OPINION
Follow UsIndia’s Rishabh Pant experiment signals new approach
When KL Rahul was announced to return to the playing XI, it was widely expected that the 29-year-old would slot back as Rohit Sharma’s opening partner. That only would have put India’s middle-order spanner in the works. For the uninitiated, it was Rishabh Pant, who was promoted to the top of the batting order.
While the move might not have worked on the day, India’s incredible on-the-ground thinking was bang on. In Shikhar Dhawan and Ishan Kishan’s absence, the lack of left-right combination would have made it tough for India to get off to a good start. Plus, the fact that Pant, previously, both in age-group and at the senior level has opened the batting, India took a logical punt.
In the post-match presentation, Indian skipper Rohit cleared it, stating that "I have been asked to try something different. We wanted to try it (Pant opening) one game. Shikhar should be back for the next game. We don't mind losing a few games trying out a few things."
Not just that, it in fact, also solved one of India’s main ODI issues – middle-over batting. It was the duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Rahul, whose partnership (49) helped India recover from 43/3. To add to that, India also promoted Washington Sundar ahead of Deepak Hooda, to counter the left-arm spin.
While Rahul’s run-out was rather unfortunate, the spark from the partnership showed how India might have finally found their perfect middle-order for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Suryakumar Yadav is here, and should stay
If Suryakumar Yadav isn’t a guaranteed starter, the Indian ODI side isn’t going anywhere. Now, it might seem like an obvious statement, the Mumbaikar’s place in the side hasn’t been that straightforward. But after this knock, it will change. Since debut, the 31-year-old averages 65.25 in the 50-over format and possesses multiple-gears that could swing his selection.
Barring two innings, both on sluggish wickets against West Indies, the right-hander has a strike-rate of over 105 in all the encounters. On Wednesday, the Mumbaikar showed his calm, composed and intelligent side that India were looking for. India’s middle-order in the middle overs has struggled to pick up pace in the past.
Not only does Yadav solve that, his ability against spin is potentially a game-changer for India. With Iyer being his closest competitor, Yadav averages 46.67 against spin, while still striking it at 113.8. Not just that, his BPB (7.7) is far superior to Iyer’s (16.5), which all but makes the competition between Iyer and Rahul for a place.
Nicholas Pooran’s form highlights Windies’ middle-order woes
In Kieron Pollard’s absence, when Nicholas Pooran walked out at the toss, all expectations were on him to up his batting. While his decisions as a leader, be it bringing on Odean Smith or bringing back the spinners in the death overs, were bang on, his batting still remains a big worry. Across his last ten ODI innings, the highest score for the southpaw is an unbeaten 59.
Barring that, he has had five single digit scores in the last ten ODIs, showing how brittle the Windies batting efforts have been. In ODIs since 2020, only Pakistan’s middle-order batters have a poor record than the Men in Maroon. The Windies middle-order in the last two years, average just 18.9, losing a wicket every 29th delivery.
On top of that, in the middle-overs alone, the Windies have lost 67 wickets, the second-most in ODIs across the top ten teams. Furthermore, three out of the four worst batters in the middle-overs (since 2020) have all been West Indies players – Jason Holder, Pooran and Kieron Pollard.
With West Indies languishing in the bottom half of the ODI Super League (50 points in 13 ODIs), they would need more than the ordinary efforts from their middle-order to qualify for the 2023 World Cup in India.
Prasidh Krishna shows more than promise
Slowly but steadily, India are beginning to find the perfect combination for their powerplay issues. In absence of plethora of stars, India have found two gems in Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj. Twice across the last three games, India have struck twice in the first ten overs, including three in the last two ODIs against West Indies.
In Bumrah’s absence, Krishna has taken the mantle of bowling in the powerplay, where he has been impressive. Not only has the Karnataka man struck twice on Wednesday but he has shown that his ‘height-factor’ is unignorable. As explored earlier in this piece, Krishna’s exploit gives India an X-factor in the first ten overs.
Here in Ahmedabad during the second ODI, Krishna’s line and lengths showed how he could maximize on his heights. During his first spell, starting with the eight over, the lanky pacer bowled a total of 91.7% deliveries in the back of a length area, picking up two wickets. While he might not have hit the mark in prior ODIs, in this series, he has consistently hit the back of the length area.
He wasn’t done, his second spell, well thought move from Sharma, resulted in Pooran’s massive wicket. It was only fitting when the Karnataka man dismissed Kemar Roach to lead India to a win here in Ahmedabad, finishing with figures of 4/12, from nine overs, with three maidens.
