CHENNAI: Did India field their right combination? Does Manish Pandey deserve a place in the XI, if he bats at No 5? Are India playing T20s the way it should be played? These questions continue to rise, never mind the fact the win against Australia on Friday in Canberra was their ninth in 10 T20s with one washed out. Their last defeat came a year ago against the West Indies and they have been building for the T20 World Cup.
They still have holes to plug, but it remains a format where India have been happy to be flexible and results have gone their way. Since the 2016 World T20, India have lost two successive matches in the format only twice and it came in the same series — against Australia in 2019.
For long, there was criticism that India don't give importance to T20s and opt for players better suited for 50-over games. But in the last year or so, they have shown they can be bold, like they did on Friday by leaving out Yuzvendra Chahal — the best Indian spinner in IPL.
Wrist-spinners are what teams prefer on Australian soil and despite having two in their ranks, they went for Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. India believe on surfaces that have grip, both will be handy and it allows the team to bat deep, especially with Deepak Chahar in the mix, who can be counted upon to hit the ball a bit.
But they are still a long way from finding right balance. When the innings closed at 161, it appeared Australia had the upper-hand.
A collapse in the middle overs, when India should have seized the momentum, meant they ended about 20 short. Thankfully, they had Jadeja, whose concussion became the talking point, rather than the unbeaten 44 off 23 deliveries.
Had they opted to play Chahal, India would not have that many on the board. And had the leg-spinner not taken the crucial wickets of Aaron Finch and Steve Smith, Australia would have cantered home. Since Jadeja has become indispensable, India have to choose one from Chahal and Washington.
Chahal is a delightful, teasing bowler in this format, who lands his leg-spinners outside off against right-handers. He plays with his speed to make up for a lack of googly, but bowls only in the middle overs. Not to forget, he isn't the best with the bat and on the field.
Then there is Washington, who isn't the conventional off-spinner. He doesn't have magic tricks or a mystery ball. He relies on keeping it stump-to-stump, and bowls a length that batsmen find difficult to get under. And he can operate in the powerplay, apart from being handy with the bat. But he may not get wickets as regularly as Chahal.
By the looks of it, India are prepared to be flexible. Maybe they are beginning to look away from the wickets column if the bowler is economical. They have about 10 months to sort this out.