Amid struggle, Pandey, Karthik prop up batting
COLOMBO: In the game against Sri Lanka on Monday, India were 85/4 in the 10th over, needing 68 off 61 balls. In the situation, the game could have swung Sri Lanka’s way.
However, Manish Pandey (42*) and Dinesh Karthik’s (39*) match-winning stand of 68 for the fifth wicket ensured Rohit Sharma’s side came closer to sealing a spot in the final.
The knocks by Pandey and Karthik were vital for an India side that lacks big names in this T20 tri-series.
With the experienced batsmen, barring one not contributing, the duo’s contributions have given the team a buffer in case the top order fails.
India’s top-order failures have been masked by Shikhar Dhawan’s consistency. The lefthander’s 90 and 55 remains the only fifty-plus score by an India batsman in this series.
Rohit Sharma’s form has still not been up to the mark with scores of 0,17,11 while Suresh Raina, the second-most experienced player in the side, has been dismissed for 1,28,27.
Against Sri Lanka, all three of India’s top-order batsmen failed for the first time and this presented a new challenge. The fact that Pandey and Karthik stood up and delivered gives Rohit assurance.
In the 68-run stand, a total of six boundaries and one six was hit. In the entire partnership, there were just six dot balls.
Both right-handers relied on rotating the strike and finding the fence only when there was an opportunity. This helped India ease the pressure. The calmness demonstrated by both is a lesson for the top order.
Rohit started off aggressively but in a bid to dominate the attack, fell to a poor stroke. Raina also struck a couple of lusty blows but he too threw his wicket away while KL Rahul was carelessly hit wicket.
Rohit and Raina pursued an aggressive policy which did not pay off. Depending on the conditions, both batsmen need to adapt and play with calmness.