IND VS NZ: Down and Out

India’s chances of making the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup is in it’s complicated territory after their comprehensive defeat at the hands of New Zealand on Sunday. With Pakistan assured of one Semi-final Spot and New Zealand joining Afghanistan for the other one, India campaign is now at a risk. IND VS NZ was an important clash for both the teams for the Semi-finals.

The Plan that backfired- India used to play T20s like ODIs, focusing on singles and twos and believing that boundaries are just bonuses. A consequence of time spent in the middle. Then they were beaten by a six-happy West Indies in the 2016 World Cup and had to wake up. This format demands an experiment or three. A change or five. So they invested in a different kind of player. The kind who could hit sixes from ball one. Like Ishan Kishan.

He opened the batting here ahead of the established Rohit Sharma and fell in the third over. Early wickets are crucial against this Indian team. A lot of their limited-overs success is built on having one of the top three going deep into an innings. New Zealand did well to deny that luxury as Tim Southee and Trent Boult took out the openers within the powerplay and set the stage for the headline act. New Zealand were a better team in all the three departments of the match. IND VS NZ matches are always special and entertaining.

The spin strangle – The trick was in the lengths they bowled. Both spinners were careful not to stray so full that a batter could plant his front foot down and launch them out of the park. They were equally cautious about never giving them the room to free the arms as well. Hitting that in-between spot repeatedly – while also targeting the stumps – enabled Santner and Sodhi to put so much pressure on India that they eventually crumbled to their second-lowest total in T20I history. 110 for 7. IND VS NZ, India has not beaten New Zealand in the ICC events since 2004.

Many will point to the fact that India have lost both tosses in a tournament where chasing sides have dominated but that alone is an insufficient explanation. They have constructed a batting order featuring several ‘anchors’, which intends to keep wickets in hand, but have made 36 for 3 and 35 for 2 in their two powerplays, then nudged their way to par and below-par scores despite knowing dew will make it harder to defend.

IND VS NZ matches are always heart-warming and are great to watch, but yesterday India lost very badly and I am worrying that if India continue to play like this than they would fail to beat Afghanistan. Every time we felt like we wanted to take a chance, we lost a wicket,” Kohli said. “That happens in T20 cricket but that’s a result of hesitation when you think should you go for a shot or not.” The toil of more than a year spent travelling between biosecure bubbles surely played a part in that self-doubt but India are hardly the only team to have suffered that fate.

Their multi-format players have been on the go since the World Test Championship final in June and must be sick of the sight of New Zealand: they are due to play them in a T20I series nine days after their final Super 12s fixture as the treadmill keeps on spinning.With the ball, Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy made bright starts, but the rest of their attack struggled with their lengths and were duly punished during the IND VS NZ game.

Two of their five main bowlers – Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur – had been selected in part because of the extra batting depth they provided, but India’s sluggish scoring through the middle and the eventual use of the half-fit Hardik Pandya’s medium pace displayed a lack of trust in them, both with bat and ball. Their selection has highlighted a team taking the safe option in a format that rewards risk. IND VS NZ game could have been better.

It would be complacent not to credit New Zealand for a disciplined, clinical performance in which they barely gave India a sniff, two dropped catches apart. Their bowlers were immaculate in their lines throughout, offering very little width, and their batters targeted the weak links in India’s attack to great effect. IND VS NZ game was a do-or die situation for both the teams as India lost the game, they still have chances but they have to make there run-rate very strong. They have to perform like India that we used to saw earlier. One thing that is clear is IPL and international cricket cannot be compared.

It hurts the sentiments of all the Indian fans. It’s a Sunday Night, watching the match with the family members and India losing like this. They have to make proper changes to make their batting strong. Shardul Thakur was playing like a School Kid just aiming the shot blindly. I am deeply saddened with India’s performance, was waiting for this match for a week. After all, it is just a match in which one team which performs better wins and the other loses. We should respect all the players in IND VS NZ clash.