Captain Kohli deserves better at the T20 World Cup
Not since 2010 have India played three and lost three in the Super stage of a T20 World Cup. Back then they were toppled, in their group of four, by the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Australia. It was nothing but humiliating.
Tomorrow, depending on the result of their pivotal match with Afghanistan, they could be staring down the same barrel. For a proud cricketing nation, it will be seen as a disaster.
Already at this World Cup India have lost by 10 wickets to arch rivals Pakistan and, on Sunday, by eight wickets to New Zealand. Having been runners-up in 2014 and semi-finalists in 2016, they are in danger of regressing further in a format of cricket the subcontinent has traditionally revelled in.
Kohli Captaincy
Virat Kohli, India’s prolific run-scoring captain, will step down as leader of the T20 side following the conclusion of this tournament.
The 32-year-old is one of the most charismatic and engaging Test skippers of recent years but has struggled to guide his side to success in white-ball formats of the sport.
Following his side’s loss to New Zealand, Kohli said: “It’s quite bizarre, really. I don’t think we were brave enough with the bat or ball. We were not brave enough in our body language when we entered the field and New Zealand had better intensity.”
India’s apparent lack of fight is a worry ahead of the Afghanistan match, which they need to win before going unbeaten in their other games to have any chance of making the knockout stages.
Kohli will go down as an all-time great for India in his Test captaincy, but he may be left to wonder where it all went wrong in international limited overs cricket.
Pulling Weight
Cricket isn’t a one-man sport and Kohli cannot be expected to carry India as captain – and so far leading run scorer – just as Joe Root cannot carry England this winter in their Test series with Australia.
India’s five other batters to have played two innings at this World Cup average 31.8 runs each in total. That’s less than 16 runs per innings.
The dazzling Rishabh Pant hit a high of 39 against Pakistan but the top and middle order just aren’t producing the runs capable of challenging any of their opponents.
Against New Zealand, India had 54 dot balls on their scorecard and between the eighth and 15th overs managed just a single boundary.
Ravi Bopara, the former England all-rounder, said of India that “there was no urgency to score” and that “you can’t just hit yourself out of trouble in Dubai – you’ve got to start aggressively” to score runs.
“There looks to be a few nerves, like they are under pressure to perform and of the favourites tag,” he added.
That’s the crux of it. India’s squad have failed with the bat and ball, having only taken two wickets so far, through Jasprit Bumrah, and scored below-par totals. India must bring a performance full of grit and desire tomorrow should they wish to avoid a third defeat on the bounce.
Consequences
Who would be an Indian T20 cricketer anyway? Like Premier League footballers and NFL stars, the best and brightest are celebrities at home and afar. After their loss to Pakistan, India’s squad were hounded on social media. Fast bowler Mohammad Shami was accused of deliberately giving runs to their rivals and branded a “traitor and anti-national”.
The pressure to perform is unrelenting, and that could be to the detriment of India right now.
Against Afghanistan tomorrow, with their World Cup existence at stake, India have a last chance to find their feet and prove the doubters wrong.
They have been written off before; for all their flaws, it would be brave to count them out now.