BackIndia’s weak belly
The dominance of the top three has masked India's middle-order problems, but New Zealand exposed them
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Ahead of the 2016 World Twenty20, there was optimism about India’s chances, emanating mostly from a new-found balance in the side’s bowling attack. The introduction of seam bowler Jasprit Bumrah and seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya and the recall of experienced seamer Ashish Nehra had played a role in India’s run of 10 wins in 11 T20 games before the tournament began on 15 March.
However, a look at the numbers reveals that India’s top order, consisting of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, was still perhaps the most important cog in the team’s recent success.
In the eleven T20 games India played this year before the World T20—three in Australia, three at home against Sri Lanka and five during the Asia Cup in Bangladesh—Dhawan scored 258 runs in 10 innings at 32.23, with a strike rate of 126.47; Sharma scored 337 runs in 11 innings at 30.63, with a strike rate of 129.61; and Kohli plundered 352 runs at an astonishing average of 117.33 and a strike rate of 134.35.
“Shikhar’s role is to go out and play his natural game, taking on the fielding restrictions. Rohit and I bat in the same manner, assessing the situation and building the innings with your partner. So we have been able to build an awareness whenever we have batted for the first 10-12 overs, and that is what helps our side set up tall totals or chase down big scores," Kohli said ahead of India’s opening game in the World T20 against New Zealand.
His words can be tallied with what India have achieved in the past seven weeks or so. They put up two 180-plus totals in Australia, and chased down 190-odd there as well. They also scored 196/6 versus Sri Lanka at home and then 166/6 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup.
In those two matches, Pandya played a crucial role with the bat, but the rest of the middle order failed. This, their over-dependence on the top order, is something that slipped slightly under the radar during India’s impressive run.
This weakness was revealed during their first World T20 game against New Zealand in Nagpur on Tuesday. On a turning track, New Zealand took a brave punt to drop their prime bowlers and opt for a spin-based attack. Nathan McCullum, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi then stunned the hosts, picking up nine wickets between them as India were bowled out for an embarrassing 79, chasing 127 runs for victory.
India lost two early wickets, and then the middle order crumbled to leave them reeling at 43 for 7 after 10.2 overs. The collapse was caused by a combination of some inspired bowling, bad luck and loose shots, but mainly it was due to the Indian batsmen’s new-found vulnerability to quality spin on turning tracks.
“We lacked partnerships," captain M.S. Dhoni said after the embarrassing loss. “If you have partnerships, you can keep pushing for ones and twos in the middle overs, but if not, then rotating the strike becomes a problem. There were a few soft dismissals, and there were no partnerships at all."
The 47-run loss highlights India’s middle-order problems. In October, after losing 2-0 to South Africa in a home T20 series, India dropped Ambati Rayudu and persisted with the experienced Suresh Raina. His form this year has been poor, as has comeback kid Yuvraj Singh’s. There is an argument that they haven’t had many opportunities because the top order has been in such great form, but there have been enough collapses like the one against New Zealand to cause the team some worry. During the home series against Sri Lanka, in the game in Pune, India were reduced to 33 for 3. Raina and Singh could not resurrect the innings, and India were bowled out for 101.
Dhoni’s response to Raina and Singh’s lean run of scores has been to push himself up the order when required. New Zealand proved that this is possibly an inadequate solution—and that the middle order could prove to be a major chink in India’s armour.
Chetan Narula is the author of Skipper: A Definitive Account of India’s Greatest Captains.
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