Dubai: India may have ticked most boxes in the Asia Cup, showcasing depth and versatility, but a few glaring flaws emerged — weaknesses that stronger sides will surely target as the T20 World Cup approaches.Despite a convincing 41-run victory over Bangladesh on Wednesday, the match exposed critical concerns in India’s batting and fielding that need urgent attention. All the talk of India’s finishing depth rang hollow once opener
Abhishek Sharma was dismissed in the 11th over.
The left-hander played a match-defining knock, smashing 75 off 37 deliveries to give India a solid platform. But after his departure, the innings lost momentum, producing just 56 runs in the final nine overs.
The batters played out 40 dot balls, underlining a lack of adaptability and finishing firepower in the middle and lower order, and raising questions about India’s ability to close out innings on a high note.
Another persistent concern is the lack of clarity around
Sanju Samson’s role. Despite his talent and ability to play match-winning knocks, Samson’s position in the batting order remains undefined. Whether he is best deployed as a top-order aggressor, a middle-order anchor, or a finisher is still unclear, and this uncertainty has prevented him from delivering consistently.
The think tank’s decision to send Shivam Dube at No. 3,
Hardik Pandya at No. 5, and Tilak Varma at No. 6 — while Samson remained on the bench — only deepened the debate.
Gautam Gambhir’s preference for a left-right combination in the middle is well known, but with the World Cup looming, the management needs to resolve this issue promptly and test Samson’s ability in high-pressure situations.
Fielding remains another area of concern. India dropped a staggering 10 catches across their last two matches — a statistic that could prove costly against top-tier opponents. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who spoke to reporters after Wednesday’s win, admitted:
“As they say, you can’t give excuses at this level. As a team, we definitely have to start catching all those because we’ve qualified for the finals and we should be taking them.”
Two chances went down off Chakravarthy’s bowling against Bangladesh.
Catch Lovlina Borgohain's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 5. Watch Here
Start a Conversation
Post comment