Shreyas Iyer remains winless as India T20I captain after record 125-run defeat
It feels like 2011 again. Where an empire that looked unshakable only months back has been brought to the ground in the most stunning fashion. Three months after becoming the first team ever to successfully defend the T20 World Cup, India remain winless on their trip to Ireland and the UK and are staring at a second successive series defeat, having already lost to Ireland. Set 202 to win in Nottingham, with MS Dhoni watching from the stands on his 45th birthday, India folded for 76 in 11.4 overs, losing by a record 125 margin – their worst ever- on Tuesday, and go 0-2 down in the series. As has been the case throughout this tour, India failed to bring their A-game to the fore and paid for it. It is the first instance where India are without a win in five successive matches. A new T20 cycle calls for changes in personnel. But given India’s depth, the fact that they have been listless so far is a concern.A series that promised fireworks is turning into a damp squib as India simply refuse to put in a complete performance and some of the decision-making so far has been questionable. Powerplay trouble Having gone on the trip with a left-handed heavy batting line-up, which doesn’t usually sit in head coach Gautam Gambhir’s tactics book where having a left-right mix is preferred to offset the opposition bowlers, the think-tank is perhaps sending a message or two to the selectors. How else can one explain the logic to send Harshit Rana in at No 7 inside the powerplay ahead of Shivam Dube? The management might believe there is a potential to tap into Rana’s batting, but sending him in a crisis ahead of a capable batter so early indicated that India may have thrown in the towel early in the chase.
Abhishek Sharma in action. (AP photo)However, well before Rana walked in, the top-order batsmen had endured another difficult outing. After playing on bowler-friendly wickets against Ireland, England’s batting-friendly wickets would have come as a relief. Yet, they are yet to fire as a unit. Chasing 202, the target was very much in their range. Both Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi started off in a flash, but in the space of 19 deliveries, Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer sent India’s top five back. Abhishek slashed one straight to point; Sooryavanshi tried to hook Archer and gloved it behind; Ishan Kishan went for a pull and picked the fielder at deep backward square; Shreyas tried to loft Archer off his legs and found the fielder at deep square-leg. Axar Patel went for a slice and edged it to Jos Buttler to be Archer’s third wicket. It was at this point that India sent in Rana with the side in tatters and one over still to play in the powerplay.Story continues below this ad Prince impresses On an afternoon where nothing went their way, India received some encouraging signs from pacer Prince Yadav. The 24-year-old pacer, coming in as the second change in the powerplay, started with a pin-point yorker that brushed Buttler’s feet and castled the stumps. It was a timely breakthrough for India, having started the day with eight successive dot deliveries and seeing Buttler land the early blows as Phil Salt had a sedate beginning.
Prince Yadav in action. (Deepak Malik / CREIMAS for BCCI)After removing Buttler, it was Prince who also ensured Harry Brook’s innings didn’t last long. He was on the money when it came to hitting the line of stumps, which kept Brook and Salt tied up. Consistently bowling in the early 140kmph, he got the England captain with one that had a bit of extra bounce as he ended up skying to the fielder at deep mid-wicket. With Varun Chakaravarthy continuing to frustrate, Shreyas had to turn to Rana in the middle-overs, who responded by picking up the wickets of Jacob Bethel and Tom Banton in successive deliveries – first at deep mid-wicket and next at third man. Out of nowhere, those two wickets seemed to bring India back into the game, but at the pace at which England were heading, all it needed was someone to put their ha
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