Will Team India learn its lessons after pathetic loss at WTC final?

On Sunday when Team India were reduced to “Ashes” (pun intended) it was a major heartbreak for millions of cricket fans who vouch for Team India across the world and especially those who had rallied behind the team and had (over)crowded the Oval to boost the morale of our boys. Despite all the hype and hoopla over HIT MAN and company, we all saw how the cookie crumbled. India was lucky to get the advantage of winning the toss but many feel its decision and action thereafter was not right considering the Oval’s fresh pitch, which needless to say offered a significant amount of seam. But the rest was there for everyone to see. Despite a “strong” team on paper, Indian bowlers couldn’t capitalise on the helpful conditions. It was noticeably witnessed that most bowlers kept the ball on the shorter side for most part of the game. This allowed Australian batters a field day to punish India seam attack. This pathetic defeat of Team India must open up several discussions and the main and foremost being the mindset of the Indian Think Tank of not being able to see beyond the paper tigers. The benefit of the team has to gain prominence and not individual stardom. Look at what our world famous batters did at the world stage. India’s batting was more miserable than their bowling. Despite being labelled as the Hit man and company, they failed to breach even the 300- run mark on both occasions! Also it seemed that skipper Rohit Sharma was hesitant to implement body-line bowling against Head as soon as he entered centrestage. The lack of planning from the Indian captain proved costly for Team India as Head smashed a scintillating winning knock of 163 off just 174 deliveries that too in a Test Match at this stage. Also, India looked almost completely clueless with their planning when Travis Head and Steve Smith took the Oz total to a huge score. Team India also looked thoroughly underprepared for the World Test Championship. The team got a reprieve of only nine-days after the entertaining Indian Premier League 2023 ended. Team India reached England in batches to join the preparation camp and thus got hardly any time to get ready. In an ideal situation, the players should have played a warm-up match to get acclimated to the English conditions but the schedule was extremely tight. However, in a post-match statement, head coach Rahul Dravid lamented the fact that Team India didn’t get enough time to prepare for the WTC Final. “I’m never going to be happy with the preparations as a coach. But that’s the reality I’m ready to accept, and we all have to accept. The schedules are so cramped and tight. These guys know… if you’re playing international cricket, and if you’re here 3 weeks before the tour, playing two sidegames, you are going to be better prepared,” Dravid had told Star Sports.

FAULTY TEAM SELECTION!
Post-WTC the hottest topic for discussion was the non-selection of Ravichandran Ashwin. Indian Think Tank made a massive blunder to exclude the world’s number one Test bowler and second-ranked all-rounder from the playing XI. Though Ashwin can take wickets in every condition, Team Indian went in with an extra seamer at the expense of Ashwin. Ashwin is also a star with the willow. He has five centuries. Time and again we have seen how Team India literally choked whenever it was subjected to mega knockout matches. Be it the 2021 T20 World Cup when the Virat Kohli-led India team was thrashed by Pakistan or when the Rohit Sharma-led India surrendered to England in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide in November 2022. Whenever it was required, Indian batting sensations crumbled like cookies and the script during the WTC final against Australia was the same. Also Rishabh Pant was badly missed. For Ashwin even after claiming 474 Test wickets only entitles him to carry the drinks to the field, Ashwin might do some hard thinking about his future. SAD!!!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL