On Sunday, January 14, Team India won their penultimate T20I series before the 2024 T20 World Cup at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
They defeated Afghanistan by six wickets to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
While India’s bilateral relations have been generally positive, there are a few gaps that must be filled.
They haven’t played much together in the previous year or two, and there are a lot of questions to be answered in several sectors.
The hosts’ achievements in the current series have been impressive, but they still have a long way to go before being declared the clear favorites for the T20 World Cup.
Reflecting on their performance in the second T20I series will undoubtedly provide them with guidance for the future.
Team India committed two errors and one masterstroke in the second T20I against Afghanistan.
NO 3. Mistake – India won the toss and chose to field, T20I series
The Holkar Stadium in Indore has traditionally been a batting-friendly venue, and the second Twenty20 International was no exception.
There was little help for bowlers, as India batted at a run rate of more than 11 in the second innings.
However, after winning the toss, why didn’t the Men in Blue take on the task of batting first? With the influence of dew and awareness of the specific objective, chasing down totals is simpler in T20 cricket most of the time.
And recent experience indicates that India is far stronger at chasing than establishing scores.
For the second T20I series, Rohit Sharma and company had a strong batting lineup, with several of those players spending time in the middle.
Instead of playing it safe and adding another win to the record, it would have been better to bat first and tick off multiple boxes.
NO 2. Masterstroke – Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal have shown tremendous purpose
India lost Rohit Sharma in the opening over, but Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal kept the momentum going for the rest of the powerplay.
While Kohli made a concerted attempt to bat at a fast pace, Jaiswal was at his most destructive while the pitch limitations were in effect.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Naveen-ul-Haq were all run out as India reached 50 in 4.4 overs.
Kohli was out in the final over of the powerplay, but the hosts had placed themselves comfortably ahead of the chase with 69 runs.
It would have been simple for India to take some time to regroup after Rohit’s early dismissal, but they did the right thing by pressing on.
NO 1. Mistake: Shivam Dube should have been tried, but not in the 19th over
On paper, what Rohit Sharma accomplished was a positive step. If Shivam Dube is to be tried as a true all-rounder, he must be handed over.
Was it, however, required in the 19th over of Afghanistan’s innings?
Dube is unlikely to face a circumstance in which his death bowling would be put to the test in the future.
He has to be used in the middle overs, which Rohit has only given him two overs in each of the two T20Is so far.
Dube scored 20 runs, including two sixes and one four.
Mukesh Kumar, whose spot in the T20I squad is in jeopardy, watched as the death-bowling duties he was intended to take on instead fell to the towering all-rounder.
Also Read: Nathan Smith stuns in Super Smash Bros