It was a dark day for India on Super Sunday. While the Women in Blue were kind of expected to lose to Australia in their must-win clash, what came as a shocker was the performance or rather, one should say underperformance, from the Men in Blue India. For the second match in a row in Belfast, India were just not there and did not turn up, it seemed. Yes, they were better with the ball and in the field, and 155 should have been chased down. But they were awful with the bat, and although Harshit Rana almost bailed them out of a soup, it was not to be as India lost by one run to lose the series 0-2.
There were a lot of pointers as to why India lost yesterday and where they went wrong, and we will try to analyse them for you here.
Losing 4 wickets inside the power play, chasing 155 put India on the back foot
India put in a decent bowling display compared to the first match and kept the total just over 150. Now 155 for a batting line-up such as India is very much gettable. But it is important to get a good start and lay the foundation inside the power play. What followed was a disaster. Wickets kept tumbling one after another in the power play, and before you knew it, India were under the pump.
Sanju Samson fell for a golden duck on the first ball of the innings, and soon his opening partner followed suit as Abhishek Sharma fell for a golden duck too. If that was not enough, captain Shreyas Iyer came and hit two boundaries in his 10 off 7 balls before dragging one back onto the stumps as India were in a hurry to return to the pavilion. Ishan Kishan too was run out all inside the power play. There is a saying that if you lose 3 or more wickets in the power play, you seldom win matches. That was the harsh reality for India.
India were 41/4 in 6 overs of power play. Ireland were ahead in terms of runs and also wickets in hand. Looking ahead to the England series after this, India will have to show more discipline and improve their performance by leaps and bounds, even to compete against England. Otherwise, belt treatment is reserved for the Indian team. They will get thrashed by England, maybe 5-0, for all we know, the way India is performing in this series.
Lack of support for Tilak Varma hurt the Men in Blue
Despite losing 4 early wickets inside the power play, there was one man who showed a resemblance to fight and resistance out there, and that was Tilak Varma. Tilak, who has often been criticised for playing slow, had no choice but to play that way, and till he was there, India had hopes of pulling this off. He scored a gutsy half-century and proved why he is needed as a clutch player. But all Tilak needed was support from the other end. That was few and far between.
The top 4 batters fell like they had to catch a train to watch something. As soon as the chase started, they went back to the hut. Tilak came in at 19/3, and India were really up against it there. Even after 4 wickets fell, there was resistance shown by India, thanks to Tilak, and he had Axar Patel for a while and Shivam Dube for company. These two tried to help out, but not for long, though. Once Tilak fell, the writing was on the wall, and while Rana almost pulled off a miracle, it was not to be.
India needs to play as a team and cohesive unit if they have to start winning again as these kinds of performances from the current world champions is completely unacceptable. If they continue playing like this, then the England series could be a long one, and Shreyas Iyer’s tenure could feel very miserable for India. It’s high time India wakes up and pulls up its socks before the high-voltage series against England.
Complacency, confused selection exposed the Men in Blue
One of the main reasons why India lost not only this match but also the series 2-0 was due to the complacency factor. To be fair, India took Ireland lightly and was complacent. They were unwilling to put in the hard yards and thought that whatever they did, they would get away with it. But that was not to be, as cricket is a great leveller after all. It teaches you to be humble, and India was anything but that. They took things for granted and paid the price.
Then, the selection of the team. If you had to lose the series, if that was your aim, then we might as well have given a debut to teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Sticking to the tried and tested formula and the same openers just hasn’t worked. Then, the obsession with playing and making Washington Sundar an all-format player. Sundar is decent in Tests, but in ODIs and T20Is, he doesn’t warrant a chance. But Gautam Gambhir is hell-bent on having him. The same goes for Prasidh Krishna. He goes for runs for fun, but still, he persists.
Yes, both were dropped from the second game, but these calls were questionable. Batting positions, lack of role clarity, everything was just awry for India. This was a disastrous tour to Ireland and a disastrous start to the new era under Shreyas Iyer. Players need to be picked on merit and not on favouritism. Vaibhav might be given game time in England now.
So, India will now enter the UK to face England in a 5-match T20I series, starting on the 1st of July at Chester-le-Street, Durham. Can the Men in Blue keep these results at the backside and bounce back in this marquee series? Only time will tell.
Also Read:Â IRE vs IND: India Clinches T20I Series Against Ireland With One Match To Go