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Force intact, fear fades: India remain T20 World Cup favourites, but Super 8s strip some aura
Despite an unbeaten run, India's T20 team has revealed vulnerabilities, including an opening batsman's struggles and diffidence against finger-spin. As they enter the Super Eights, challenges from South Africa's long boundaries and the West Indies' experienced bowling attack, alongside Zimbabwe's surprise package Muzarabani, will test their mettle.
When this Indian team was good, it was so good that even experts struggled to pinpoint any vulnerabilities. If a team is only as strong as its weakest link, this Indian T20 line-up was the toughest unit going around: no weak links, just eleven genuine match-winners.
Yet, as India go into the Super Eights, match play has shown enough evidence that the teams that look the best on paper are far from invincible. Australia are the most obvious example, but look closer, and India, who have won all their matches, have also revealed the chinks in their armour.
The most obvious is that their star opening batsman is yet to score a run. This may not be a cause for worry given just how good Abhishek Sharma is, and the fact that the designated role he plays for the team comes with high risk.
The next obvious bugbear, which teams picked up quickly and looked to exploit, was the batting’s diffidence against finger-spin. Stacking the top-order with left-hand batsmen was universally seen as a masterstroke for stopping opposition bowlers from operating to their strengths. But, it did open the door for off-spinners to exert inordinate control. From specialist, frontline bowlers to part-timers, finger spinners have ensured that India’s batsmen could not find rhythm and express themselves fully.
This, and other challenges, will only be sharpened in the Super Eights. South Africa came into the World Cup with a reputation, and this has only been enhanced. India play them in Ahmedabad on Sunday, and a major factor there will be the long boundaries.
South Africa will know that they have a greater opportunity to ask awkward questions of India’s batsmen, making them to attempt to score boundaries in areas that aren’t necessarily their favourites or innate strengths. Lungi Ngidi hits hard lengths and looks to attack the stumps. Getting him away consistently will come with risk. Keshav Maharaj is deceptively good across formats. Kwena Maphaka, George Linde and even Aiden Markram can all ensure that bases are covered if there’s some grip in the surfaces.
India face a slightly different challenge from the West Indies. They were nobody’s favourite when the tournament began because their batting approach seemed stuck in an older paradigm. There were many power hitters in the line-up who could be completely destructive, but they did not rotate the strike nearly enough in between. West Indies’ batting was six or bust, with a higher percentage of dot balls than any coach would recommend. But, to their credit, the West Indies have not tried to be something they are not. By playing to their strengths, they have got this far.
West Indies’ bowling attack does not boast the biggest names, but all their players have serious experience of operating in sluggish to downright slow conditions. They can take the pace off the ball and make the batsmen generate all the power. They are the kind of bowlers who play on the ego of batsmen, almost taunting them to attack, only to draw the mistake.
Zimbabwe have been the surprise package of this tournament — not because they did not come in with a good team — because they’ve flown under the radar for a time. Teams such as India rarely send a full-strength squad to Zimbabwe, and other big teams don’t even bother touring there often.
But, this is clearly a determined bunch, scrapping for every little advantage. Their comfortable win over Australia threw the tour nament wide open. Blessing Muzarabani has helped his team win matches, but more than that, he has won the hearts of fans. Delivering his medium pace from 6’ 8”, Muzarabani generates unnerving bounce. India will have watched plenty of videos and tried to recreate his angle in the nets using their side-arm specialists, but the element of surprise can never be completely eliminated.
India began the tournament as favourites, and nothing has happened to significantly alter that view. However, the team does not quite have the same aura coming into the Super Eights. In this lies an opportunity for all the teams before them.
Gautam Gambhir will be hoping that this is the moment everything comes together. The question is whether the opposition can disrupt that.
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Source: EconomicTimes
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