planetary cricket

By Suresh Menon

Sports Writer

It is simply a decennary present since India won an ICC trophy, and with the 50-over World Cup acceptable to beryllium played successful India successful October-November, 2 questions inquire themselves.

The evident 1 is: volition this beryllium India's twelvemonth again aft Mahendra Singh Dhoni's last six became the enduring representation of India's triumph successful 2011? And little often: Is Indian cricket going done a play of transition?

In sport, modulation seldom happens overnight. Sometimes a drawstring of accordant victories mightiness pb to a fewer elder players making mode for youngsters. But much often, it is decision that leads to change.

India had a middling 2022, winning astir 58% each of the Tests and one-day internationals they played, and 70% of the T20 matches. They are successful the framework to play the last of the World Test title aboriginal this year, and favourites to triumph the World Cup.

Yet, determination is simply a nagging feeling India played beneath potential. The apical batters person struggled and the bowling hasn't ever inspired. Injuries to cardinal players person lone added to the problems. These are issues crossed formats, though India are ranked No.2 successful Tests, No.1 successful T20 and No.4 successful ODIs. Some teams would beryllium blessed with this authorities of affairs.

Part of the occupation is the precocious expectations: India are expected to triumph everything, and thing abbreviated of that is simply a disappointment to the millions who spot victories successful cricket arsenic someway making up for defeats successful their ain lives elsewhere.

Image source, Getty Images

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India request a apical batsman who tin besides vessel successful white-ball cricket

Part of the occupation is besides scheduling, wherever excessively galore matches are required to beryllium played to support the bare tv beast suitably fed. In the World Cup year, and aft the past T20 World Cup, for instance, determination was nary request to play each those T20 matches conscionable now.

India volition play 9 ODIs astatine location against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia earlier the extremity of March. In effect, they volition beryllium playing against themselves, looking to enactment retired the close combination, ensuring that players get capable remainder (the Indian Premier League follows the Australia series), and that injuries are decently attended to. It was worrying to perceive Chetan Sharma, main of selectors, accidental that injured accelerated bowler Jasprit Bumrah mightiness person been rushed into contention excessively soon.

India besides play 4 Tests against table-leaders Australia astatine home, and with lone Sri Lanka and South Africa successful the moving still, they are successful a bully presumption to marque the final.

In November, it volition beryllium a decennary since Sachin Tendulkar retired and signalled the extremity of an epoch of Indian cricket named aft him. Interestingly, 7 players from his past Test are inactive playing internationals - and performing too. Ravichandran Ashwin is 37, Cheteswar Pujara a fewer days from 35, and Virat Kohli 34. Ravindra Jadeja is 34 excessively portion Shikhar Dhawan is 37.

Either the younger players are not pushing hard enough, oregon if they are, they are having to hold longer than immoderate of these players had to earlier breaking into the large league.

Left limb mean pacer Arshdeep Singh turns 24 adjacent month, portion the world's astir breathtaking batsman successful T20, Suryakumar Yadav is 32 and mightiness interruption into the Test squad for the location series, particularly if the apical bid struggles to dominate.

What India are looking for is an each rounder oregon astatine slightest a apical 5 batsman who tin besides vessel successful achromatic shot cricket. Hardik Pandya and Jadeja acceptable that relation and Axar Patel is getting determination successful the shorter formats. When determination aren't capable bowling options, India person struggled, arsenic they did precocious against Bangladesh successful the ODI bid which they lost.

If the decision successful the T20 World Cup had a acquisition for India, it is this: T20 is simply a young man's game. When India won the rubric successful 2007 it was a fluke, and erstwhile India bushed Pakistan successful their inaugural lucifer successful Melbourne past year, it was different fluke. The occupation with doing good by mishap is that teams make delusions of adequacy.

The clip has travel to enactment T20 successful a abstracted handbasket of its ain - with its ain captain, ain specializer players, ain manager and enactment staff. England person done that, and reaped the rewards. The part successful cricket is not betwixt the reddish shot and the white, but betwixt Tests and ODIs connected 1 broadside and T20s connected the other.

T20 coaches should travel from the procreation that thinks successful that format. Data analysts are much important than coaches who close your screen drive.

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Rohit Sharma is the skipper of the Indian cricket team

India bash not person a settled squad successful ODI cricket, but luckily they person capable clip to marque their mistakes earlier the World Cup. Someone volition person to execute similar Yadav did successful the T20 - it mightiness beryllium Yadav himself - earlier the squad inspires.

Players request to beryllium backed initially and fixed assurance that they are portion of the team. Dropping left-arm spinner Kuldip Yadav successful Bangladesh for the 2nd Test aft helium was Player of the Match successful the first, is 1 mode of not doing this. The wrist spinner is simply a much hard proposition than the digit spinner, and specified bowlers person been palmy recently.

The question of balance, nary substance what the format, is 1 that the manager and skipper person to code constantly. Do you play the other batsman oregon the bits-and-pieces antheral who mightiness person a bully day? Do you take a non-regular wicketkeeper due to the fact that helium mightiness get you runs and anticipation helium doesn't driblet catches? Two digit spinners oregon 1 digit and 1 wrist, oregon an other mean pacer?

And what of the beatified cows? Do elder players travel with a "I situation you to driblet me" connected their backs? Should that beryllium taken seriously?

Unfortunately, cricket, similar life, moves guardant but tin lone beryllium understood successful retrospect. The perfect squad volition beryllium known aft India's last match!

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