Who should make the India World Cup squad?

On April 15^th, the people who matter in the Indian cricketing setup will meet in Mumbai to select the squad for the upcoming World Cup. At a time when the IPL serves as a major distraction, one can be rest assured that the decisions of this group will be watched closely; after all, the hopes of the gazillions of fans rest in this special group of cricketers who have a shot at immortality.

For Virat Kohli, this tournament will represent a watershed moment in his limited overs captaincy career. After a string of impressive results around the world, the home series loss to Australia was a spanner in the works. The poor results at Royal Challengers Bangalore have set the tongues wagging as well. Kohli was an up and coming player in the 2011 edition which India won, playing an important role in steadying the Indian innings on more than one occasion (most memorably in the final). Now, he’s the all-important batting champion around which the entire team operates. His masterful batting has been absolutely crucial in papering over the middle order cracks that have plagued this Indian team for a while now. There are some other headaches as well, caused by the muddled thinking on part of the team management.

The makeup of the team that should be picked can be determined from recent trends. Since the 2015 World Cup, England has been the most expensive place for non-home bowlers, with the run-rate at ~6.13—the runaway leader for this period. While it is true that some of it may be due to a belligerent England team, who have been the standout batting team in this period, England is still the third most expensive place for home bowlers (after Pakistan, who have played only 3 matches in this period, and Sri Lanka, who have been especially poor); meaning, pitches in England have been the flattest in the world since the 2015 World Cup.

Which bowlers have done well in England? In the same period, leggie Adil Rashid has been the highest wicket taker; pacers such as Willey, Plunkett and Woakes have had decent returns as well. More importantly, finger spinners and part-timers have been on the receiving end, returning very expensive figures for their craft. Unless this English summer turns out to be unusually wet, there is no reason to believe situations will be very different from what has been the norm in the last 4 years. Hence, it is best to select the personnel accordingly.

With only the warm-up fixtures left before India’s first match against the South Africans on June 5^th at the Rose Bowl, it is time to select the squad and back the personnel to come up with the goods. But who should make the cut? Despite statements that only one spot could be for grabs, the situation is more complicated considering the issues of team balance, middle order batting, flexibility and bowling limitations. For better readability, the discussion has been demarcated into top order batsmen, middle order batsmen and wicket keepers, all-rounders and spin bowlers, and fast bowlers. Readers are advised to keep in mind the player’s primary skill, and that there will be overlaps or conflicts depending on one’s personal opinion (for example, whether you think Jadhav or Shankar is an all-rounder or not). The data has been organized into a table which contains information on the runs scored and wicket-taking in the last 10 ODI innings (where applicable) and on similar statistics from the ongoing IPL (with number of innings in brackets). Though IPL stats cannot be used straightaway to make a decision about ODI abilities, some insights can nevertheless be drawn. All stats provided are correct as on 7th April 2019.

Top order batsmen

Name	Last 10 inn. batting aggregate@SR	Last 10 inn. bowling aggregate (ER)	2019 IPL batting aggregate@SR (I)	2019 IPL bowling aggregate@ER (I)
R G Sharma	371@74	NA	118@123 (5)	NA
S Dhawan	365@91	NA	152@116(6)	NA
K L Rahul	147@78	NA	142@118(5)	NA
V Kohli	608@95	NA	203@126(6)	NA

The Indian top 3 is possibly the strongest top order in the ODI game right now, clearly presenting a double-edged sword. On their day, they can win matches on their own; but find a way through, the soft underbelly that is the Indian middle order has been found wanting. Barring Kohli, no one has been in sparkling touch recently but one of the openers should come good in England. Nonetheless, the top 3 select themselves. As far as the reserve opener is concerned, there aren’t any promising candidates apart from K L Rahul. He seems to enjoy the confidence of the team management despite having middling returns in the 14 matches that he has played in this format, and the team seems to have moved on from Rahane.

Middle order batsmen and wicketkeepers

Name	Last 10 inn. batting aggregate@SR	Last 10 inn. bowling aggregate (ER)	2019 IPL batting aggregate@SR (I)	2019 IPL bowling aggregate@ER (I)
A T Rayudu	247@77	NA	55@77(5)	NA
K Jadhav	306@100	5/286(5.95)	106@96(4)	NA
V Shankar	165@96+	2/188+ (5.61)	105@144(5)	0/26@8.66(2)
M S Dhoni	357@82	NA	156@125(4)	NA
R Pant	93@131+	NA	176@173(6)	NA
K D Karthik	242@86	NA	72@129(4)	NA

+the player has played in fewer than 10 ODIs

Given the recent trend of maximising scoring in the middle overs, the importance of Jadhav and Pandya (who’s listed as an all-rounder) to this lineup cannot be stated enough. As it can be seen from their overall record and recent showing, they are the two batsmen who have the game to boost the run rate in the middle overs. While Dhoni has scored enough runs, he hasn’t done it quickly enough—although, it is good enough if he can play as the anchor around whom the batting order pivots (much like Imran Khan did in 1992). Rayudu’s case is more complicated—he showed some promise until recently, when his performance dipped. But his bigger issue is that of strike rate; he’s not been able to rotate the strike in tune with the demands of the modern game and the team cannot have two batting slowpokes in Dhoni and Rayudu. So for this reason and for his below-average fielding, he has to sit the big tournament out. Dinesh Karthik—an able deputy to Dhoni and a busy batsman in his new avatar—should get the nod ahead of the Rishabh Pant, who is yet to show his mettle in the ODI format. Vijay Shankar’s case is the most interesting; he’s batted well so far in the limited chances that he’s got, has got the big shots, and is a splendid fielder to boot. But his bowling is in the Jadhav category and cannot be trusted on the biggest stage. But among the contenders, he’s probably the one alongside Jadhav who can fill in the sixth bowling option.

All-rounders and spinners

Name	Last 10 inn. batting aggregate@SR	Last 10 inn. bowling aggregate (ER)	2019 IPL batting aggregate@SR (I)	2019 IPL bowling aggregate@ER (I)
H Pandya	147@100	7/381(5.47)	102@179(5)	4/144@9.6(5)
R A Jadeja	147@70	10/462(4.67)	15@75(3)	4/95@5.93(5)
Y S Chahal	NA	21/501(5.50)	NA	9/165@6.87(6)
K Yadav	NA	18/493(5.54)	NA	3/155@8.61(5)

As articulated earlier, Jadeja isn’t an ODI all-rounder considering his inability to clear the field; besides, his ODI bowling has declined and his electric fielding ability cannot hide his other deficiencies. Hence, Jadeja can only be considered as a spinner who is a handy batsman at 8. On his day, he can pull off a run-out and bowl a few tidy overs, but his downside on flat pitches outweighs any potential upside. Pandya, Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav should walk into the side.

Fast bowlers

Name	Last 10 inn. batting aggregate@SR	Last 10 inn. bowling aggregate (ER)	2019 IPL batting aggregate@SR (I)	2019 IPL bowling aggregate@ER (I)
M Shami	NA	17/445(5.01)	NA	5/187@9.35(5)
J J Bumrah	NA	16/383(4.19)	NA	5/126@6.75(5)
B Kumar	163@74	19/425(5.23)	NA	3/178@9.36(5)
U Yadav	NA	14/492(5.96)	NA	2/126@8.49(4)
K Ahmed	NA	11/338+ (5.36)	NA*	NA*

*the player hasn’t played in 2019 IPL

+the player has played in fewer than 10 ODIs

In his young career, Bumrah is already at a level higher than India’s greatest ever ODI fast bowlers. Without a doubt, he is the pace spearhead. Mohammed Shami, bowling with renewed pace and hostility, has solved the problem of opening bowling to some extent, but as his IPL figures show, he is expensive at the death. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has regressed as a wicket taking and containing bowler as well, but has done enough to slot in as the third seamer (not to mention, his fantastic batting ability at number 8). There is no clear candidate for the fourth seamer, but stats in England since the 2015 World Cup show that wrist spin and pace bowling have done better than finger spin. Umesh Yadav has been off-colour in the IPL, and Khaleel Ahmed—who has done decently for India in his few matches—hasn’t played for the Sunrisers. All things considered, I’d pick Khaleel over Jadeja for variety.

The weaknesses of this team? One, the team is a bit short of experience beyond the first 11. In 2011, Piyush Chawla, the least experienced member was 22 matches young; Virat Kohli, the other greenhorn had played 45 matches, with every other squad member having played many more matches. Two, the team is still reliant on its top order; while batting first, if there is a collapse, Dhoni has to be the glue at 4. In other fair weather conditions, the bigger hitters have to bat ahead of him to maximize India’s scoring opportunities in the middle overs. Three, the bowling isn’t an effective deterrent yet; Bumrah is obviously world-class, but the others aren’t foolproof and Kuldeep Yadav’s novelty will probably wear out in a long tournament. Five quality overs from Bumrah at the death are a given but how the team sends down five more overs without much damage will be the key to defending tricky totals.

First XI: Rohit, Dhawan, Kohli, Dhoni, Karthik, Jadhav, Pandya, Kuldeep, Chahal, Shami, Bumrah

4 substitutes: K L Rahul, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Vijay Shankar, Khaleel Ahmed

Prediction: Barring the champion West Indies and Australia teams, the World Cup has been won by the “form” teams who raised their performances at the right time. With an extended round-robin phase, and with no current outstanding side (England has bigger bowling weaknesses compared to India), the initial league matches will only serve as an appetizer, with the tournament coming alive in the last 3 matches. India has the ammunition to go all the way, but I suspect they will lose in the finals. Anything less than winning all but 2 matches and making the semifinals will be a massive underperformance.

 

Team balance crucial ahead of World Cup challenge

In what was possibly the most satisfying win on the ODI leg, the Indian cricket team overcame a disastrous start, dug deep to post a competitive total, and later regularly chipped away wickets to bundle out the Kiwis for a fine victory in the final match of the series. A 4-1 series win against a competent New Zealand team (which had the best home Win-Loss record recently) is thoroughly deserved and indeed impressive; what is more, the series was done and dusted in quick time, and with little or no help from India’s champions Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli (the latter for the last 2 matches). What bailed India out of this pickle was India’s depth (more on this shortly).

It was especially pleasing to see the team management take the challenge head on by choosing to bat first on a challenging pitch. As Rohit Sharma stated afterwards, if the series were on the line, they would have chased if they had won the toss. But given that this was a dead rubber, it gave the team a good chance to experiment with the team’s composition and balance. Of course, it was winning the series in good time that gave India the luxury to experiment; taking an unassailable lead against or regularly whitewashing top teams began with Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s reign as ODI skipper.

Before M S Dhoni’s time, India rarely blanked strong opposition (one would have to go back to the ‘80s to see earlier instances of consistent superiority but they were under multiple captains) in order to give the team the wiggle room to test several use cases. Virat Kohli’s team has taken the same template and managed to apply it both at home and abroad. The key factor that helped the Indian team to overcome the Kiwis yesterday was the team composition, depth and balance. And the team balance will be a crucial factor going into and in the World Cup.

India elected to play Vijay Shankar, an all-rounder, in the place of Kuldeep Yadav, therefore lengthening the batting lineup. As a result, the free-swinging Hardik Pandya came in at number 8. This is not to say that Pandya may not have delivered the same blows from number 7, but fans can easily envisage an alternate reality in which the dismissal of Rayudu in the 44^th over would have brought in Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, with 3 pure bowlers to follow. In all probability, the team would have meandered towards a 220 all out. Instead, Rayudu and Jadhav could play with the freedom of knowing that they could take risks given that they had Pandya to follow.

In the batting order, alongside the top 3, the team management seems intent on Dhoni’s presence. Though Dhoni is no longer the batsman who looks good in a #10yearchallenge, he’s still the team’s best batsman in a crisis (think Kingston, the Oval, Chennai, Chennai (again), Dharamshala etc.), even though he didn’t fire on this occasion. This version of Dhoni motors along at ~80 SR and needs a lot of deliveries to come up to speed, which means that his partners need to pick up the slack in these middle-overs-run-milking times. Jadhav and Pandya are some of the fastest scoring batsmen since the 2015 World Cup and their place seems to be justified.

Rayudu, after weathering the initial storm, played the Dhoni role to perfection, but the issue is that he too isn’t too different strike rate wise. Since the 2015 World Cup, Dhoni and Rayudu have been striking it in the low 80s and this approach will surely cost the team on flat pitches if the top order cannot carry on. Besides, India have been behind the curve in the middle orders. No doubt Dhoni gives the team insurance, but it is prudent to push him down the order in the first innings, unless there is a collapse.

What has been papering over the middle overs meandering is the fantastic bowling, although we’re yet to see if India can defend a low-ish score as Pakistan would regularly do so in the 1990s. Bumrah has been a revelation; Shami has staked a strong claim to the opening bowling slot; Bhuvi is great at the death and the two wrist spinners are taking wickets for fun. The problem? Only one of the latter 2 fast men can play and this means that the expensive Hardik Pandya comes in. Even after 44 ODI innings, he bowls ~7 overs per match, conceding 5.5 runs per over and taking wickets at ~40—meaning he’s not a reliable bowler. Additionally, among the top 6, only Jadhav bowls, but even his range is limited; discounting his ODI experience, his List A record shows an experience of—hold your breath— only 192 deliveries (translation: he’s only a couple of matches away from being cruelly figured out and finished as an ODI bowler on the big stage by someone like a Warner); and he’s injury prone to boot. Other players haven’t played enough to cover for these 2 and one hopes that it isn’t a case of too little too late. Dropping a spinner to play a Krunal Pandya or Shankar would have given some indication on contingencies apart from these 2, as a 3 spinner formula won’t make it beyond Asian shores.

If you think that I’m unnecessarily sounding alarmist after a 4-1 victory, please hear me out. The 6-1-4 team configuration is really hard on India as only one bowler can afford to have an off day, which is a mighty ask given that England has some of the flattest pitches since the 2015 World Cup (though the effect of an early summer start on this top order remains to be seen). Remember, this team, despite multiple warnings about the inefficacies of finger spin, steamrolled into the final of the 2017 Champions trophy, and set a date against Pakistan. Cue in the trite “Mauka mauka” sequence—except, the Pakistan team threw caution to the wind and assaulted the Indian finger spinners, practically ending their ODI careers (barring sporadic appearances). Who is to say that this shouldn’t repeat in an all-important knockout match?

Therefore, it would be well worth taking a long, hard look at the team balance, with each configuration bringing in its own tradeoffs, in the remaining few matches. Make no mistake, with 9 group matches and 2 possible knockout matches, this will be a long World cup, and the Indian team has to maintain the balance if it has to be in business in the business end of the quadrennial tournament.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India’s lower order striking deficiencies

Lower order muscle: The Pandya brothers hold the key to bolstering the Indian lower middle order. Image source:1.

It was the 14^th of July in 2018. The ground was Lord’s.

England faced India in the second match of the ODI leg of the Indian tour to Ireland and England. A mouthwatering clash at the home of cricket between two quality teams. ICC ODI rank 1 vs ICC ODI rank 2. As marquee bilateral fixtures go, it couldn’t get bigger than this.

The England team were beaten comprehensively in the first ODI, first by the wrist spin of Kuldeep Yadav, and then by the Indian top-order blitz. England would respond impressively in the second ODI in the only way they have played ODI cricket recently—by outhitting the opposition. The English players were particularly severe on their nemesis Kuldeep Yadav, smashing him around for 68 runs in his allotted 10 overs. In spite of losing their late middle order lieutenant Jos Buttler, with the help of unheralded all-rounder David Willey at number 8, they were able to zoom to 322 runs in their 50 overs. While Joe Root was the glue that held the batting order together and overcome India’s middle overs boa constrictor squeeze, it was this late burst that gave the advantage to England. With Kohli dismissed in the 27^th over with the score on 140, the wind had been knocked out of the Indian chase and it would limp to 236 all out.

There would be no surprise if these two excellent teams meet in a fixture of massive importance exactly one year, to the day, from this match—the 2019 World Cup final, also at Lord’s. Indeed, these two have been the two outstanding ODI teams since the 2015 World Cup. India have been a consistent ODI team for almost a decade, but it is England’s transformation from ODI duds to trailblazers is indeed the more remarkable story. The two excellent teams have taken two very different paths to the summit of ODI cricket.

For almost two decades now, India has traditionally been the land of good ODI batsmen—Azharrudin, Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Dravid to name a few. The trend continues today with Kohli, Rohit, Dhawan and Dhoni, and the team has some serious bowling chops as well. However, it isn’t fair to say that India has the best ODI batting lineup in the world; that accolade belongs to England, who bat in an explosive manner all through to number 8. As it was the case with India at one point of time, England’s ODI batting strength and depth are the envy of the cricketing world.

In the last few years, the Indian batting order has developed a soft underbelly beneath that impressive top order. While the top 3 are class-leading, the lower middle order is very much behind the curve—and certainly behind England, the cutting edge—in this respect. If the Indian team has ambitions of making the final on 14^th July, it needs to find the balm to soothe this massive headache.

The extent of this problem can be gleaned from statistics. Over the last two years, of the lower middle order batsmen (batting positions 5-7) who have scored at least 300 runs, only two Indian batsmen feature in the list of the top 25 batsmen ordered by strike rate. Even if one were to discount the ones who have inflated figures due to playing the associate teams, this is an alarming fact. For the record, the two aforementioned Indian players are Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya.

Both these players have been good for India in terms of doing the heavy lifting in the end overs, but they have problems of their own. Hardik Pandya’s future is temporarily uncertain, having sipped a very expensive cup of coffee; the diminutive Jadhav has been impressive, but he’s quite injury prone. While Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu have been drafted into the side and certainly have the capability to be busy, they haven’t traditionally played that role for their state sides. Complicating the matter is that of the veteran champion batsman, M S Dhoni. He’s no more the force that he was, which means that the added pressure of providing impetus falls on the others, as it happened in Australia. Simply put, the Indian team cannot afford to lose either Hardik Pandya or Kedar Jadhav, either to insult or injury.

The Indian team management has often fielded Ravindra Jadeja in the number 7 slot (before Vijay Shankar was given his chance) during Hardik Pandya’s absence. While Ravindra Jadeja is an electrifying fielder, the same adjective cannot be used to describe his limited overs batting. His overall strike rate is ~85 and at number 7, it is worse (82.43)—hardly the kind of number that the opposition would lose sleep over. Make no mistake, he would be a world-class number 8, but with the Indian middle order presently in a state of funk, number 7 would be a step too far for a player of his limited batting abilities.

This is why the team management’s decision to not select Krunal Pandya has been puzzling to say the least. While Vijay Shankar is indeed a legitimate option, Krunal has shown better lower order chops in the IPL and domestic cricket, and has bowled some stifling finger to go on top of his explosive batting. His full range abilities were on display against the England Lions yesterday—six economical overs followed by a late overs charge which set up the India A victory. With him in the team, the team can field three pacers and one wrist spinner, or if the management is feeling too adventurous, it can match England for firepower by including the Pandya brothers and extending the batting order until 8. With Bhuvaneshwar Kumar at 9, one would assume that this is a lower middle order which can go toe to toe with the best in the business.

With just the 9 matches left before the World Cup (the Zimbabwe tour to India is uncertain due to the scheduling conflicts with the IPL), India needs to check all the boxes in order to maximize its chances.

Disclaimer: The image used is not the property of this blog. It has been used for representational purposes only. The copyright, if any, rests with the respective owners.

 

 

 

The muddle in the middle

Pining for a spine: Various Indian cricketers are under the spotlight with less than a year to go for the World Cup. Image source: 1.

A couple of days ago, a controversy lurked in the lead-up to the Asia Cup. The Mumbai Mirror reported that the broadcaster, having paid hefty sums to obtain the television rights for the series, had apparently been miffed at Virat Kohli’s absence from the forthcoming Asia Cup fixtures. While it can be easily argued that the broadcaster has no right to interfere in the team selection, we are taking a longer argument to say that Kohli’s absence from the tournament is a blessing in disguise for India, considering the muddle in the middle order. Hold on to that thought.

Not so long ago, the Indian team set sail (metaphorically) to England, hoping to compete on even terms on a lengthy tour. They showed plenty of pluck, especially during the limited overs leg, when they brushed aside the hosts. However, familiar failings reared their ugly heads by making recurrent appearances. The victories were a case in point; India won the 1^st and 3^rd T20I, and the 1^st ODI quite comfortably. In each match, at least one member of the top order batted deep into the match. What about the matches India lost? The team lost steam once the top 3 were dismissed cheaply, and this has been India’s bane for quite a while now. Sadly, this was not the dress rehearsal that the team hoped for with less than one year to go for the 2019 World Cup.

Truth be told, the Indian ODI team has struggled for lumbar support in the middle order, especially in positions 4-7 for a while now. Since the 2015 World Cup, India’s top order has been in spectacular form; scoring at nearly 58 runs per dismissal at a ~92 SR, it is the envy of world cricket. On the other hand, India’s middle order (batting positions 4-7) is middling, with South Africa’s and England’s collective records well ahead of everyone else’s. India’s stats lie alongside those of Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. As fellow thREAD contributor put it recently, India’s top order has been babysitting the lower middle order. With the 2019 World Cup looming in the distance, India has to quickly solve its middle order riddle. Only Dhoni can be considered as a fixture, as he has scored runs consistently, though he has found some difficulty in raising the tempo from the get-go (more on this shortly).

The Indian ODI side’s most glaring holes are in the number 4 and 5 slots. In the 62 matches since the 2015 World Cup, 17 players have occupied these positions, collectively averaging ~35 runs per dismissal and second only to a Sri Lankan team that has been in lengthy transition.

The Asia cup represents a lifeline for the various candidates in contention for a middle-order berth. To make matters worse, candidates who are waiting in the wings such as Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant (not including the dropped Rahane) are essentially top order batsmen who have to audition for a spot in the middle order. Barring a major miracle, the selectors seem to have moved on from Yuvraj, Raina and Rahane.

K L Rahul looks primed to bat at number 3. The team management fancies him and his skills, and with a big knock in the last test match, he has played himself back into contention. With the best teams looking to flex their muscle at the top, he is no doubt the favourite to take Kohli’s slot.

Similarly, Hardik Pandya’s slot is set in stone, unless unfavourable circumstances dictate otherwise. Though he may not be a test-class bowler at this stage, there is little doubt about his utility as an ODI all-rounder. His useful bowling, electric fielding and high-risk, high-reward batting are made for the limited overs formats. He is yet to cement his place in the side, but due to the TINA (There Is No Alternative) factor, he is probably assured of a spot barring a major injury or loss of form.

Amongst the others, the little man making a comeback after an injury is a favourite to grab another middle order slot (mostly at six). Jadhav has many reasons going for him: one, he has India’s second best lower middle order record after Dhoni; second, he has adapted his batting style to suit the hustle and bustle of the end-overs, treading a fine balance between madness and method; and finally, Pandya cannot be relied upon to complete his 10 overs in ODIs just yet (or rather, any bowler can have a bad day). Jadhav, with his weird bowling action, represents the only form of insurance. With Rohit and Kohli not bowling anymore and with Raina and Yuvraj out of the side, he’s the only batsman with some recent bowling experience; though, it feels odd that India has to rely on someone who has bowled only 755 List A deliveries to date, with 593 of those coming in the ODIs that he played in and resulting in some comical wickets. One way of looking at it is that it was an inspired gamble by Dhoni; the other way is that he is two matches away from his career as a bowler being cruelly finished at the big stage. Either way, he is the man for the job for now; it would be a stretch to expect someone else to take the gloves from Dhoni so that the latter can add to his ODI wicket tally.

Now to Dhoni—why shouldn’t he be pushed up the order in ODI cricket to get the best out of his abilities?

To date, Dhoni has batted in the top 4 only in 45 out of his 274 innings—a measly 16.4%. Dhoni’s average batting position is ~5.5 which shows that he has largely batted in the lower middle order. That he has amassed nearly 10,000 runs batting at such a low position is an outstanding achievement and a testament to his prowess in the ODI game. In comparison, other members of the ODI 10k run club mostly batted in the top 4. What is more, whenever Dhoni has been given the opportunity higher up, he has performed excellently, averaging more than ~82 and ~55 runs per dismissal at no. 3 and 4 respectively (only 2 innings at no.2).

For some reason, the team management has always been averse to the idea of Dhoni following Kohli in the batting order. This can be gleaned by looking at the partnership data. Between the third and the fifth wicket partnerships, Kohli and Dhoni have batted together only 40 times over nearly a decade of playing together. For the 3^rd wicket you ask? It has happened only 5 times. With these two proven, experienced performers, it looks like the team think-tank want to spread the experience and hedge their bets against a rampaging pacer ripping apart the top order and exposing the lower middle order.

While it is a valid concern, it must be noted that Dhoni is perhaps the most adept at handling pressure situations in ODI cricket. His batting record in dire circumstances while batting in the lower middle order has been the stuff of legend. The following two tweets published last year provide a snapshot about his “iceman” status. Without a doubt, he has been the man for crisis situations.

https://twitter.com/SampathStats/status/939796916287651841

https://twitter.com/Rehan_ulhaq/status/939794704497078272

With such a track record, such fears are unfounded and one would have to back him to come up with the goods when the team needs it the most. After all, it must be remembered that not so long ago, Sachin Tendulkar was pushed down the order to avoid “exposing” him to the new ball, but the little master proved everyone wrong by continuing to perform excellently at the opening position.

Though Dhoni has a healthy overall strike rate of ~83, a recent drawback in his game has been a decline in his power hitting capabilities—especially from the first ball. Since the World cup, barring Ajinkya Rahane, Dhoni has been slower (in Strike rate terms) compared to all his other ODI teammates who have scored 300 runs. In fact, readers may recall that this was the basis of our argument of him not deserving a batting slot in the T20I side for a really long time (but he’s answered most of his critics with a fantastic IPL 2018). As discussed earlier, Dhoni has been taking much longer to get going, and this has resulted in him making up his strike rate only much later in the innings. With this in mind, it makes sense to shift him to number 4—where he can bide his time, knock the ball around and get primed to launch an assault by the time the middle overs are done, with batting depth to follow. IPL 2018 has shown us glimpses of what this all-time legend can be, given the right batting opportunities. Though Dhoni has coveted that position for long, he hasn’t really got an extended opportunity higher up the batting order. After years of superlative service, he has earned the right to bat at the point where the batting order pivots, much like Imran Khan in the twilight of his career at the 1992 World Cup.

The other remaining slot will be a toss-up between Rayudu, Pandey and Karthik, which is a real head-scratcher. Would you pick Rayudu, who had a great IPL, or Pandey, who had an average IPL but did well on the sidelines to make the India squad? Or will it be Karthik, who had a good series in Sri Lanka and the IPL but faded away in the England tour? We’d plump for Pandey, but your guess is as good as ours. In any case, the Asia cup is a good low-spotlight stage for this audition. Without the safety net of Kohli, the relatively safe environs of the Asia cup is no doubt the best place to check out the middle order candidates.

Disclaimer: The images used in this article are not the property of this blog. They have been used for representational purposes only. The copyright, if any, rests with the respective owners.