The T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan has only 33 days remaining, and the selectors are highly worried about India’s bowling. Things are getting worse for the Indian bowling attack due to injuries and a decline in performance from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But selectors are now very worried about the bowling unit before the T20 World Cup 2022 following a thrashing by Cameron Green and Matthew Wade.
Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, seemed dishevelled and incredulous after the thrashing, despite the fact that the surface had supported the hitters admirably. But since time is running out, the selectors would probably speak with the club management to resolve the issue.
Naturally, it’s a problem when our bowlers are unable to stop 208. However, there is still time, and you must realise that the Mohali pitch was a hitting paradise. So, eliminating them based on a single match would not be optimal. We will discuss with the team management what assistance they need to make this happen.
Indian bowlers in 1st T20:
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 0/52 at 13.00
- Umesh Yadav: 2/27 in 2 at 13.50
- Yuzvendra Chahal: 1/42 in 3.2 at 12.60
- Harshal Patel: 0/49 at 12.20
- Hardik Pandya: 0/22 in 2 at 11.00
The only one to give the world champions bother with 3/17 was Axar Patel. The remainder scored more than 10, which made things difficult for India. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance has the selectors the most worried. Bhuvneshwar’s return in death overs, with the exception of the Afghanistan game, has been subpar. He gave up 24 runs to Pakistan in return for a wicket, including 19 runs in the 19th over.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar in death overs:
- vs Pak: 1/24 in 2
- vs SL: 0/14
- vs AUS: 0/31
He let up 14 against Sri Lanka in the 19th over, then he was humiliated by Australia. Bhuvneshwar let up 52 runs in four overs, with 31 of those runs coming in the last two overs.
The fact that Australian surfaces are anticipated to be batting-friendly is the major worry for Team India. Bhuvneshwar’s decline in form is problematic since Harshal Patel has yet to regain his rhythm and Jasprit Bumrah is still not fully recovered.
In the T20 World Cup, Arshdeep Singh is one possibility, although his relative inexperience may be a hindrance. Arshdeep gave in to pressure, and Pakistan won the Asia Cup match as a result of his lost catch.
“A experienced campaigner like Bhuvneshwar experiences a drop in form at the worst possible moment, Harshal has just returned, and Jasprit is still not 100 percent. It is therefore alarming. Umesh was a little out of sync since he had just recovered from an injury. They’ll recover,” the selector assured.
Yuzvendra Chahal, India’s top spinner, is also unwell, which makes matters worse. Chahal took only 4 wickets in as many games at the Asia Cup 2022, at a cost of 7.93 an over. However, this performance decline is not an isolated incident. On the West Indies trip, he had such a significant decline in performance against South Africa at home.
Yuzvendra Chahal in last three matches:
- 1/43 vs Pakistan
- 3/34 vs Sri Lanka
- 1/42 vs Australia
The bizarre last-minute U-turns made by selectors are when things get challenging. Mohammed Shami was told he would no longer be taken into consideration. But 10 months after his last T20I appearance for India, he was called up right before the T20 World Cup. The return of Umesh Yadav after three years wasn’t in the plans. After going unnoticed for over 8 months, Ravichandran Ashwin unexpectedly appeared in the plans. However, players with a track record of success like Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi have been underutilised or overlooked.
Regarding India’s bowling, Rohit Sharma was direct. However, with so many possibilities already being used, India has little options left.
We didn’t bowl well, in my opinion. We didn’t take any risks on the field, and 200 is a solid score to defend. Our hitters put in a terrific effort, but the bowlers just weren’t there,” Rohit Sharma remarked after the game.
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