Washington Sundar

India's massive loss to South Africa in the Super Eight section of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament is an indication that India's winning streak has hit a roadblock. Its progress from here on has become dependent upon several factors, which are complex in nature. The huge victory of the West Indies over Zimbabwe has further endangered India's position. After the loss to South Africa, India must now carefully plan their remaining matches to stay in contention for a spot in the semi-final. The semi-final qualification rules are as follows: First, points will be the top criterion, and the two teams that have the highest points will qualify. That much is quite straightforward. But if points are tied, then the Net Run Rate (NRR) will determine the qualifying positions. If NRR is also tied, then head-to-head results will be the determining factor. Now, after India's loss to South Africa, further progress may depend on all these factors. India was riding the crest of a wave. The boat was rocked by just one bad performance. It is not unusual and does happen sometimes. India's big loss to South Africa saw our run rate descend to -3.80. Later, the West Indies thrashed Zimbabwe by 107 runs and raised its run rate to a whopping 5.35. So now, India’s chances of making it into the semifinals will very likely depend upon the results of its own matches as well as other contests. India must win big in next two contests Not only will India have to win its next two matches by a handsome margin, they will also have to pray that the other results go in such a way that favours India's position in the table. Due to the run rate gains made by West Indies and South Africa from their matches, India is under great pressure to win big and increase its run rate drastically. Nothing less will do. One advantage India has in its favour is that India will play its last Super Eight match (against West Indies), after the South Africa vs Zimbabwe battle. So, India will have a clear picture of the run rate requirements in its last Super Eight game. That may help by giving India a clear target. How did this happen? But why did this come about? Why did the strongest team in the tournament allow the situation to descend into such chaos? Coach Gautam Gambhir is facing a lot of flak. One very obvious question that arises is: Why was Axar Patel replaced by Washington Sundar for the match against South Africa? It was a very unusual decision and failed miserably. Team India coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav. It hampered India to a considerable extent. However, it wasn’t because of one selection error that India lost. The batting failed collectively. Suryakumar Yadav is an excellent batsman but he didn't provide the kind of example that was required from him both as a batter and a captain. He reads the game well and picks up signals from the bowler’s body language, his field placements and bats according to match situations. He does not lock himself into predictable lines of planning. Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma have the same qualities, although Sharma is going through a lean patch. Poor show by opening pair That brings us to the second point. Abhishek Sharma's bad form is putting India under immense pressure. If the opening stand is repeatedly low, then the middle order is subjected to an overload. Here are India's opening stands in the ongoing tournament: 8 vs USA, 25 vs Namibia, 1 vs Pakistan, 0 vs Netherlands and 0 vs South Africa. With the start being consistently poor, how can India do well? Has India become too predictable? Without going too deep into the minor details, it looks like India has become too predictable. Rival coaches have understood India's mindset and have come up with counter-schemes. Some teams have used an off-spinner attack effectively against India's top order. The examples are Salman Ali Agha (for Pakistan), Aryan Dutt (for the Netherlands) and Aiden Markram (for South Africa). In each of these cases, our rivals used an off-spinner to open the bowling, instead of the conventional fast bowler. And as soon as our opening stand was broken, the off-spinner would depart from the attack line. The rivals have spotted something in us that we have overlooked. It is time to figure out what it is and immediately change our approach. Moreover, India's think tank must now accept the fact that discarding Axar Patel was a mistake and he must be brought back for the next two battles. Next, we have to tighten the fielding. Our fielding has not been as sharp and disciplined as it could have been. View it like a knockout contest From here on, India needs to win every match. So, India should look at the event like a knockout contest from now on. The team must go for the jugular of the opponents, knowing that the slightest relaxation will cost us the World Cup. It is a trophy that we have the ability to win, and if we adopt the right approach, we can still do it.

Washington Sundar

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