With two wins v Afghanistan and series secured, India can come all guns blazing in last T20I before June’s World Cup
Rohit Sharma during India’s practice session in Bangalore yesterday. Pic/AFP
Contextually, India’s last international outing in this format before the T20 World Cup in North America in June doesn’t hold a lot of import. The hosts are sitting on an unbeatable 2-0 ahead of the final T20I against Afghanistan on Wednesday, courtesy identical six-wicket wins in in freezing Mohali and Indore. But that will not impact the intensity with which Rohit Sharma’s men will approach the contest.
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No Rashid, no pluck
Minus the recuperating Rashid Khan, Afghanistan have been outclassed in the first bilateral T20I series between the sides. Their batting has fired in fits and starts and the bowling has been systematically dismantled by Shivam Dube in both games and by Yashasvi Jaiswal three nights back in Indore. With two Mumbaikars having had their time under the lights, a third, yet to get off the mark in this series, will look to stamp his authority.
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After a 14-month hiatus from T20Is, Rohit returned to the national set-up in Mohali, where his stay lasted just two deliveries before he was run out following a mix-up with Shubman Gill. On Sunday, he was bowled first ball, charging and trying to hoick left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi. These failures don’t define the Indian captain, but with just one game remaining as a unit before the Test series against England and the IPL, Rohit will be keen as mustard to take something away from this showdown.
Rohit’s unseemly dismissal in the last outing is in keeping with India’s commitment to a fearless, aggressive brand that they believe will give them their best chance of breaking an extended drought in ICC events. It was also an extension of his approach in the 50-over World Cup, where he broke open games with consummate ease and ensured that, batting first or chasing, the middle order never came under score board pressure. Even in the ill-fated final which India surrendered to Australia, Rohit had done the early running, but was let down by the lack of commensurate intent from the middle order and a sluggish surface that discouraged hitting freely through the line.
Aggression stays
It’s hard to see Rohit changing tack at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday merely to stack up runs against his name, just as it’s difficult to imagine Virat Kohli batting in any manner other than the avatar he embraced in Indore when he breezed to 29 off 16 deliveries. In his first T20I at his adopted home since September 2019, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper will be determined to entertain his legion of fans.
India are unlikely to make changes, especially with role clarity so crucial at this stage. Whatever shake-ups there might be will be within the framework of the larger picture, and without taking the Afghans for granted.
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