New Delhi. The Indian cricket team is currently standing at a very critical juncture. Team India is currently trailing 0-2 in the five-match T20 International series. Now the fourth match to be held at the County Ground in Bristol on Thursday has become a ‘do or die’ match for the Indian team. If this young team under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer has to keep its hopes alive in the series, then it will have to win this match at any cost. But, it is not going to be so easy to beat England in the challenging conditions of the County Ground. In the last matches, the Indian team has made some such strategic and field mistakes, due to which the team has reached the verge of losing the series. In the third T20, the entire Indian team was bundled out for just 76 runs, which is a testimony to where the team’s performance was lacking. If India has to taste its first victory in Bristol, then it will have to immediately correct these 3 big mistakes.
The biggest weakness of the Indian team in this series has been its uncertain batting order. Due to the constant reshuffle, the batsmen have clearly faced difficulties in understanding their roles. When players do not know at which number they have to handle the innings or when to be aggressive, then it is natural for the mental pressure to increase. This experiment of the Indian think-tank in the third T20 match was very costly for the team. The team management sent all-rounder Axar Patel to bat above the in-form and established middle-order batsman Tilak Verma.
Due to these mistakes, India has reached the verge of losing the T20 series.
Not only this, Harshit Rana was put on the crease for batting before explosive batsman Shivam Dubey. The result was that no batsman could adapt to the conditions and the entire team got scattered like a pack of cards and was reduced to just 76 runs. In the fourth T20, captain Shreyas Iyer and the coach will have to stop this game of ‘musical chairs’ and give a fixed role to every batsman, so that they can come on the field mentally prepared.
pace attack failure
The pitches and weather of England are always considered favorable for fast bowlers. So far in this series, England’s fast bowlers have taken full advantage of these home conditions and have continuously troubled the Indian batsmen. On the contrary, the Indian pace battery under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer has proved to be a complete failure in making use of these favorable conditions. The pitch of the third T20 match was helpful for the fast bowlers, but except young Prince Yadav, no Indian bowler was successful in leaving his mark. Prince definitely made some impact, but he did not get any support from the other end.
The team’s main fast bowler Arshdeep Singh has proved to be very expensive in this series so far. He has been able to take only 3 wickets in this series, while his economy rate has been 9.50. Whereas, the situation of Harshit Rana has been worse, who has given away runs at an economy of around 10. If India has to make a comeback in Bristol, the fast bowlers will have to take wickets in the early overs and curb the run rate in the powerplay.
middle order flop show
The only positive aspect in this series for the Indian team has been the batting of Abhishek Sharma in the top order. Abhishek has tried to give a good start to the team with his aggressive batting. But on the contrary, the story completely changes in the middle order. India’s middle order is failing miserably in this entire series. Captain Shreyas Iyer himself has failed to lead from the front and runs are not coming from his bat. Tilak Verma and Akshar Patel have also not been able to leave much of an impact so far.
At the same time, the explosive innings that were expected from wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan have also not lived up to those expectations. Due to this flop show of the middle order, the pressure on the top order doubles. If England have to be prevented from sealing the series in the fourth T20, then these experienced and star players of the middle order will have to show the courage to stay on the wicket and play match-winning innings with responsibility.
What will be India’s strategy in Bristol?
Bristol’s County Ground is generally considered helpful for batsmen, but the boundaries and wind direction here also create opportunities for bowlers. The Indian team will also have to pay attention to the role of the toss here. However, more important than the toss will be that the 11 players who take the field implement their plans correctly.
