T20 World Cup 2021: "It is not the skill level that cost India against NZ, it is the structural changes and the panic" - Brad Hogg tries to understand India's logic behind the sudden shuffle  

Brad Hogg attempted to understand the reasoning behind India's decision to revamp their entire batting unit for the crucial match against the Kiwis. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were surprisingly demoted from the batting order as Ishan Kishan was entrusted to open the innings alongside KL Rahul. The move did not pay off with the top order crumbling under the skillful New Zealand bowlers.

Hogg outlined that teams have around 2 years to put together a pool of players for the showcase event. Once the squad is picked with a set playing eleven in mind with a particular combination, Hogg reckons that should not be tampered with. While speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:

"When you look at the structure of your team for the T20 World Cup, you have got 2 years to prepare for it. You are going into it with a set of 15 players with a fixed playing XI and batting order in mind. So, you cannot change the playing XI that was in mind prior to the tournament."

"You can bring in a like-to-like player, but you absolutely cannot change the structure and dynamic midway through the tournament. It is not the skill level that cost India against NZ, it is the structural changes and the panic."

The experiment to open with Ishan Kishan was employed in the warm-up games. But it marked the first time Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were shunned to the middle-order.

See who is the highest run scorer in T20 World Cup 2021 here.

India were worried about dew in the second innings: Hogg

Hogg noted a potential reason behind the change in the batting order was to have a more aggressive and impactful start to get the teams a few runs extra. The Indian bowling unit have been affected by the dew with only 2 wickets claimed across both matches.

Hogg believes that rather than batsmen sticking their necks out with extra risk for a few extra runs, bowlers should be better equipped to deliver in such conditions. Hogg added:

"India were worried about dew in the second innings. Must have felt like being more aggressive at the start and put on some few extra runs and give their bowlers a bit of a buffer to defend. But that is not a good idea since it puts the batsmen under pressure and making them play shots they are not comfortable with. Bowlers should be prepared to bowl under those dewy conditions and defend the total."

India now need to win all of their remaining matches and need other fixtures to work in their favor to finish in second place in their Super 12s group.