India vs Bangladesh T20 series: Despite duds, 'Men in Blue' keen to stick with young guns

Rohit Sharma had spoken highly of the next crop of players trying to cement their place ahead of next year’s World T20.
Indian men's cricket T20 team arrive at a hotel ahead of their second match with Bangladesh in Rajkot. (Photo | PTI)
Indian men's cricket T20 team arrive at a hotel ahead of their second match with Bangladesh in Rajkot. (Photo | PTI)

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the first T20I between India and Bangladesh at Feroz Shah Kotla on Sunday, the main talking points were the absence of Shakib Al Hasan and how the visitors would cope without their talismanic all-rounder. But in the end, the neighbours ended up breaking their eight-match losing streak and creating history.

For the hosts, stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma had spoken highly of the next crop of players trying to cement their place ahead of next year’s World T20. But the young guns — both batsmen and bowlers — failed to do justice to their talent. Rishabh Pant and Khaleel Ahmed, in particular, copped a lot of stick from fans. 

While Pant’s talent has never been questioned, his attitude towards batting has left plenty to be desired. His approach on Sunday was one of caution on a pitch that was on the slower side. While it was not an easy pitch, Mushfiqur Rahim’s innings showed the way to approach batting on such tracks. The local boy failed to get going, ended up running out set partner Shikhar Dhawan, and eventually fell for 27 off 26.

But his most dubious contribution came while behind the stumps. While he failed to spot a leg-before chance of Mushfiqur (on six at that time) off Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling,  the wicketkeeper ended up forcing Rohit to go for a DRS review against Soumya Sarkar. Rohit was fielding at point, and he needed his keeper’s opinion. The skipper went ahead with it and it proved to be a dud.

“Of course, Rishabh is young and he will need time to understand,” said Rohit after the loss. “It’s too soon to judge whether he can make those decisions. Plus, the bowlers as well. It’s a combination when the captain is not in the right position to make that decision. When you are not in the right position (as a fielder), you have to trust your bowler and the wicketkeeper. Based on that, you have to make that decision, whichever format you play.”

The Men in Blue have tried to groom Khaleel as their designated left-arm pacer for some time now. While Virat Kohli usually has the luxury of calling on Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Shami to bowl at the death, Rohit had Khaleel. With Bangladesh having left-handers in Sarkar and Mahmudullah, Rohit decided to hold him back for the slog overs. With the opposition requiring 22 in the last two, Rohit handed the ball to the 21-year-old, who ended up conceding four straight boundaries. 

“These are the guys who did not play for a while in this format. These are bowlers we have been identified as the ones who can do well in this format,” remarked Rohit. “They have done reasonably well. They still need to understand that when defending smaller targets, they need to bowl according to the plan. They will learn by playing these games. They have the talent and ability to bounce back. But only time will tell if they can do that or not.”

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