Hoping for an English turnaround

Against the Delhi Daredevils in his side’s last league game this past Sunday, Virat Kohli played a shot that can be described as the best of the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) so far. It was his trademark cover drive, with a hint of elevation as he held a perfect follow-through, and the ball sailed past the ropes for a six.
 
Kohli went on to score 58 off 45 balls, his fourth half century of the season — totalling 308 runs from 10 innings this season. It was in stark contrast to 2016, when he had amassed a staggering 973 runs in 16 games. The underlying point lies not in the comparison between his output in two seasons, but in his scoring rate since the Australia series.
 
The Indian skipper suffered an embarrassing loss of form during that series, totalling only 46 runs in three Tests (he missed the fourth due to injury). Thereafter, his low yield in the IPL has raised question marks if he is indeed in the best form leading into the Champions Trophy. On Sunday night, the exquisite timing of that cover drive for six didn’t look like a shot of an out-of-form batsman, yet there is little evidence beyond assumption to suggest so.
 
And Kohli’s lack of runs signifies a deeper issue with the entire Indian batting line-up. Last week, when the squad for the 2017 Champions Trophy was announced, there were no major surprises thrown forth by the selectors. They picked a relatively predictable team, one that had been prepped for this tournament since January 2016, and many deemed it a safe selection.
 
Consistency breeds a certain familiarity, and by following this approach, the three wise men have missed an important marker in the current scheme of things. Like Kohli, the top Indian batsmen are all struggling for form, if the current IPL season is anything to go by.
 
Sample this. Out of India’s three frontline openers for the June tournament, two — Ajinkya Rahane (282 runs in 14 innings) and Rohit Sharma (282 runs in 13 innings) — didn’t even cross the 300-run mark in the 14-match league stage. The latter is returning from a length injury spell, while the former got through on account of his flexibility as opener and middle-order batsman, plus his past record in England.
 
The middle-order stands on shaky ground as well. Apart from Kohli, India’s strategy is to use Yuvraj Singh (243 runs in 10 innings) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (253 runs in 14 innings) as a double pivot later in the innings, allowing the two experienced batsmen to play as per different match situations.
 
Both Yuvraj and Dhoni bat lower in the order, and in the slam-bang arena of T20 cricket, there isn’t enough time to get going for a bigger personal score. ODIs allow for an enhanced approach, of biding time and building an innings. And these two stalwarts are masters at this particular approach. It would have helped perhaps if they had scored more than just a handful of runs leading up to the Champions Trophy.
 
Only two names stand out in this disappointing return for premier Indian batsmen from the IPL: Shikhar Dhawan (468 runs in 13 innings) and Manish Pandey (396 runs in 13 innings). Their respective tales, too, though, are quite peculiar.
 
Dhawan has a history of doing well in ICC tournaments. Two hundreds each in the 2013 Champions Trophy and 2015 ODI World Cup are testament to that. However, his semblance of form notwithstanding, it was K L Rahul’s shoulder injury that helped the left-handed opener get a ticket to England.
 
Pandey, meanwhile, got lucky because the team’s think-tank decided against a third spinner for English conditions, opting for an additional batsman instead. On the one hand, it shows confidence in the young batsman who scored a scintillating maiden ODI hundred in Sydney last year. On the other, there is common acceptance that he will spend the two-week tournament carrying drinks.
 
In summation then, while the selectors’ caution in persisting with tried and tested names is praiseworthy, the Indian batsmen will have to step out of their comfort zone in England to make an impression, collectively as well as individually.

All 2017 IPL figures are until the end of league stage