Reetinder Sodhi, a former Indian cricketer, analyzed India’s performance at the ICC event and singled out Rishabh Pant for his subpar performance in the game’s shortest format, arguing that the left-hander should be replaced in the starting XI by Sanju Samson.
With Suryakumar Yadav batting like a dream and Virat Kohli reclaiming his best form, the Rohit Sharma-led Team India entered the T20 World Cup’s Super 12 round as one of the favorites to win the competition.
India won Group 2 in the T20 World Cup after defeating archrival Pakistan in the tournament’s opening match by outclassing nations like the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.
The Rohit-led Team India fell short of expectations in the knockout round of the T20 World Cup despite their desire to break their ICC title drought.
India’s cricket team progress
Team India, led by Virat Kohli, was eliminated from the ICC World T20 after an embarrassing loss to eventual champions England in the second semi-final. India scored a disappointing 168 runs but could not claim even one England wicket as Jos Buttler and Alex Hales experimented with their bowling.
Reetinder Sodhi, a former Indian cricketer, highlighted Rishabh Pant’s subpar run in the game’s shortest format when discussing India’s performance at the ICC event. As a wicketkeeper-batter who struggled to make consistent appearances for the Men In Blue, Pant had a miserable campaign there. At the Adelaide Oval, Pant struck six runs off the first four deliveries of India’s match against England.
Sodhi supported Sanju Samson to replace Pant in the Indian white-ball squad in an interview with India News prior to the One Day International (ODI) series opener against New Zealand. For Team India, he is turning into a burden.
“Bring Sanju Samson in if the situation is this. At the end of the day, you have to take the risk because you cannot afford to lose and be eliminated from World Cup or ICC competitions. Problems occur when you extend opportunities excessively. The moment has arrived to give freshmen options,” said Sodhi.
“Only time will tell how many chances he receives and for how long. He needs to tighten his shoes badly because time is passing. Everything is constrained. You can only rely on one player so much.
You must point out the departure door to him if he is not performing, he continued. While power hitter Samson has only been in 26 international white-ball games for the former world champions, Pant has played in 27 ODIs and 66 T20Is for India.
Rishabh Pant was not selected in either the ODI or T20I teams for India, which will play Sri Lanka starting on January 3.
India’s team announcement
With India’s ODI and T20I teams for the Sri Lanka home series announced on Tuesday, the decisions of the departing selection committee have drawn more criticism. As Rohit Sharma makes a comeback for the ODI series, Hardik Pandya will captain India in the three-match T20I series beginning January 3.
Due to the left thumb injury, he sustained in the second ODI against Bangladesh, Rohit has not entirely recovered. Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, and two young seamers, Mukesh Kumar and Shivam Mavi, have all been called up for the T20I side, giving it a new appearance.
Having taken a break from the Bangladesh series, Suryakumar Yadav is back in the lineup and has been selected as the vice-captain of the T20I team.
Many absences and inclusions were unexpected, with Hardik Pandya upgraded to vice-captain for the ODIs despite KL Rahul’s presence clearly indicating a change in the leadership role in white-ball cricket.
Has Rishabh Pant been benched for the ODIs and T20 Internationals? The thumb injury to Rohit Sharma may still be bothering him, while KL Rahul may not be available because of personal obligations, but why is Virat Kohli’s name missing from the T20I squad?
Does that imply that he won’t be taken into account for the shortest format any longer? Does Bhuvneshwar Kumar share this trait?
None of the squads mention him by name. Regarding Shikhar Dhawan, what? In the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series, the player who captained India in the most of ODI series last year has not been named.
Is he hurt or has he just been dismissed for good? Why was Sanju Samson benched for ODI matches?
The exclusions and inclusions are not explained in any way by the BCCI news release.
“India’s teams have been chosen by the All-India Senior Selection Committee for the next Mastercard Sri Lanka Tour of India, which will take place in January 2023. The tour includes three T20Is and the same number of ODIs.” Apart from the 16 names for the three T20Is and three ODIs, this is all that can be read.
Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant will wear the wicket-keeper mitts for Thursday’s Twenty20 World Cup semifinal match against England, according to India skipper Rohit Sharma, who has not yet made up his mind.
To date, India’s favorite stumper has been the seasoned Dinesh Karthik, who is an excellent finisher with the bat. Pant had his only outing in Sunday’s meaningless Super 12 match against Zimbabwe, where he collected three runs.
Because they don’t have another left-handed batsman in their frontline of batsmen, India, who won the first competition in 2007, may yet be tempted to utilize Pant.
Image of Rohit Sharma, from Wikipedia.
To give the 25-year-old some playing time in case he is required in the tournament’s knockout round, Rohit claimed it was a “tactical” decision to field Pant versus Zimbabwe.
It would be unjust to just bring the man from nowhere and force him to play the game, Rohit said during a news conference at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday. “If we want to make changes for the semis or the finals, we should be entitled to do that,” Rohit said.
The players have been informed from the start that everyone must be prepared for every game they may have to play, whether it is a league game, a semifinal game, or a championship game.
“We wanted to give a lefthander a chance to counter some of the middle-over spinners for England and New Zealand,” said the selectors. That was the idea (behind playing Pant).
“What will occur the following day? Both keepers will undoubtedly be in action, though I can’t say for sure right now.”
Image of Jos Buttler, from Wikipedia.
Despite taking a knock to his forearm in the nets on Wednesday, Rohit, who has only scored one fifty in five games while playing in Australia, is healthy enough to captain the team against Jos Buttler’s England.
“There was some minor bruising, but it’s completely fine now.”
Despite the fact that they occurred a year apart, India’s two T20 World Cup losses have been by a margin of at least ten wickets. Five reasons India didn’t win the T20 World Cup are listed below after a thorough analysis.
India suffered a humiliating loss to England in the semifinals, and as a result, they were eliminated from the T20 World Cup. Despite the fact that it may seem impolite, India’s two World Cup appearances, separated by a year, were both marked by losses by 10 wickets.
It was anticipated that India would revolutionize their approach to T20 cricket after they were eliminated from last year’s World Cup in the UAE with a fresh change of guard and the so-called “new batting blueprint,” but a year later, Indian T20 cricket is still stuck in the same rut.
The vulnerabilities are still very much present if you want to defeat Pakistan in India’s first Super-12 match since Ravi Shastri retired and Virat Kohli gave over the captaincy.
India has lost an ICC competition for the seventh time in nine years, despite coming close once again. The Men in Blue, who once again faltered in a knockout match, are again under heavy scrutiny due to the infamous “C” word, which has come to be associated with South Africa over the years.
This will be a hard pill to stomach for a team that has dominated bilateral series at home and pulled off some memorable victories abroad. While part of it may be the result of tactical mistakes, most of it was caused by underlying issues that came to light when it mattered most.
What were they? After careful consideration, we have come up with a list of five reasons why India was unable to claim the T20 World Cup.
No room for India’s top wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal
Image of Yuzvendra Chahal, from Wikipedia.
No matter what, Only the team management knows why Yuzvendra Chahal is still benched in favor of R Ashwin despite being India’s top limited-overs spinner with 21 wickets from 19 games.
Many people thought India would learn from the error of leaving Chahal out of their T20 World Cup squad last year, but that was not the case. Shadab Khan of Pakistan and Adil Rashid of England frequently caused trouble for hitters with their wrist spin in this event, but Chahal did not receive a single game. Why? We might never find out.
However, it sends out an even worse message if the tactical decision was made with the idea that Ashwin can help you out with runs, as he did by scoring the winning runs against Pakistan and slamming a six and a four against Bangladesh.
India’s renowned top-order deserves a beating and to have their roles in the squad reevaluated if Ashwin the spinner is included in the playing XI as an all-rounder.
Powerplay Confusion: Where did the novel hitting strategy go?
After India lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in the World Cup last year, the epithet “timid” began to represent their batting approach. Sure enough, after Rohit Sharma took over as coach, things changed, even if it meant one of India’s finest batters looked awkward.
Even if Rohit’s fluency was far from perfect, his new role was at the very least interesting. Watching India, led by Rohit, go after the bowling during the Powerplay was refreshing and was predicted to be a game-changer for the team.
DK vs. Pant: Youth over experience is not the way to go in T20s
T20 is a young man’s game, so even with Dinesh Karthik’s recent dives, picking up a 37-year-old for the World Cup seemed a risky choice. Over the years, India has encountered innumerable predicaments that were created for Karthik, situations in which he would have imagined himself saving India.
With the exception of the Nidahas Trophy final, though, Karthik has often missed his chance. Although everyone enjoys a good comeback tale, in T20 cricket, performance is more important than fairy tales. DK’s selection over the hot-shot Rishabh Pant was perplexing on many counts.
The man, who is already a Test match legend, broke the ODI code earlier this year in England with a century.
Maintaining KL Rahul as the leader
Image of KL Rahul, from Wikipedia.
Eight months into 2022, in August at the Asia Cup, KL Rahul played his first T20I match of the year. Rahul did not participate in a single T20I match for India between November 19, 2021, and August 28, 2022, and he was immediately inserted back into the opener’s position.
Since his return, Rahul has amassed four half-centuries, all of which have been achieved at an aimless strike rate. Rahul struck two more 50s during the World Cup—against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe—but each time, Rahul fell short of expectations when the stakes were high.
Rahul resembles a pallid version of himself now. Rahul no longer explodes when he hits a huge six like he used to. Even Rahul, an IPL player for the Punjab Kings, could have benefited India. But unfortunately… It’s time for Indian cricket to move on from him, at least in T20Is, especially with Shubman Gill waiting in the wings and in excellent form.
True tempo is lacking
For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep excelled. While the young left-arm pacer, very correctly, established himself as the next big thing in Indian cricket, the seasoned India quick displayed glimmers of his glorious self.
India lacked a true pacer who could consistently hit 145 ticks on Australian pitches, though. The instant Jasprit Bumrah sustained an injury, the alarm bells began to ring, and despite Mohammed Shami’s late SOS—he hadn’t participated in a T20I since November of last year—India had a significant box left unticked.
Two potential captains for WHITE BALL CRICKET are being considered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The ODI and T20 teams for India will now have a responsible captain.
InsideSport has learned that the plan will be put into action beginning in January with a home series against Sri Lanka. India will take on Sri Lanka in 3 ODIs and 3 T20s, with unique captains for each team. The ODI team will continue to be captained by Rohit Sharma, while the T20 team will be captained by Hardik Pandya.
Although it’s too soon to say for sure, we are considering whether choosing separate leaders for the ODI and T20 squads is the best course of action. This will assist in distributing the workload among several people.
“In light of the ODI World Cup being held in India in 2023, we need a new approach for T20s while still maintaining consistency. The strategy can start working in January. One of the top BCCI officials said, “We will meet and make final calls.”
A New Year means a Fresh Start for Indian Cricket
India will meet Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI and three-match Twenty20 series.
Australia and New Zealand will be the next opponents in the HOME series.
It’s likely that Hardik Pandya will be named the T20 captain permanently in January.
India will be captained by Rohit Sharma in ODI and TEST games.
Will Rohit Sharma be bumped down?
The potential appointment of two captains makes it quite evident that Rohit Sharma would lose his T20 captaincy as a result of the Indian team’s dismal performance at the T20 World Cup.
“Losing the captaincy is not an issue. For Rohit, it’s about the future and reducing his workload. You can see that these men are not growing younger.” The BCCI official continued, “We think the T20 squad needs a fresh approach and new legs.”
A performance review meeting has been scheduled, according to InsideSport, which was confirmed by another senior BCCI official earlier on Saturday.
Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, a former captain, will all be invited by BCCI to the meeting. The BCCI Secretary will call the meeting, and the team’s appalling performance will be evaluated and discussed.
“We have scheduled a meeting with them. We are shocked by what transpired in the semifinal; certainly, adjustments are needed. But no choice would be made without taking into account their viewpoint. The future plan of action for the Indian T20 Squad would be decided with the input of Rohit, Rahul, and Virat,” according to the top BCCI official.
India’s upcoming T20 World Cup performance review?
The selection committee, directed by Chetan Sharma, has not performed very well, and BCCI is not too pleased either. Also being evaluated will be how they performed, and Chetan will most likely be replaced.
It is unclear if the Chairman of the Selection Committee has also been invited to the meeting for the Performance Review or not.
Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant is in “high spirits” and recovering from surgery after his horror car crash but will likely miss the upcoming Test series against Australia, media reports said Sunday.
The star wicketkeeper-batsman suffered several injuries when his Mercedes SUV crashed into the median before dawn on Friday as he was travelling alone from New Delhi to his hometown Roorkee, a few hours north of the Indian capital.
His car immediately caught fire and the 25-year-old was rescued by a bus driver and conductor on the highway.
Pant’s current situation
Pant “is in high spirits and responding well to treatment… He underwent a plastic surgery on his left eyebrow where he suffered a cut in the accident,” Shyam Sharma of the Delhi and District Cricket Association told The Times of India.
The cricketer also suffered a ligament injury in his right knee, hurt his wrist, ankle, and has abrasion injuries on his back, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement.
Sharma said the BCCI was monitoring Pant’s treatment and was in “constant touch” with his medical team.
“As far as the ligament injury in his right knee is concerned, he will take some time to recover. He will be provided the best possible treatment,” he added.
A BCCI staffer quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency said Pant faced a prolonged absence from competitive cricket and would likely miss the four-Test Australia series at home starting February 9.
A maverick batsman, Pant is the mainstay of the Test squad and has played a key role in some of India’s most memorable wins in the last three years.
But his white-ball form has been inconsistent lately and Pant was left out of the squad for the T20 and ODI tour by Sri Lanka starting next week.
The wicketkeeper’s omission came days after his match-winning innings of 93 in the second Test against Bangladesh, helping India secure a 2-0 series whitewash.
Fans and members of India’s cricket fraternity have expressed shock at the news and wished Pant a speedy recovery.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday he was distressed by the accident and had prayed for Pant’s good health.
Bus driver Sushil Kumar and his conductor, who helped Pant out of his car, have been hailed as heroes for their response to the near-fatal crash.
