World Cup: What should be India's strategy in next fixture?
Two-time champions India failed a tough test when they lost to hosts England in the ICC World Cup 2019 on Sunday. Even though it was India's first loss of the tournament, it is a really important moment for the side. Without a doubt, India are still favorites to reach the final, the loss did teach them some hard lessons, as we take a look.
Shami's execution in death a worry
Mohammed Shami once again turned out to be a star. He claimed 5/69 and helped India come back into the game. However, his bowling has a notable flaw. At the death, he couldn't execute his length deliveries to perfection and as a result, he leaked runs. Shami is a new ball pacer, and India must find a better death bowler to complement Jasprit Bumrah.
Jasprit Bumrah's wicket-tally a cause of concern
Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah is undoubtedly the number one bowler in the world, owing to his ability to bowl intelligently. He has pace, and can deliver toe crushing yorkers six times in an over. Unfortunately, his wicket-tally in the past few matches remains a cause of concern. JB needs to somehow replicate the secret formula of Mitchell Starc, who is leading the chart.
Openers need to fire at all costs
The Indian openers have struggled to stitch a partnership in the last three matches. Following the win against Pakistan, at least one of them has been dismissed for cheap, with KL Rahul getting dismissed for a duck against England. While India are missing the services of Shikhar Dhawan, now that he is out, Rahul needs to step up and complement Rohit Sharma.
What is the issue with Dhoni and Jadhav?
Although England played well, a notable observation was that there was a lack of intent from the pair of MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav. While it is understood that India were in a tough position, not playing positive cricket is hardly acceptable from any player. The same thing was also noticeable in the match against Afghanistan. Is it time to pick DK over Jadhav?
India's failure to pick the right playing XI
The biggest flaw that was observed in India's strategy was their failure to get the combination right. With the pitch assisting batsmen, there was no point in playing both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Dropping one of them for all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja would have made sense. It would have bolstered their batting and India might have possibly put a show while chasing.
