IND vs SL: India Must Revive Old Habits: India finds themselves staring in the mirror following a draw and a defeat in the ODI phase of the series in Sri Lanka. A few difficult lessons have been learnt by them, and their incapacity to stop spinners on low, spinning tracks has been shown as a weakness. They must act quickly to discover answers, even if it means going back to the pre-series format, if they hope to level the series on Wednesday.
The World Cup strategy was antiquated and dull, something they found difficult to give up in the first place.
Here, too, captain Rohit Sharma has demonstrated an immediate offensive determination by following the same approach. Rohit’s 47-ball 58 and 44-ball 64 have allowed India to easily win the opening powerplay at a rate of almost seven runs per over. After that, even though they were just needed 4.25 runs per over, the middle-order collapsed and could not overcome the spinners from Sri Lanka.
But under these circumstances, Sri Lanka—who aren’t even guaranteed a spot in the Champions Trophy for next year—have outwitted India. India’s spinners have been just as economical as their Lankan counterparts in each of these encounters, if not more so. However, Sri Lanka has performed better in the last ten overs when it has pursued the Indian quicks, including some of the spinners. The significant difference had been the 65 and 79 runs they scored on the previous powerplay.
Therefore, it won’t be a bad idea to return to the approach they gave up on a year ago. It has been difficult for India to identify a reliable batter who can score runs in these conditions without taking chances. India’s inability to consistently demonstrate their intent, coupled with the dominance of Sri Lankan spinners, has left them hesitant and prone to errors. The middle order has been so rusty that Virat Kohli’s 38 runs, scored by their Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6, is the next greatest total after Rohit’s 122.
Considering Rohit’s current form, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for him to temporarily revert to the previous formula and give up the aggressive approach. In the event that India manages to play its Champions Trophy matches outside of Pakistan, they will primarily face comparable circumstances in the United Arab Emirates or Sri Lanka.
Wide-open crack
Whatever the reason, though, India’s issues with spinners in slow conditions persist. Washington Sundar, India’s all-rounder, attributed it to the difficult circumstances. “We are good spin players. These are the types of fields on which we have always played, both at home and during Test matches. On these types of wickets, we play a lot of games in domestic cricket. Many of our players have performed quite well, particularly while batting against spin, particularly in the middle order, according to Washington.
However, in all of these games, every batter from India has paid a price for being unsure of themselves and for playing the incorrect lines. In an attempt to maintain the left-right combination in the middle overs, India even changed their batting order, although this hasn’t always been successful, primarily because of Sri Lanka’s depth in spin.
Washington stated that the batsmen must fend for themselves. All they have to do is try to complete the task in their own unique style by finding a means. Everyone is aware of how difficult the wicket is. Everyone on the Indian team has always raised their hands when a challenge presents itself, he remarked.
Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, would be primarily concerned with their game plan against spinners. Being a frequent spin bowler in his past, he must have noticed that Indian batsmen hardly ever use their feet or the depth of the crease. Rather, they have remained still in the crease, which has left them with very little chance of surviving when the ball twists and stays low. India will have a chance to tie the series on Wednesday. It was not even considered a possibility before to the start of the ODI series. But the amusing game has revealed the mirror to them.
Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, would be primarily concerned with their game plan against spinners. Being a frequent spin bowler in his past, he must have noticed that Indian batsmen hardly ever use their feet or the depth of the crease. Rather, they have remained still in the crease, which has left them with very little chance of surviving when the ball twists and stays low. India will have a chance to tie the series on Wednesday. It was not even considered a possibility before to the start of the ODI series. But the amusing game has revealed the mirror to them.
