T20 World Cup 2024: Top Three questions Team India would be looking forward to answer ahead of Super Eight stage.
India lost valuable match practice after their clash against Canada was abandoned due to rain. This match could have answered a few questions that they have to tackle when the Super Eight clashes begin in T20 World Cup 2024. Nevertheless, India move into the Super Eight unbeaten. They will now look to top their group to book a berth in the semis.
Ahead of the Super Eight clashes against Afghanistan, Australia and another team yet to qualify, here are a few pertinent questions that India must look to tackle quickly to maintain their winning momentum.
What should be India’s approach in Super Eight?
The USA leg of the tournament saw low-scoring matches with a few exciting thrillers. The pitch in the USA leg was ‘tricky’ as there was uneven bounce that aided the pacers. However, the West Indies leg where all the Super Eight matches will be held, will serve spin-friendly pitches and conditions where batting would be challenging.
How will India approach the Super Eight? Will they don the aggressive and fearless approach to beat their opponents? Or, will they tread cautiously, playing according to the pitch, conditions and the situation of the game?
Firstly, West Indian pitches would be similar to the sub-continental pitches back in India where spinners dominate the proceedings. However, if the batters trust their skills against spin, they can score useful runs. Hence, it won’t entirely be a bowling-dominated affair. There will be an equal contest between bat and ball.
Hence, Rohit Sharma and his men need to ensure that they bat sensibly on these pitches. Moreover, they need to judge the conditions well and play their best XI to reap rewards. However, this would be easier said than done. But with the experience of playing on such pitches back home, the ‘Men in Blue’ have an edge compared to the other sides.
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Will India play an additional spinner and bench a pacer?
India played three front-line pacers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh - alongside two medium-pace all-rounders in Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube during the USA leg of the tournament. But the West Indies leg of the tournament will see three frontline pacers as a luxury.
Instead, India may prefer to play an additional spinner in Kuldeep Yadav at the expense of Siraj (possibly). Therefore, the bowling combination would possibly be two frontline pacers, two medium-pace all-rounders and three spinners in Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep.
India would prefer to go with as many as four all-rounders (same as the USA leg) to add batting-depth. They would also persist with Dube as one of the all-rounders. He was widely acclaimed for his big-hitting against spinners in the IPL. If conditions are too favourable for spin, they may play all their four spinners and possibly bench Dube. However, that is too far-fetched at the moment.
Questions loom over Virat Kohli’s form
The washed-out match against Canada robbed some batting practice for India, especially Virat Kohli. The talismanic batter has been dismissed for single-digit scores in all the three outings in the tournament thus far. He would be under pressure to score runs to justify his promotion as the opener, while regular opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has been warming the benches.
India would continue with the Rohit-Kohli duo as the openers, hoping Kohli would hit his stride and live up to his reputation of raising his game in crucial matches. Therefore, all eyes will be on Kohli to hit some form in the crucial Super Eight phase.