CHENNAI: There is nothing more confusing than the middle-order muddle that India often find themselves in, in limited-over games. After years of playing merry-go-ground which included two World Cups, they finally appear to have sorted out the middle-order combination in ODIs. As they are close to settling that, they have another one to solve in the T20s.
It is a format where teams search for an X-factor in the middle overs, a player who can hit boundaries consistently when there are five fielders manning the boundaries. India, who have Virat Kohli at No 3, have flirted with Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey and Sanju Samson this year.
But India's issue remains No 5, where one of Shreyas and Manish comes in. They have made it to the squad based on their performances for their domestic teams and IPL franchises, but both bat at least one position too low. At Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Iyer and Pandey come in at 3 and 4, respectively, and play sort of an anchor's role, for which India already have Kohli.
Even their top 3, who usually drop anchor after the powerplay, rarely go after the bowling in the middle overs. While they make up for it at the death, runs lost in the middle overs often result in below-par totals. “Along with partnerships, I think the tempo should never come down in T20s,” said Wasim Jaffer, batting coach at Kings XI Punjab. “The strike rate should keep increasing as you play.
If you play 10 balls, it is understandable you take time. But as you play more, it should keep going up and that is how you increase the tempo.”
This is why India might have missed a trick by not taking Suryakumar Yadav to Australia. Between him, Iyer and Pandey, Yadav's strike rate of 134.57 is at least eight more than the two. There is a perception that India don't hit that many sixes. And though they lead the chart for most sixes hit by teams since the 2016 World T20 with 384, those have come in 60 matches.
West Indies are second with 366 in 49. And of India's 384, Rohit Sharma alone has 81 — highest for any batsman in this period. KL Rahul is the other Indian in the top 10. Kohli is 12th and the other Indian in top 50 is Shikhar Dhawan.
This explains why this is a top-heavy team. Sanju's six-hitting is expected to solve this, but having someone like Yadav will probably go a long way in making this team a genuine title contender at next year's T20 World Cup. Statistics show that after a lull in the middle, India accelerate between overs 16-20. Their run rate of 11.69 in 11 matches in those overs is the best for any team in the last 12 months, even better then England, the top-ranked T20 side.
Unlike overseas players, Indian batsmen still stick to conventional methods — thanks to an age-group cricket system where coaches rarely encourage aerial and cross-batted shots. “They probably bat to hit it down the ground.
They feel confident doing that. Sometimes, when they are not confident, they go for paddle-scoops, reverse sweeps. And when you have the ability to hit straight, they wait for those deliveries and don't manufacture shots. It's all about mindset,” Jaffer noted.