Plenty to ponder for India despite T20 series win against West Indies

Making it count
K L Rahul and Virat Kohli pick up a run during their whirlwind stand against against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

India rode on their terrific top order trio of Rohit Sharma, K L Rahul and skipper Virat Kohli to outplay the West Indies by 67 runs in the third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) in Mumbai on Wednesday night to clinch the series 2-1. The outcome of the match was more or less settled once the Men in Blue ended up with an imposing total of 240/3 after being asked to take first strike at the Wankhede by West Indies captain Kieron Pollard.

The West Indies chase was in disarray once they lost three wickets in the first four overs and with the in-form opener Evin Lewis not able to bat after suffering an injury while fielding, the world champions had a mountain to climb. Though Shimron Hetmyer and Pollard hit a flurry of sixes, the Indians were always in control.

Defending totals has been a problem for India in the past and the team management would have been thrilled with the way the top order outbatted the Windies. On the flip side, the two matches India won were largely due to the brilliance of Rahul and Kohli, while Rohit came to the party in the final game. It has been well documented that it’s very hard to stop India in white-ball cricket if the top order fires. How the middle order, especially the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant fare will be crucial to India’s success in the Twenty20 World Cup to held in Australia next year.

The way ahead

Celebration time
Indian players pose with the winner's trophy. Photo: PTI

Formidable batting sides, such as England and Australia, go hammer and tongs from the word go, while the Indians adopt a more conventional approach. The batting depth of the Windies as well as the nature of the surface at the Wankhede made Rohit and Rahul to go on the attack from the outset. This could well be the way forward for India, particularly if they are setting a target. The fine display of Rahul has made it clear that Shikhar Dhawan is no longer an automatic choice in the T20 playing eleven.

The under-fire Pant did quite well with the bat, while his wicketkeeping and DRS-call abilities need to improve big time. With less than a year to go for the World Cup, apart from Rohit, Rahul, Kohli and the injured duo of all-rounder Hardik Pandya and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah no one is a certainty for the World Cup.

The young Shivam Dube has been impressive in his short career and the very fact that seam-bowling all-rounders are a rare commodity in Indian cricket makes the Mumbaikar a genuine contender for a place in the final 15.

Fielding worries

Giving his all
Rohit Sharma dives to complete a run in the series decider. Photo: PTI

Kohli would be worried about the Indian fielding as they were guilty of dropping a number of catches in the first two matches of the series.

Washington Sundar had a series to forget. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner has struggled to pick up wickets and has leaked runs. It won’t be a bad idea to play leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav together, especially keeping in mind the big grounds in Australia.

India are slated to play three T20Is against Sri Lanka at home next month. The Lankans are not likely to pose much problems for the Men in Blue, however the five-match T20I series against New Zealand early next year will be a tough challenge. That series will give an indication as to how to go about in their preparations for the T20 World Cup.

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