India’s batting strength is such that they can win the T20 World Cup provided they lift their fielding, previous national coach Ravi Shastri said on Wednesday.
In the Asia Cup held in the UAE last month, fielding let the team down as they put down crucial catches and were eliminated in the Super 4 stage. In the home T20 series against Australia too, they rode on batting for victory. During Shastri’s tenure, India were regarded as a top fielding side.
“I’ve been part of the system for the last seven years as coach and now watching it from outside, this is the strongest batting line-up India has had, if you look at youth, experience, at players peaking in this format of the game,” Shastri said during a media interaction hosted by senior sports journalist Ayaz Memon.
“This is as good a batting line-up as India ever had in T20 cricket; especially with Hardik Pandya at No 5, Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant at No 6, it makes a massive difference. One area they will have to pick up and start from the beginning is fielding,” Shastri said at the Mumbai Press Club.
“Those 15-20 runs you save will make all the difference because otherwise every time you go out to bat, you will have to get those extra runs. This is where other sides, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, they field like crazy. Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup on their fielding.”
The drop in fielding standards has come as a surprise to Shastri.
“The emphasis on fitness becomes very critical. In my time we had the Yo-Yo test. A lot of people laughed at it. The test was never for selection, it was for creating awareness among the players. It made a massive difference, not just in the way they played, but the way they moved on the field,” he said. “What is worrying (now) is the number of times you have allowed the opposition to score over 200 runs in the last few months. People will blame the bowling, but it is also the fielding.”
During Shastri’s tenure, India won bilateral series but success eluded them in ICC events. India came a cropper even in the last T20 World Cup a year ago. So, what gave him confidence this time? Shastri pointed to the strong middle-order that allows top-order trio Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli to play freely.
“What India lacked in the last 5-6 years is the No 4, 5, 6; now Surya coming at 4, Hardik at 5, DK/Pant at 6, allows the top order to play in the manner they are playing. Even if you are two down in the powerplay, you still have the ammunition at the back to consistently take on the bowlers, which wasn’t the case for some time. In that way this line-up is settled. Rahul has come back from injury, adapted well; Rohit, Virat are getting into the groove, but Nos 4-5-6 have made a massive difference.”
“For big players like Virat or Rohit, the World Cup stage will itself ignite them.”
He expects the Australian conditions to suit Indian batters.
“This Indian team, they have played superbly in Australia. Those tracks suit their batting. If you are one of the best batting sides, irrespective of how good your bowling or fielding is, you have the chance to win the Cup. You qualify for the semis, your batting takes off, you can beat any opposition. On conditions, India having been there four-five times in the last five-six years will make a massive difference.”
If India do win, Hardik Pandya would have played a big part. “A fully fit Hardik is the cog in the wheel. He makes all the difference in this batting line-up. When you are an all-rounder, I speak from experience, you take one department away, you are not the same cricketer. Moment you can do both, you are a tiger.”
Shastri said it will probably be the last time Kohli, Sharma and Dinesh Karthik are part of the India T20 side.
“Come what may, I see India having a new team after this World Cup, much like the team which went in 2007—there was no Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly. Dhoni took the side out and won the tournament. The same thing can happen. It is not that they are not good enough, but you want them for the other two formats, there is a World Cup coming next year, so you don’t want to burden those players.”
What is the reason for the spate of recent injuries?
“It is something I have not been able to put my finger on. When we toured England twice, we toured New Zealand twice, for all those tours Jasprit Bumrah was injured. He would have got a bagful of wicket with his skills, so it’s frustrating. Bumrah has played five matches in the last year because of injury. Same with Deepak Chahar, three matches then injured, which is worrying. We have to look into it very seriously as to why it is happening.”
Who should play, Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant?
“It should depend on the sides. One thing you will have to keep in mind is what Pant has done in Australia and what he can do on those surfaces. Careful examination has to be done on that before you go into it. The fact is DK is also playing very good cricket at the moment. It’s a tough call, it is something which should have been settled long back. They have decided to go in with DK, obviously it will be DK but I will always keep in mind what this boy has done in Australia, and what he has done is something spectacular.”
Sharp decline in bowling?
“(Yes) Man-management is the key, these are not school kids, they are millioanaires, each one has a mindset of his own, how you deal with those players is extremely important. You should know how to crack the whip, when to speak to the guy and what platform, is it individual, one to one, that kind of experience in not bought and sold in the market. You have got to have it. I think, I had it.”
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