World Cup 2019: Three problems for Team India ahead of semi-final

After a hectic one month, the league stages finally came to an end. India bore the fruits for their all-round performances, finishing at the top of the table. This means India take on New Zealand, who is on a three-game losing streak. India might be the early favourites, however, predicting anything would be nothing but stupidity. The way the batting and bowling have complemented each other has been amazing.

All the players have contributed, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami leading the charts. However, there have been a few concerns for the team, which they would have liked to iron out before, but couldn’t. The in-form players will have to hide these vulnerabilities since the Kiwis won’t leave any stones unturned to reach the final for the second time on a trot.

On this note, let us take a look at the three problems for the men-in-blue ahead of their semi-final encounter:

1. Failure to score in the death overs

With form behind, the Indian top-order has tormented every bowling attack in this World Cup. However, the middle order has failed to carry forward the momentum provided. Barring Hardik Pandya, no one has been consistent so far, which is a big worry for the men-in-blue ahead of their semi-final game.

India scored 48 runs in the death overs against Afghanistan, 63 runs against England and 66 against West Indies. This is far less than a run rate of 10-12 runs per over, which you can at least expect from a team like India. MS Dhoni has been considered the culprit behind this, but Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav have also failed to step up.

Hardik has been doing well, but he needs to add a bit of consistency. He got out at the worst possible time against England, which closed the match then and there itself. New Zealand has a strong batting lineup, and in order to challenge them, the men-in-blue need to make the most of the death overs.

2. Spinners failing to deliver

One can’t hide the fact that this World Cup has been a forgettable one for all the spinners. There has hardly been any assistance for the spinners, and some great batting has also neutralized their effect. Shakib-Al-Han and Yuzvendra Chahal have been the top spinners, with 11 wickets each to their name.

India had expected a lot from Kul-Cha, but they haven’t delivered. Though Chahal has 11 wickets, he has been a bit too expensive, conceding at 5.92 runs per over. Moreover, six of his wickets had come in the first 2 matches itself, meaning that the leggie has scalped only 5 wickets in next 7 games.

Kuldeep Yadav has scalped only six wickets so far, at a disappointing average of 56.17. Since India might stick to three pacers in the semis, Chahal is likely to get the nod ahead of Kuldeep. He enjoys a good record against Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, and Colin De Grandhomme, and will hold the responsibility of providing breakthroughs in the middle overs.

3. Who will be the sixth bowler?

Over the past few matches, one has seen a new kind of tactic from skipper Virat Kohli. He has stuck to five bowlers only, thanks to Hardik Pandya. Hardik has completely evolved as a bowler, and the team has now started to expect a full quota of 10 overs from him. Even Hardik hasn’t disappointed at all.

However, the question arises — what will Virat do if any of the bowlers is smashed on a particular day. In a semi-final game, you don’t want to take any risks. Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshvar Kumar also have been a bit too inconsistent, which makes a backup option must.

Therefore, India might consider bringing back Kedar Jadhav in the squad. For this, Dinesh Karthik will have to face the axe. Another option is to stick with Ravindra Jadeja and Chahal and bring back Mohammad Shami in place of Karthik. This move will mean that India goes with six bowlers who can give a full 10 overs.