Team India fell at the penultimate hurdle of the T20 World Cup 2022, suffering a 10-wicket defeat to England in the semi-final.
The long and excruciating wait for a ‘World Cup’ title continues for the Indian team as Rohit Sharma & Co. suffered a humiliating 10-wicket defeat at the hands of England in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022. Be it the 2019 ODI World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup or 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup, the lack of success in these campaigns continues to haunt the Indian team.
But, what went wrong? Here’s a look at some of the factors that contributed to India’s downfall in Australia.
Lack of intent from batters in powerplay: Time and again, India’s start at the top was questioned. While KL Rahul struggled to impose himself with the bat in 4 of the 6 matches, Rohit Sharma only got one half-century to his name. In the powerplays, India’s batting was among the worst in the tournament.
Lack of express pace:After Jasprit Bumrah got injured, questions arose over his ideal replacement as no other pacer, in the scheme of things, had the sort of pace that Bumrah could produce. Some even advocated the name of Umran Malik, the only Indian pacer who can consistently bowler over 150 kph but he couldn’t even break into the reserves as Mohammed Shami was named Bumrah’s replacement.
Over-dependence on ageing stars:Skipper Rohit Sharma is already 35 while Virat Kohli, as good as he is, has turned 34. Suryakumar Yadav, despite not being a part of the system for a long time, is 32. Dinesh Karthik, India’s ‘finisher’ for the tournament, is 37. Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are both 32. Barring Kohli, none of these players performed at the level they were expected to.
Reluctance to play wrist-spinners:India played a total of 6 matches in the T20 World Cup (5 in the Super 12s and 1 semi-final). In none of these matches Yuzvendra Chahal, the only wrist-spinner in the 15-man squad, was used. Both Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel were persisted with for the entire length of the tournament. Wrist spinners have historically proved to be wicket taking options in T20 cricket.
