India batting order far from settled after suspended IPL
Dhawan shows his worth as opener, India’s middle-order work in progress ahead of World T20
“Top of the table…” Shikhar Dhawan’s glee burst forth in his Instagram post on May 2. Hours earlier, his third half-century in IPL 2021 had helped Delhi Capitals defeat Punjab Kings and climb to No. 1 in the league’s points table. The seasoned opener was making a “conscious effort” to make an impact ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup and the results were showing. That game though turned out to be the last of IPL 2021 before its postponement amid breaches in its bio-secure bubbles.
Dhawan’s team will start from pole position if/when IPL resumes and the left-handed batsman deserves a big credit for that. He tops the batting chart with 380 runs in eight games, at an average of 54.28 and strike-rate of 134.27. Those numbers could be crucial for Dhawan. Before the T20 World Cup, scheduled to start in midOctober, this was a big opportunity to make a case. Though a couple of T20 series are being proposed for hosts India before the marquee event, there is no confirmation. It means IPL was the last chance for Dhawan and others to impress the selectors.
It underlined his attempt to improve his strike rate after losing ground in the T20I series against England in March.
Skipper Virat Kohli had declared KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma as first-choice T20I openers before promoting himself by the end of the series. Dhawan played one of those five games. Dhawan though has some solid numbers to show from IPL. He hit most fours (43) in the tournament, most fours (13) in one match and is in the top-three for most fifty-plus scores. He hit a slump but recovered. But are those numbers enough to make the cut? And how have his compatriots fared?
A full IPL would have given a better idea about the best T20I combination for India. Still, teams played at least seven games when IPL was stopped. We tracked those numbers and analysed.
Opener Kohli
It was the biggest talking point coming into IPL. The world’s highest T20I run-scorer (3,159) left his No. 3 spot to open, to pack more fire-power in the middle-order.
How did it go for Kohli, also the RCB skipper? Apart from a 47-ball 72 against Rajasthan Royals, his numbers were not impressive. He got a start in three of his other six matches but could not cross 35. He could neither accelerate nor play the anchor convincingly. Numbers from Cricviz show his run-rate as an IPL opener was the lowest this season in the first seven matches. Twice he fell to poor shots, and yet, Kohli was among RCB’s top three run-scorers (198 in 7 games). The experiment thus is far from over.
Other openers
While Kohli blew hot and cold, Dhawan and KL Rahul ruled the run charts to be No. 1 and No. 2, quite like IPL 2020. When Rahul went out due to appendicitis, the Punjab Kings captain had scored 331 runs in seven games at a strike-rate of 136.21. Many times, Rahul was the lone performer for his team, staying on till the end.
He was especially impressive in the latter part of the innings. That shows in the 16 sixes (most by anyone) he hit. Dhawan and Rahul though were slow off the blocks in the powerplay.
In that aspect, young openers Prithvi Shaw (308 runs, 8 matches) and Devdutt Padikkal (195, 6 matches) were the most impressive. Shaw was determined to attack the bowlers, hitting a four every five balls. Padikkal scored his maiden IPL ton—101* off 52 balls versus RR.
Mumbai Indians skipper and India’s No. 1 choice as opener, Rohit Sharma (250, 7 games) too gave his team good starts. Still, he scored only one halfcentury as MI had an inconsistent start to the league.
The middle order
Unlike the top-order choices, Rishabh Pant (213, 8 matches) was the only batsman to show some consistency in the middle order. The Delhi Capitals captain was crucial for his team to up the ante batting at No. 4. Ironically, his two fifties came in losses. A lot was also expected from MI’s Suryakumar Yadav (173, 7 games) and Ishan Kishan (73, 5 games). Yadav impressed on T20I debut against England with his robust hitting. A big score in IPL though was missing, apart from a 56 off 36 balls against KKR. Kishan’s best was 28.
The biggest worry for India would be Hardik Pandya (52, 7 games). As a fast-bowling allrounder, he provides balance to the team, though his bowling is limited since the comeback after back surgery. He did not bowl in IPL, big hits were absent from his bat and his highest score was 16. He has been ignored for the England tour.