They say desperate times call for desperate measures. When Hardik Pandya twisted his ankle in the match against Bangladesh in Pune, it was indeed a desperate situation for the Indian team management.
The all-round skills of the Baroda lad added much-needed flexibility to this Indian World Cup squad at the start of their campaign. He was the designated third-seamer in this Indian attack and a finisher with the bat in hand.
This dual role played by Pandya allowed the team management to pick R Ashwin, an extra spinner, in the 11 on a turning pitch at Chepauk against Australia. Whereas in the next match against Afghanistan in Delhi, Shardul Thakur replaced the off-spinner as a fourth fast bowling option on a flat batting deck.
However, post Pune, the think-tank has lost this cushion. With Pandya not being available for selection and Thakur’s dismal show as a bowler in this World Cup (two scalps in three matches with a strike-rate of 51 and economy of 6 runs per over) the team management was forced to bring Mohammed Shami back from the wilderness.
That move had an immediate impact on the team’s bowling efforts against New Zealand and England.
Coming into this World Cup, Team India had one specific area of concern: none of their top five batters are capable of bowling 5-6 overs in case a bowler gets injured during a game or has an off day. So, in order to plug that hole and have an extra lower-order batting option, the management opted to pick a utility player like Thakur in the first-choice 11. However, in the three matches he has played in this World Cup so far, Thakur has neither bowled his full quota of overs nor gotten the opportunity to bat even once.
Moreover, to accommodate this ‘insurance player’, Rohit and Co. had to compromise the quality of the bowling attack by keeping a mainstream seamer like Shami, who was breathing fire with ball in hand at the nets, out of the reckoning. The decision saw the Indian team management draw a lot of criticism, but since the team was on a winning streak, all those ‘outside noises’ were brushed under the carpet.
When Pandya got injured, the team was forced to change its precautionary mindset and come out of its so-called comfort zone. India had no choice but to play five mainstream bowlers. In fact, even on a spin-friendly sticky surface at Lucknow, the think-tank had to go ahead with their tried and tested three-seamer, two-spinner combination.
Nevertheless, with Shami taking nine wickets in two matches, Team India’s worst nightmare (Pandya missing out on crucial World Cup games) has turned out to be some sort of a blessing in disguise. However, they are still handicapped with only five bowling options. In an unforeseen situation, Virat Kohli, with his wrong-footed dibbly-dobblies, is their best bet to chip in with a few overs.
Going into the business end of this competition, the only conundrum the Indian team management faces is the team combination when Pandya comes back. Batting at his No. 6 position, Suryakumar Yadav has already chipped in with a useful 49 against England on a difficult surface at Lucknow. And Shami, of course, seems irreplaceable now with the highest ever strike-rate as a bowler (16.97 in 13 matches) in the history of World Cups.
So, who goes out once Pandya returns? Well, on current form it looks like the axe could fall on Shreyas Iyer, who continues to struggle with his short-ball woes. However, with the team management unwilling to fast-track Pandya’s return, Iyer is likely to get a few more opportunities to justify his selection.
(The writer is an independent cricket journalist based in Kolkata. He tweets at @im_sandipan)
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