The thin line between experimentation and stability - Gautam Gambhir and co need to get it right soon enough

India head coach Gautam Gambhir (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

The world cup isn’t too far away and while one defeat doesn’t mean much in T-20 cricket it is also important for India to get the batting order right and stay true to it in the most important tournament of all. The Axar experiment has been tried earlier and on occasions it has been successful as well. But last night in Mohali it wasn’t. Chasing 214, Axar Patel doesn’t really give you confidence as a floater at number 4. While Axar is a player of great utility, he doesn’t have the same ability as a Tilak or a Hardik and to score at almost a run a ball did cost India.

The equation is simple. If he is to be floated up, he has to score much quicker than he did. Else, the experiment has to be shelved. Add to it the fact that Shubman and Surya aren’t scoring and all of a sudden there is a problem at the top of the order. By the time Hardik was out there the game was already beyond India with the asking rate touching 14. Things had gone south and the experiment had backfired. While there are still some games left and Gautam does have the window to try things for a couple more games, it is equally essential for him to zero in on a stable plan.

While the batting looked ordinary in Mohali, the bowlers too were guilty of bowling way too many full tosses. Bumrah bowled five in an over and was hit all over the park. Arshdeep too was guilty of the same and for whatever reason India’s top two bowlers weren’t able to control the ball and conceded far too many easy runs in the end. The last three overs resulted in 50 plus runs and that’s where the match was lost. A 190 chase was very much on and all of a sudden it became 214.

The truth is such things do happen in sport. Bumrah will have an off day once in a while and so will Arshdeep. Attempted yorkers will turn into full tosses and things might not go right all the time. These are players of proven pedigree and New Chandigarh will serve as a wake up call. India is a gun side but not one that is invincible. There are teams on the horizon that will pounce if India slips up and that’s what happened last night.

Surya will have to introspect and do so fast enough. First, he and Gill need to score. Unless the runs come the pressure on the two will keep mounting. It could also impact Surya’s captaincy for it will play on his subconscious mind. Unless the captain himself is scoring, things will not be the same. Gill too is in the same predicament. Since making a comeback, he has now failed in two games. While he will have a few more, the clock is ticking and India desperately needs some big runs from the vice-captain.

A defeat always throws up questions. New Chandigarh has done the same. It will be interesting to see how India responds. And I am sure they will for in white ball cricket they are a very good side.