New Delhi. The Indian cricket team, which has been battered by continuous defeats on the England tour, now faces the last challenge to save its reputation. The Indian team, which has lost 0-3 in the five-match T20 International series against England, will take the field in the fifth and final match to be held at the Rose Bowl Stadium here on Saturday with the intention of avoiding the stigma of ‘clean sweep’. If Team India has to save its honour, then it will have to give its best performance in every department of the game, batting, bowling and fielding, otherwise a very shameful chapter will be added to the captaincy of captain Shreyas Iyer.
This tour of the young Indian team led by Shreyas Iyer started amidst the humid and cold winds of Belfast, Ireland. After this, the team made its strategies in Durham city of Northern England and now the convoy has reached the southern city of Southampton. The only thing that remained the same for India in this six-city journey was Captain Iyer’s toss and luck not being on his side. The first match of the series was washed out due to rain, after which India had to face crushing defeat in three consecutive matches.
The fifth and last T20 match between India and England will be played on Saturday.
The only cricketer in the world, who made the umpire his ‘hair dresser’, got his hair cut in the live match
Iyer is still waiting for his first win since becoming the full-time captain. This is the longest drought since India played its first T20 International match in 2006, when Team India has not been able to register a single win in so many consecutive matches.
Where did Team India go?
If we leave out the second T20 match played at Old Trafford, the performance of the Indian team in the entire series has been very ordinary. In the second match, India was in a strong position at one time, but leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi’s 17th over, in which he gave away 29 runs, completely turned the tide of the match. After this, the third match played in Nottingham became a black page in the history of Indian batting, where the entire team collapsed for just 76 runs. The story of the fourth match in Bristol was no different; There Team India looked completely ineffective in all three departments of the game.
Now fans and even staunch supporters of Iyer are not expecting any miracle in the fifth match. They just want the team to end the tour with a somewhat acceptable scoreline of 1-3 instead of an embarrassing 0-4 defeat.
Batsman helpless in front of fast and spin attack
It has proved to be a nightmare for the Indian batsmen to face the express pace and bounce of England’s fast bowlers Joffra Archer and Josh Tongue. Apart from these two, left arm fast bowler Sam Curran has continuously forced the Indian top order to succumb with his accurate swing and variations. This technical helplessness remains a matter of biggest concern for the team management.
Talking about bowling, India’s options have become very limited after Varun Chakraborty and Harshit Rana were out with injuries. After Bishnoi’s expensive over, his chances of returning to the playing eleven are slim, due to which the bowling attack looks dull.
Selection dilemma and Sanju Samson’s question
Some decisions of the Indian team management have surprised both experts and fans. A strategy is being adopted to give long chances to young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi despite his continuous struggle against short-pitched balls. On the other hand, keeping an experienced player like Sanju Samson out of the playing eleven and the upcoming Zimbabwe tour is beyond everyone’s understanding.
The only way to include Samson in the team is to drop Tilak Verma, who is struggling with poor form. But doing so will require a major reshuffle in the batting order. Both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer will have to drop one place each. Kishan is currently playing at number three, and sending him down could further upset the balance of the team.
Balanced and aggressive England team
In contrast, the England team currently looks perfect in every department. Apart from their fast bowlers, the spin trio Will Jacques, Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson have completely curbed the Indian run rate in the middle overs. On the other hand, Indian spinners have failed to take advantage of the conditions. In batting, captain Harry Brook, Phil Salt, experienced Jos Buttler and young sensation Jacob Bethel have left no stone unturned to destroy the Indian bowlers.
Both teams are as follows:
India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma, Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Suryansh Shedge, Ravi Bishnoi.
England: Harry Brook (captain), Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethel, Tom Banton, Will Jaques, Sam Curran, Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, Luke Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox, James Coles.
Match time: This match will start at 7:00 pm Indian time. It will be interesting to see whether Iyer’s army is able to regain its lost credibility in this final battle or not.
