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4 Mistakes India are Making in T20Is that Could Prove Costly | India in T20Is | Can India win World T20 2020?

In the T20I series vs West Indies, India recorded a solid 2-1 series victory, courtesy of some outrageous batting from the Indian top order.

However, though the two victories were convincing, India have been making key errors in T20Is for a while now. Despite having a few of the best players in the world and lots of exciting talent at the helm, India hasn’t shown the kind of dominance they do in the other two formats of the game.

Losing a game per series has been a norm for India. Even though it is fine once in a while, India has been a side which hasn’t been quick in learning from mistakes and are still lagging behind a few other teams in this format. Here, we look at the things that India have been doing wrong, and how they can take advantage of their biggest strength.

Error #1: Preferring Shikhar Dhawan over KL Rahul

KL Rahul has a fantastic record in T20Is. While batting in the first T20I vs West Indies, Rahul became the joint third fastest to 1,000 T20I runs, taking only two more innings than Virat Kohli.

It is absurd that he hasn’t been a part of the team in this format on so many occasions. Supremely talented, he has all the shots in the book. He has superb balance at the crease and can play shots all around the ground. But, India has constantly dropped him from the playing XI or have batted him in the middle order, while playing Shikhar Dhawan at the top.

Even though Shikhar’s T20 game has improved, he still lags behind his other partners in terms of strike rate. He often struggles to get going.

On the other hand, KL bats at a very healthy strike rate from the start of the game. Also, his hitting prowess vs spin bowling means he can keep going in the middle overs. KL Rahul for Dhawan should be no brainer. Now, since Dhawan is injured and KL has scored two back-to-back fifties at a good rate, it seems like India will finally persist with him.

Error #2: Slowing Down After Powerplay

A major issue with India; particularly batting first, is that they are often not sure about the ideal score. Very often they are found wanting short of the ideal score because they are too slow in the middle overs. Many times, India has slowed down despite getting a quickfire start, mainly because the likes of Shikhar Dhawan find it hard to clear the boundary rope once fielding restrictions are lifted.

Also, India’s middle-order, apart from Virat Kohli, doesn’t inspire much confidence either. Shreyas Iyer has played a couple of really good knocks but he is yet to be tested against quality pace bowling. Rishabh Pant, who is a dynamic T20 player and can hit boundaries on a consistent basis, hasn’t found his feet, which has added to India’s woes.

The proof? India have a 14-3 record while chasing since the beginning of 2018. When setting a score, this becomes nine wins, eight losses.

Error #3: Wasting Opportunities On The Wrong Players

India has often been guilty of mixing formats when selecting their squad; especially for T20Is.

Someone like Mohammed Shami, who has barely done anything in the shortest format of the game, is being included because of his heroics in the longer format. Also, Khaleel Ahmed has played a handful number of games for India in T20Is, and the way he has bowled is far from promising. He lacks the variations required, is inconsistent with yorkers and his obsession with short balls has made him a release-bowler for opponents.

Perhaps the only reason he has got so much game-time is that he is a left-arm bowler. While having a left-arm pacer adds to the variety in a team’s bowling attack, it can’t be a substitute for required skills. His exclusion for the last couple of games suggests that India might finally move away from Khaleel.

Error #4: Substandard Fielding

Despite routine drops in the slips, India is a pretty good fielding side in Tests and even better in ODIs. But, for some reason, India has often been an awful fielding side in T20Is. Fielders are often dropping regulation catches and there are a number of errors in ground fielding.

The worst bit? This has been going on for a while but seems like there has been no improvement at all. In this format, where every run is so important and counts for so much, so many errors so often can prove to be match-changing and fatal.

Things India Are Doing Right

Extremely Talented and Experienced Group Of Core Players

However, it is not all doom-and-gloom. The main thing India has got right in this format (which is a non-tactical one) is the talented bunch of players they have.

Much of India’s core team in T20Is similar to their ODI team. The really good and solid top order of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli and spinners, mainly Yuzvendra Chahal and quality pacer in Jasprit Bumrah; form a really good core. All of them are few of the best players in the world at their respective jobs and on their day, they have the capability to single-handedly change the course of the match.

Verdict

For a top-quality side, India has been making far too many blunders in the shortest format of the game. Even though it seems India are working to rectifying a few of them, there is a lot more work to be done. If India is quick enough in rectifying those errors, it might put them back among the top teams in this format and improve their chances in the WT20 next year.

Written by Saurabh Shinde. Follow Saurabh on Twitter today.

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