IND vs AFG: Abhishek Sharma reaches 6000-run milestone as India’s bat…

Srishti Bhattacharya, New Delhi

Abhishek Sharma produced a stunning knock in the first T20I against Afghanistan, smashing 82 off just 32 balls as India chased down 157 in a mere 13.4 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the series. tr-sport.click

The left-hand batter brought up his half-century in just 22 balls and also completed 6,000 runs in T20 cricket during his explosive innings. Of those runs, as many as 1,711 have come in 56 T20I innings for India, including two centuries.

After Sanju Samson fell early, Abhishek took charge alongside Ishan Kishan. The pair added 121 runs for the second wicket, with Ishan scoring 42 off 33 before Abhishek was dismissed by Mohammad Nabi.

India eventually finished the chase with 38 balls to spare.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Varun Chakaravarthy highlighted India’s confidence against spin.

“While sitting in the dressing room, I was just telling someone that, against our team batting line-up, you can’t bowl spin,” said Varun. “So, if you bowl spin against our batting line-up, they’re just going to smack left, right and centre. We are just so used to playing spinners. I have personally bowled against them, played against them, so I know how hard it is.”

India will face Afghanistan in the second T20I on September 15.

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India’s domination in the Women’s Asia Cup continued as they bagged another title, defeating Sri Lanka in Dubai on September 13. Having played in all 10 Women’s Asia Cup finals, the Women in Blue have now secured eight titles, clearly showcasing their dominance over the years.

Throughout the recently-concluded edition, India remained unbeaten, winning all five games — three in the group stage, the semi-final and the final. But this Asia Cup win should not convince anyone that India have improved significantly in their approach to T20Is.

India have clearly struggled in the last two T20 World Cups, having suffered group-stage exits, and hence, questions have started to be raised. Even in this Asia Cup, apart from a few positives, there are still several areas that need to be improved. Otherwise, despite being so dominant in Asia, they will struggle against top teams like Australia, England and South Africa.

Positives

Mandhana-Shafali opening pair

The biggest positive from India’s batting unit was the opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. The Women in Blue scored 741 runs in five matches, with 449 of those runs coming from the duo — Shafali scored 236, the tournament’s highest, while Mandhana made 213, the second-highest.

That means 61% of India’s runs came from the two openers, clearly showing how dependent the team is on them to get a good start and provide a solid foundation for the following batters.

Spin bowling unit

India’s spinners were expected to deliver in Dubai conditions, and they did exactly that. On typical Dubai pitches, where spinners were seen getting plenty of purchase throughout the competition, India’s spin unit made the most of it, taking 35 of the 47 wickets picked up by the team in the tournament — approximately 75.5%.

Deepti Sharma led the charge with 14 wickets, the tournament’s highest, while N Shree Charani took 12, the second-highest. Prema Rawat picked up seven wickets, while Shafali Verma chipped in with two.

Areas of concern

Future of Pratika Rawal

Before the Asia Cup, when Pratika Rawal received her maiden T20I call-up, some eyebrows were raised. Now, the fans are raising even more questions in the backdrop of her failures in the Asia Cup.

Scores of 22 off 18 against Thailand, 10 off 12 against Hong Kong, China, four off three against Pakistan and 20 off 24 against Bangladesh, while batting at number three, clearly did not impress the team management. Hence, they decided to drop her for the final and brought in youngster, G Kamalini, who impressed with an unbeaten cameo of 15 off five, including one four and a six.

There were glimpses of her potential, but Pratika clearly failed to grab the opportunities provided to her. She also dropped four catches across the Pakistan and Bangladesh clashes. Now, going into the Asian Games, whether she can make a comeback into the playing XI remains to be seen.

Below par middle order

India’s middle order was a major concern, given the kind of struggles they displayed throughout the tournament. Despite their openers — both or either one of them — providing solid starts, the middle order failed to capitalise and carry that momentum through the rest of the innings.

India’s middle order, from numbers four to seven, managed only 174 runs off 169 balls in the competition, which is better than only Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia and UAE. Fans were particularly left stunned and frustrated by the recurring struggles of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh.

Kranti’s bowling

The pitches were spin-friendly, but pacers like Bangladesh’s Marufa Akhter and Pakistan’s Fatima Sana left a positive impression with their bowling. For India, Nandni Sharma ended up picking seven wickets, courtesy of her slower deliveries and cutters, which were expected to help her do well in Dubai conditions.

For Kranti, however, only two wickets in five games is a disappointing return. She could have done better with the new ball. The lack of variations might also be making her a bit predictable in white-ball formats, and that is an area for the young pacer to work on going forward.

Fielding and running between the wickets

India dropped 12 catches in the tournament, including three in the semi-final against Bangladesh and five in the final against Sri Lanka. Most of those chances were catchable, and this is what can make a huge difference when they play against teams like Australia, England and South Africa in T20 World Cups.

It is not just catching. Ground fielding also needs to improve, as saving runs can make a huge difference, especially in a low-scoring affair.

Another major concern has been India’s running between the wickets. Throughout the tournament, there were quite a few calls for runs that left fans stunned, with the run-out dismissal of Smriti Mandhana in the final being the prime example.

Skipper Harmanpreet hit the ball straight to point and began running. Mandhana responded, but then Harmanpreet stopped before running again, eventually leaving Mandhana confused and sacrificing her wicket for 59 off 39.

Clearly, there is a lack of communication, understanding and judgement when it comes to run-out dismissals and mix-ups India had in the Asia Cup.

Hence, with all these concerns to be looked into, the Women in Blue are now set for their Asian Games campaign in Japan, where they will play the hosts in the quarter-final. Again, they will be firm favourites to bag the gold medal. But the bigger question remains: can India’s dominance in Asia translate into a convincing T20 approach against the best teams in the world?

The Asia Cup title is another reminder of India’s dominance in the region. But it should not mask the concerns that remain. The Asian Games will be another opportunity to address them, because when the opposition gets stronger, these shortcomings could become much harder to hide.

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