Hardik to Karthik: Impact of IPL on India’s T20 plans
Rohit and coach Dravid have some fine options to select from for the shortest version of the game
NEW DELHI: As the curtain came down on IPL 2022, a 10-day break is all there is before the cricket caravan gets moving again. India host South Africa in a five-match T20I series from June 9 to 19 in the build-up to the T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November. Before IPL, some of India’s problem areas seemed to be Hardik Pandya’s form and fitness, the inconsistency of wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, and, to an extent, the absence of left-arm seamers. IPL 2022 helped allay some of the concerns.
Hardik fires again
There was no bigger gain for India than Hardik returning to his best while leading Gujarat Titans to the title. He had not played competitive cricket since being omitted from the Indian team after the 2021 T20 World Cup. But the break and work on fitness helped the 28-year-old reflect on his game and come back firing on all cylinders again.
The Gujarat Titans captaincy in their inaugural season never seemed to weigh him down. With his form and fitness under a cloud before the season, it would have been easy to simply focus on his game. Instead, he showed an aptitude for captaincy, promoted himself to mostly No 4 and also bowled at 140kph plus to provide key breakthroughs when his body allowed. The last bit is important from the Indian team’s perspective. If Hardik bowls his full quota of overs regularly, it lends the right balance to the Indian team, especially on Australian pitches.
The search for that balance has seen India try out Venkatesh Iyer and Shivam Dube, but neither of them has done enough in the chances provided to be an alternative to Hardik.
India’s finishing options
Hardik’s return also eases India’s concerns at No 6, a position that requires a range of skills, be it the finishing role in a tense run chase or bailing the team out when wickets fall early. Hardik can perform both. Yes, his finishing skills didn’t come into play this season, but he mostly batted at No 4 due to a lack of other suitable options in the squad. For India, he will return to No 6 because his hitting prowess at the death still stands out.
Providing competition is Dinesh Karthik. The 37 -year-old wicket keeper batter has had many setbacks in his stop-start international career, but his determination to keep bouncing back deserves admiration. In IPL , his form for RCB as a finisher was the biggest factor in them reaching the playoffs.
He scored at a strike rate (183.33) that was higher than anyone who faced at least 100 balls in the tournament. With Rishabh Pant ensconced at No 5, Karthik’s drawback is that he is competing for a slot at No 6 or 7 where the ability to bowl is often a prerequisite. But if he maintains his form during the series against South Africa, India might be compelled to find a way to accommodate him.
Beyond them and spin-bowling all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel who can bat at No 7, Rahul Tewatia has also made himself a contender. He took Gujarat Titans over the line in a few nail-biting chases, none more noteworthy than his two sixes off the last two balls against Punjab Kings. While he hasn’t been included in the Indian squad for the SA series, the selectors might want to have a glance at him before the W’Cup.
The ‘KulCha’ treat
Three of the top five wicket-takers in IPL 2022 were wrist spinners, underlining their primacy in T20. That Chahal and Kuldeep took 27 and 21 wickets for Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals respectively must be a big relief for India. Neither was brimming with confidence coming into IPL, having had to battle for their India spots since the 2019 ODI World Cup. Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep, in particular, has barely had game time, playing just three ODIs and T20Is each in the last 12 months. A knee injury before the second half of last year’s IPL meant Kuldeep could not play a single game for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2021 after playing just five in the preceding edition.
Having switched teams this season, both were rejuvenated. Their wickets were rewards for their tossing the ball up, enticing batters into playing risky shots. On Australia’s bigger grounds, India can bank on them as a pair to prise out key scalps.
Rising left-arm pacers
While Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh has earned a maiden call-up for the South Africa series, left-arm pacers Mohsin Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Yash Dayal and Mukesh Choudhary seem equally capable of adding a different dimension to India’s attack. From mid to late 2000s India had Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh and Irfan Pathan to choose from, but leftarm pacers of quality had dried up in recent years.
Arshdeep’s strengths come through towards the end of an innings. How he has nailed his yorkers and slower-ball variations show in his excellent economy rate of 7.58 in 17 overs bowled in the death this season. If he gets to play against the Proteas, he will need to impress as there is a line of left-armers waiting in the wings.