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India’s dream for making it to the semi-final of the T20 World Cup is finally over as New Zealand registered a comfortable victory against Afghanistan. Notably, India needed Afghanistan to win the game to make it to the semi-final but their hopes were crushed by New Zealand yet again with a near-perfect performance.
However, it is important to note that India have themselves to blame for the early exit from the tournament. The Men in Blue were favourites before the start of the tournament but a shocking loss against Pakistan and New Zealand derailed their campaign. Although India made a comeback in the next two matches with a big win against Afghanistan and Scotland, it was not enough.
While many blamed the IPL for the disappointing performance of Team India, others questioned the intent of the team. So, what went wrong for Team India in this tournament? Let’s find out:
- The ‘not-so-lucky toss'
Toss has played a crucial role in this tournament. Teams that have won the toss went on to win the match on almost every occasion. With the dew factor playing a big role, winning the toss was very crucial for Team India. However, Kohli’s bad luck with the toss continued in this tournament as well, as the captain lost the back-to-back toss and had to bat first.
Their dismal batting performance didn’t help their cause either.
- The batting chaos
The most surprising part of India’s rocky journey in the tournament was their batting. India have a solid top-order in the form of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli and a lot was expected of them in the tournament. However, Indian openers looked too cautious at the start and therefore, failed to provide a solid foundation. As a result, pressure built on Kohli, which he failed to control.
- A tired Team India?
As we know, Team India has been on tour since May and is playing continuously for more than 6 months. After playing the WTC Final, Team India played 4 hectic Test matches against England, followed by IPL and then the World Cup. The members of the squad have been in a bio-bubble since May and it seems it finally took a toll on the side.
- Indian bowlers failing to provide good starts
Another factor that cost India was their bowling. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of form and Hardik Pandya bowling in just one of the games, India failed miserably to get breakthroughs. Jasprit Bumrah did his best to provide India a start but, unfortunately, he didn’t get much support from others.
- Shuffling of batting order
Many fans and cricket pundits could not believe that Rohit Sharma was demoted down the order in the game against New Zealand. India went with inexperienced Ishan Kishan in the opening slot against pacers like Trent Boult Tim Southee and Adam Milne and the tactic went horribly wrong. Rohit Sharma, who holds not-so-good record at the start against spinners arrived at the crease at no 3 and had to face Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner which didn’t go well.
