5 Strategies India can deploy to stop the English batting juggernaut in the T20 series

Until a few years ago England were regarded as a team who struggled to get the hand of limited over cricket and were often accused of using a template that was probably a decade old. Eventually, that led to the debacle of the 2015 World Cup and the England cricket board decided to completely revolutionise the team’s approach to limited overs cricket.

Since then the team has gone on a different trajectory altogether and become one of the most formidable limited overs sides in world cricket. They have given chances to young batsmen and power-hitters who have consistently taken apart most bowling attacks in the world. Tomorrow, England will take on India in the 1st of the three T20s at home and for the visitors; it is a tough test considering the sort of mayhem the home side’s batsmen have unleashed recently. So here is a look at the 5 ways in which India can stop or at least somewhat control the English batting juggernaut.

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#5 Death bowling

In Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India had one the world’s pre-eminent death bowling pair but the injury to the former means that the team’s prospects in the last 4 overs of the innings look decidedly gloomy. Deepak Chahar, who impressed with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL is going to replace Bumrah in the squad but it is likely that either of Umesh Yadav or Siddarth Kaul is going to be drafted into the squad.

Both those bowlers have their own strengths but none of them is anywhere close to Bumrah when it comes to death bowling and on balance, perhaps India should go for Siddarth Kaul. Kaul has displayed an innate ability to bowl at the death while in this year’s IPL, Yadav was often bowled by RCB captain Virat Kohli prior to the commencement of the slog overs. Hence it is most likely going to be Kaul, who will be tasked with the job of sending down the yorkers, slower balls and knuckle balls in the last 4 overs. Kaul is going to be the player who should be the bowler India should go for if the team wants to have some sort of control in the death overs.

#4 Hardik Pandya and the 5th bowler corundum

Hardik Pandya

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has given India the sort of flexibility that any limited overs team craves for and while he has often been regarded as the weakest link in the otherwise formidable bowling unit, which is perhaps no longer the case. The Indian all-rounder’s bowling has improved by leaps and bounds over the past year and in this year’s IPL, he was among the best performing bowlers.

He picked up 18 wickets in 13 games for the Mumbai Indians and emerged as the 5th highest wicket-taker in the tournament. He recorded an economy rate of 8.92 but if he is able to perform at the level against England in the 1st game at Old Trafford, then Virat Kohli is going to be more than happy with the performance from his 5th bowler. However, if he can pick up a few wickets, then England could be in trouble.

#3 Seam and swing up front

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The absence of Jasprit Bumrah will hit India hard when they take on the might of the England batting machine but in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they have another outstanding bowler who can trouble the batsmen early on. As has been noticed over the last couple of years, fast bowlers need to extract some movement in the air and off the pitch, if they are to trouble the English opening batsmen.

Regulation seam bowling does not seem to work and that is why Kumar’s swing and seam movement at the start is going to be so crucial against the marauding Roy-Buttler opening pair. They can decimate any attack with their brutal hitting but if there is movement, then they will be faced with a definite challenge and that is why Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s opening spell is going to be one of India’s most important stratagems against the English top order.

#2 Kuldeep Yadav’s spell in the middle overs

Kuldeep Yadav

Left-arm leg-spinners are always an awkward proposition for batsmen but when the bowler possesses the sort of skills and guile like Kuldeep Yadav, then it becomes a totally different challenge altogether. While England have outstanding power-hitters in their batting line-up, Virat Kohli would need Yadav to come good if India are to keep a lid on the scoring rate.

In the 2nd T20 against Ireland, he was in superb bowling form as he dominated the Irish players and ended up with figures of 3 for 16 in two and a half overs. The best way to derail a superb batting line-up is by taking wickets and Yadav, India have a bowler who can strike body blows in the middle-overs. He would need to be unleashed at the England batsmen in the middle-overs to not only throttle the scoring but also to exploit their traditional weaknesses against spin.

#1 Opening with Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal

It seems England have decided that Jos Buttler is going to partner Jason Roy at the top of the order and the sort of power-hitting the pair unleashed on the hapless Australians in the T20 game last week, India need to find a way to keep them quiet. Fast bowling, however accurate, might not be the best solution against this particular pair. The best strategy is to get their wickets early on and in this regard, Yuzvendra Chahal’s introduction during the Powerplay could well be the way to go for India.

During the IPL, Jason Roy’s struggles with spin bowling were laid bare, while Buttler’s struggles with leg-spin are pretty well known. That being said, the latter is in outstanding form and it would be difficult for Chahal to keep him quiet. However, the Indian leg-spinner is used to bowling against big-hitting batsmen during the Powerplays in the IPL and he is the best candidate for India in their quest to dismiss the England openers early. This is going to be the most important battle in the game and one that Chahal would need to win if India give him the ball in the Powerplay.

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