Abhishek Tripathi, Jagran Ahmedabad. Defending champion India has reached the Super-8 while remaining 'undefeated' and in the next round, it will face South Africa, who has also not lost a match. The Indian team led by Suryakumar Yadav may have reached the Super-8 by winning all the matches of the group stage, but its weakness in front of off-spin has been exposed in these matches. While 8-9 runs per over are considered normal in T-20 cricket, India scoring only 6.23 runs per over against off-spin is a matter of concern.
In the group stage, India faced 102 off-spin balls and lost wickets continuously during this period. The statistics show that among the 13 teams that played at least six overs of off-spin, India's run rate was better than only Nepal (5.25) and Oman (5.42). Not only the run rate but also the average raises concerns. The average of Indian batsmen against off-spin has been only 13.25, which is very ordinary for the current champion team. This is the reason why every opposing team is now adopting the same strategy, off-spin in the powerplay, pressure on the left-handed batsmen and curbing the run rate.
Three left handed batsmen in India's top order
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Verma are all three left-handed batsmen in India's top order. This is making it easier for the opposition teams to make strategies. Netherlands' Aryan Dutt bowled three overs in the powerplay, dismissing both Abhishek and Kishan. Aryan took two wickets for 19 runs in four overs and these figures prove how important control and accuracy is. Earlier in the match played in New Delhi, Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus confused the batsmen with different release points.
Whereas in the third match, Pakistan's Salman Aga and Sam Ayub broke the pace with variations. It took time for India to adjust to the conditions like the slow pitch of Colombo and then the skiddy surface of Ahmedabad and during that time it suffered losses. Abhishek Sharma's form is also a cause for concern. He did not open his account in three matches and was out twice while playing aggressive shots against off-spin. However, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate is not worried about his form.
Ryan ten Deutsche has no worries
He says that Abhishek has batted brilliantly in the nets and he will be back in form soon. Deutsche admitted that the team needed to improve against finger spin. In the match against Pakistan, 14 overs of finger spin were bowled, in which four wickets fell and 78 runs were scored, which cannot be considered good figures.
In the Super-8, India has to face teams like South Africa, Zimbabwe, West Indies, who have effective finger spinners. Deutsche said that on better pitches, batsmen can play with more confidence, but where the ball comes intermittently, the strategy will have to be changed. Opposition teams are now clearly targeting this weakness of India.
Also read- Abhishek Sharma can create havoc in T20 World Cup 2026, Gavaskar will have to follow this advice
Also read- After Zadran's batting, Canada succumbed to Nabi's spin, Afghanistan ended its journey with victory.
Chyawanprash is a part of every Indian's life, it reduces diseases and increases energy.