Only India have won all T20 series after first loss
: Numbers don’t lie, or do they? If statistics are to be believed, India, going into the second T20 against Australia on Friday in Melbourne hoping to draw level, should not fret much. Records show India have gone on to win a three-match T20 series every time they have lost the opening game like they did, by four runs, at the Gabba on Wednesday.
In 44 three-match T20 series, a team losing the first match has gone on to win the series only on 11 occasions. India figure thrice in that list and in all three have gone on to win the series 2-1.
The most recent example was during England’s tour of India in 2016-17. India had lost the first T20 in Kanpur by seven wickets but then came back to win the next two in Nagpur and Bengaluru to win the series. The Bengaluru match, which India won by 75 runs, is remembered for leggie Yuzvendra Chahal’s sixwicket haul.
The other three-match T20 series that India won after losing the first match was against Zimbabwe and against Sri Lanka in 2016.
So how should India respond to the loss? Changes to the XI could be an option. Again numbers show that India have made changes to the XI after losing a T20 match on nine out of 11 occasions where they were to play the same opponents in the next few days. And of those nine, India have won six, a success record of 66%.
TAKING A RELOOK
By cricketing logic though, the Indian batting line-up could see some rejigging. Since scoring an unbeaten 101 in the first T20I against England in Manchester, KL Rahul hasn’t been able to cross the 30-run mark in six matches. India have persisted with him at No 3, benched Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli has batted at 4.
In Melbourne, the team management could be tempted to have a re-look at the bowling attack too.
Krunal Pandya was plundered for 55 runs in his four wicketless overs and was hit for as many as half a dozen sixes.
Kohli might be tempted to bring in leg spinner Chahal, who boasts of a brilliant wicket-taking record in T20s.
But leaving Pandya out could weaken the lower order batting a bit and so it could be a difficult gamble.
At Brisbane, India were caught napping on the field on a few occasions. Even Kohli was guilty of poor fielding on at least two occasions, dropping counterpart Aaron Finch in the fourth over and later involved in a misfielding in the deep.
So Kohli and the rest of his boys will have to stay alert on the field. With just a day between matches, it would be unfair to expect fielding coach R Sridhar to turn things around overnight.
NEW DELHI NUMBERS SHOW THAT INDIA HAVE MADE CHANGES TO THE XI AFTER LOSING A T20 MATCH ON NINE OUT OF 11 OCCASIONS WHERE THEY WERE TO PLAY THE SAME OPPONENTS.
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