IND vs WI, T20I series: From Rohit's leadership to middle-order awakening - top takeaways for India

A little more than 100 days since its T20 World Cup 2021 ouster, India has begun its preparations for the next edition in style with successive series triumphs under Rohit Sharma.

Published : Feb 21, 2022 18:31 IST

From Rohit's astute captaincy to Suryakumar's middle-order blitz and death-overs bowling, India checked a few boxes in its World Cup preparation during the T20I series.
From Rohit's astute captaincy to Suryakumar's middle-order blitz and death-overs bowling, India checked a few boxes in its World Cup preparation during the T20I series.
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From Rohit's astute captaincy to Suryakumar's middle-order blitz and death-overs bowling, India checked a few boxes in its World Cup preparation during the T20I series.

India's early ouster from the previous edition of the Twenty20 World Cup was the first time the side failed to make the knockout stages of an ICC event since 2012. Even before the wounds could have completely healed, we are teetering on the brink of yet another edition of the marquee event in Australia.

The upset in November 2021 was soon followed by a major upheaval in Indian cricket. Rohit Sharma replaced Virat Kohli as the skipper of the Men in Blue, with Rahul Dravid having taken over the job of the head coach as Ravi Shastri's tenure came to an end.

A little more than 100 days after Dravid's appointment, India has jumped right up to the pinnacle of the ICC T20I rankings, a place it had last occupied in May 2016 with clinical 3-0 series sweeps over New Zealand and the West Indies. Although both these victories have come at home, these are set to go a long way in providing the team with the confidence it needs ahead of 'Mission Melbourne'.

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Here are the key takeaways from India's commanding series win over T20 heavyweight Windies.

Rohit Sharma, the leader of men

"The word experiment is overrated," Rohit had quipped ahead of the T20 series. He said he was looking to test his bench strength only based on what they bring to the table. Even coach Dravid acknowledged on Sunday that India wasn't looking to cast the net too wide, but it wouldn't shy away from giving fringe players a handful of opportunities as well.

Accordingly, Ravi Bishnoi was handed his international debut in the very first game and it worked wonders when the young leggie went on to pick two wickets for just 17 runs to restrict West Indies to 157. His ability to bowl googlies at will compensated for the lack of an off-spinner in the squad.

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The last game being a dead rubber, Rohit also made four changes to the squad with Shardul Thakur, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shreyas Iyer getting a look in. It was also a debut to forget for Avesh Khan but as Dravid said during the post-match press conference, a player 'won't be judged on a game-to-game basis'.

The Mumbai Indians mainstay has also been smart with his pickings. Earlier in the series, he spoke about why Venkatesh Iyer was an automatic pick as a sixth bowling option ahead of a seasoned out-and-out batter in Shreyas. "Someone like Shreyas is sitting out. Very hard on him... not making it to the XI, but it is what the team requires. We need that option in the middle, someone who can bowl," Rohit had said. 

It was also interesting how Rohit incorporated a fine mix of youth and experience in the final eleven. Be it Yuzvendra Chahal-Bishnoi, Suryakumar Yadav-Venkatesh Iyer, or Bhuvneshwar Kumar-Harshal Patel, there was always a seasoned campaigner to complement the freshmen.

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Power-play during the PowerPlay

India has done away with the otherwise customary cautious starts during a T20, with the captain himself leading the way. 

Even though Ishan Kishan has had a scratchy outing, Rohit kicked off the series with a blazing 40 off 19 balls. Although he couldn't add much to his tally in the second T20I, he has been in marauding form in the shortest format, scoring 385 runs at 150.98 in the nine innings since India's last loss in a T20 game against New Zealand at the T20 WC in October. 

Since then, the team has also cruised at about nine runs per over during the first six overs, the lowest PowerPlay score being 43.

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“That’s the way India have to play going forward. Rohit has decided post, I suppose, the World Cup. They did well against a couple of the lower-ranked teams at the back end of the World Cup but this is how the PowerPlay needs to be for India, particularly when they come up against some of the higher-ranked teams. Ishan didn’t fire, but at some point, he will as he gets more used to that position. But the template is there, the captain leading from the front in terms of aggression. That’s the way forward," Ian Bishop had remarked on air.

Middle-order comes good

The biggest factor driving India's success during recent times has been the consistency shown by its middle order. An area that had troubled India until recently, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer have shown they are capable of delivering the goods when asked.

In the first T20I, Kishan, Virat Kohli and Pant failed to build on the strong start provided by Rohit. With India at 114/4, Suryakumar and Venkatesh took the game to the opposition, sealing the deal with a 48-run stand of 28 balls.

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Before exiting the bio-bubble on Saturday, Pant had helped India across the finish during the second fixture, scoring 52 off 28 balls during the second T20I with Venkatesh providing able company.

The third T20I saw Suryakumar in the form of his life as he notched up his fourth fifty. With Venkatesh, he forged a partnership of 91 runs in 41 balls as India cruised to victory.

Even West Indies skipper and Suryakumar's Mumbai Indians teammate Kieron Pollard couldn't hold back on the praise. "Surya is a world-class player. I had the opportunity to play at Mumbai with him since he first came in in 2011. Great to see he has grown a lot since then. He is doing great things for himself and India as a 360-degree player. All batters can take a page out of his book,” Pollard said during a virtual press meet on Sunday.

Death-overs specialists

India survived a scare during the second T20I when Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran shifted gears to effortlessly dispatch bowlers to all corners of the Eden Gardens. Their century stand came up in mere 60 balls.

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With 29 required off 12 balls, Bhuvneshwar Kumar silenced his critics by pulling the plug, conceding only four runs and dismissing Nicholas Pooran with the knuckleball. With 23 required off four balls, Powell hammered two successive sixes off Harshal Patel's bowling but the Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer ultimately pulled things back with back-to-back slower deliveries.

Even during the final T20I, Shardul and Harshal took three wickets for 19 runs in the last three overs to reverse the course of play. Harshal said, "We had the conversation that we want to bowl fuller. You have to have clarity on what you are going to bowl. Just focusing on the next delivery is important."

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