India is in red-hot Twenty20 form, winning 10 of 11 matches this year, and is bound to start as one of the most serious contenders for the title.
One can spot a number of reasons for the sustained run; the most striking has been the arrival of unheralded Gujarat quick Jasprit Bumrah, whose trained skill to bowl yorkers at will with an unconventional action, has brought 15 wickets from 11 matches at an average of 16.20. The fledgling fast-bowler, moreover, has not allowed his nerve to crack.
The Mumbai Indians and John Wright-discovered Bumrah has been the cynosure of all eyes, but left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra has been no less admirable since making his comeback at the ripe old age of 36.
Nehra has shown terrific ambition to prove his critics wrong. The old warhorse from Delhi has been the real surprise package and former India coach Greg Chappell must be wondering how Nehra, likened to a brittle, thin wafer, has managed to pull off this seeming miracle. He has taken 13 wickets at 19.92 since the first match against Australia at Adelaide, operating exceptionally with both new ball and old.
Indeed, it’s the bowling department’s ability to make a difference that will interest the discerning. Beginning with Adelaide, it has accounted for 77 dismissals at 17.34. The bowlers took 32 wickets in India’s Asia Cup-winning campaign, Hardik Pandya topping the list with seven at 14.71.
The encouraging statistics for bowling partnerships this year will assure captain M.S. Dhoni that he has enough to bank on. The Ashwin-Bumrah combination has 31 wickets, Ashwin-Nehra 30, Ashwin-Ravindra Jadeja 28 and Ashwin-Pandya 26. The Bumrah-Nehra combination has 27.
Overall |
Played | 28 |
Won | 18 |
Lost | 9 |
No result | 1 |
In batting, India will derive much strength from Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni, proven campaigners all. There are also Jadeja and Pandya who have been given the licence to flay.
After a couple of warm-up games, India runs into New Zealand in the opener. The 4-0 record against the Kiwis (one at home, in Chennai) should give Dhoni’s team confidence at the outset, although it will do well to be wary of banana skins — not long ago, it slipped up against a depleted Sri Lanka in Pune.
For a country that was reluctant to join the T20 bandwagon, Dhoni’s team changed the mindset in a matter of 12 days in South Africa nine years ago. At the heart of the triumphant campaign, much like during the 1983 World Cup win in England, was the determination to showcase an aggressive brand of cricket.
Once it tasted victory in the inaugural event, India has never disregarded the format. It has a 62 per cent win record in the 68 matches it has played and a near 65 per cent record in 28 World T20 matches. But, it’s a low of 46 per cent at home (7 wins, 8 losses). With India hosting the tournament for the first time, and the expectations skyrocketing, it’s a number that needs swift addressing.
