The not-so-good memories of watching Beau Webster smash Washington Sundar for a boundary followed by a loud roar after steering Australia to a Test series win, still echo in the minds of Indian fans. Meanwhile, a slew of Indian players wearing a dejected look walked back to the pavilion. However, in sport, two weeks seem like a long time.
As an Indian team prepared for the five-match T20I series against England at Eden Gardens, amid controversies related to dressing room leaks and BCCI’s 10-point guidelines, the players seemed to be in a cheerful mood. It felt like a completely different unit practising at the Eden Gardens. And therein lies the essence of the point – Most of the players part of the Suryakumar Yadav-led side didn’t partake in the Test series losses to New Zealand and Australia.
After the seniors retired at the conclusion of their successful T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies and the USA, India have been on a winning spree. After crushing Bangladesh at home, they also comfortably defeated South Africa, in their own den. Sanju Samson has finally established a place for himself in the T20I line-up, having scored three tons in his last five games. Tilak Verma, too, was in prime form in South Africa, aggregating close to 300 runs.
The likes of Suryakumar, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy provide more fuel to an already explosive line-up. Among the batters, the onus will be on Abhishek. It is crystal clear that the opener has burgeoning potential to make it big in the abridged versions of the game. On the flip side, his tendency to premeditate in an attempt to hit every ball out of the ground has resulted in some of his dismissals. Somewhere he perhaps needs to strike a balance between his adventurous stroke-play and pragmatism.
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Mohammed Shami will also come under spotlight as he returns to the Indian set-up after a lengthy lay-off. The fast bowler, who undertook a surgery on his ankle in February last year, has been playing in domestic matches over the last two-three months. The fast bowler has had his niggles, and at times, looked short of rhythm during some of those domestic games. So, all eyes would be zoomed in on his return.
In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, he will also be entrusted with the task of leading the pace attack. Arshdeep Singh, the left-arm pacer, has also been in fine form, exemplified by his ability to generate some late swing in South Africa. Varun Chakaravarthy, renowned for his variations, will be expected to make regular incisions. The spinner has also improved his control and has the ability to hit high up on the sticker of the bat.
What about their opponent, England? After not being able to defend the T20 World Cup title, England have rung in changes. The young and talented Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood are all part of the new-look side. The keynote of the squad is that they have strengthened their pace arsenal by bringing in Carse and the younger of Overton twins. Jamie can also add useful runs down the order. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are the two experienced quicks. Adil Rashid will once again be Buttler’s go-to man in the spin department.
With Jonny Bairstow out of reckoning, Ben Duckett should get a long run in the batting order, while Liam Livingstone found some form in the T20Is versus Australia. The bigger question is what is the right batting position for Livingstone? Perhaps it is number 5.
Just scroll through the two sides, it is evident that both have strong batting units. England have also injected some fresh blood into the line-up. With the track all set to offer even bounce, we could be in for a thriller, with the batters ruling the roost.
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