Kolkata: Young cricketer Harshit Rana is getting a lot of attention for his spot on the Indian team. Some say it’s unfair. Instead of pointing fingers at him, maybe we should look at head coach Gautam Gambhir and the captains, Shubman Gill and Surya Kumar Yadav. They’re the ones who shape the team’s mix.
One big question is choosing Rana over the experienced Arshdeep Singh, who’s also available. Gambhir’s decision to pick an all-rounder instead of a specialist bowler might not be the best strategy for limited-overs matches. It could make more sense to play batters who can bowl when needed.
Let’s rewind to the early 2000s. Back then, teams had a different game plan. Captains like Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni often opted for seven specialist batters, mixing in bowlers who could also chip in with runs. Ganguly, in particular, had batters like Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, who could change a game with both bat and ball. This gave the team a balanced edge.
Fast forward to today, and the Indian team looks different. None of their current batters, like Shubman Gill and Surya Kumar Yadav, have any bowling experience. If the main bowlers struggle, the team lacks options to adjust tactics.
Experts often argue that if a team can’t win with six batters, it won’t fare better with seven. Missing Hardik Pandya, a genuine all-rounder, has affected the team’s balance. In his absence, options like Shivam Dube and Axar Patel just don’t provide the same spark.
Selection issues also plague the team. Bowlers who perform well sometimes find themselves sidelined. Take Mohammad Shami, for example. With over 200 ODI wickets, he’s proven his worth, yet he’s been overlooked. After taking three wickets against England earlier this year, he was ruled out of the game for unclear reasons, despite showing form in domestic matches.
The bottom line is simple: the team’s performance isn’t meeting expectations. After losing the ODI series, they’ve stumbled in their recent T20 matches too, including a significant loss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Analyzing why the team struggles could lead to better decisions in the future. In cricket, strategy, balance, and adaptability matter as much as talent.
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TEAM INDIA, HARSHIT RANA, GAUTAM GAMBHIR, SHUBMAN GILL, INDIAN CRICKET TEAM, TEAM INDIA TRIES TO FIND ELUSIVE 'BALANCE' IN LIMITED OVERS, PERHAPS NOT IN THE RIGHT WAY
