India has the best combination at the moment for T20 matches. Their showing in the series in Australia, against Sri Lanka and at the Asia Cup as a unit was top class, just in time for the World T20.
There is a new energy in the team brought in by the two new kids – Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya (both 22) – who have started off with a bang in international cricket. They have stepped up to international level with ease and I believe it is all down to the Indian Premier League.
The IPL gave a great platform to Bumrah and Pandya. They played for the Mumbai Indians and tested themselves against top class cricketers.
The Mumbai Indians won the IPL (2013 and 2015) and Champions League (2013) and they gained a lot from being a part of those teams. [Bumrah played two matches in the 2013 IPL and four games last year, while Pandya featured in nine games in Mumbai’s winning IPL campaign last year].
I still remember Mumbai’s match against Chennai Super Kings last year when Mumbai needed 30 runs from the last two overs. Pandya came in and hit three sixes in the 18th over and won them the match.
The opportunity they got with Mumbai Indians has given them the confidence that if they can perform in the IPL, they can do it for India in international T20s as well because basically it’s the same bunch of players.
Looking at individual players in the team, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina have been the more reliable batsmen while Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni have scored decent runs.
However, it’s the bowlers who have delivered more consistently as a bunch. Be it Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ashish Nehra or Bumrah, they have done really well.
They have brought a lot of stability to the bowling and deserve a lot of credit for India’s consistent results. Be it the new ball or at the death, they are delivering.
Earlier the team used to regularly go for 50-60 runs in the last four or five overs but that has now been cut down to 40 or so.
When I was a member of the Indian team, we had guys like Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel who were good. But sometimes they used to bowl very well and sometimes poorly. So this is a welcome change.
However, one must remember that this bowling unit has not been consistently tested against top class batting so we shouldn’t get too carried away.
I strongly believe the arrival of Nehra has made a huge difference to India’s bowling. Nehra is like a bowling consultant of the team.
#TeamIndia members @ImRaina and Bumrah bat for 'Team Swachh' at #WT20 #Ind pic.twitter.com/bvxq4latXV
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 14, 2016
The experience that the left-armer brings in is of great value, be it on the field or in the dressing room. His knowledge of where to bowl, how to train, how to plan will help the younger bowlers develop.
Just like Zaheer Khan took Ishant Sharma under his wings in Test cricket and taught him how to become a complete bowler, hopefully Nehra will do the same with Pandya, Mohammad Shami and Bumrah in limited overs cricket.
In the fielding department too India are in fine form. A lot of the players are around 25, are fit and athletic. Guys like Jadeja, Kohli, Rahane, Raina are among the best in the game. When players dive around and save a boundary, it all adds up and those 10-20 runs saved puts pressure on the opposition.
But it’s not all about youth.
Experienced guys like Nehra and Yuvraj and Harbhajan Singh have a role to play as well.
Youngsters sometimes don’t have that mindset to go and give suggestions to the skipper. But an experienced player can do that and it will be of great help to Dhoni, who is leading a very young side.
Some say that Yuvraj hasn’t delivered as expected. But if you look at the last three series, Yuvraj came in late and didn’t get a lot of time to settle in. In a couple of matches in the Asia Cup, he got a chance to bat longer.
Against Pakistan he batted for 30 odd balls in a tough match and against Sri Lanka scored a quickfire 30 (35 from 18 balls).
Watching him in those two games, I got a feeling that he still has it in him to perform in T20s like before. He is a match-winner in his own right and I think he can do so again at the World T20.
Dhoni has many options now and if the openers give India a good start, it will be very difficult to stop them from winning the World T20.
WATCH OUT
The Indians should be very careful of New Zealand and Australia. Both are playing a very attacking brand of cricket. New Zealand were in top form at home against Pakistan and their players are young and firing as a unit.
You never know how the Kiwis will perform because India haven’t played them in T20s of late.
Australia too are in great form, having defeated South Africa in a T20 series in their backyard, chasing down big totals. They bat really deep and have the ability to chase any total. So these two sides will pose the biggest threat to the Indians.
