Loss in first T20I exposes overdependence on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

The Indian team’s Australian campaign got off to an inauspicious start as they lost the first T20I match at Brisbane by four runs. India’s two best batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma failed in this match, and it was no surprise that India lost despite some heroics from Shikhar Dhawan.

The match exposed several inadequacies in the Indian team. If ever there was any sense of complacency in Team India, thanks to all pre-series talk of how weak this Australian team was, due to the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner, all that should have been washed away after this loss.

In the bowling department, both the newbies, Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed, came crashing down to earth after their decent performances in the Windies series. This also shows how India may have erred in not going for a better bowler in Yuzvendra Chahal instead of the steady spin of Krunal Pandya that backfired in the Australian conditions.

However, the bigger worry for India would be how much the team is still dependent on the top three batsmen, especially Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. It was even more of a surprise to see Kohli not batting the usual number three slot. That was a blunder. India’s best batsman should not have to drop down a number just to accommodate another player who needed to bat at the top of the order.

The third important member in the troika, Shikhar Dhawan, did bat well and kept India in the hunt for the first half of India’s innings. However, he felt the pressure of the bourgeoning required run-rate and gave away his wicket in pursuit of quick runs.

Though Karthik and Pant did bring India into the match, Pant again showed his immaturity in playing a horribly risky shot with victory well in sight. He had done the same against the Windies in the third T20I, and India managed to squeak through that one. But this time his wicket led India to hurtle towards a defeat.

However, this is the first match of a long tour. So, a narrow loss such as this one should not lead to panic. It could actually be a blessing in disguise as this would shed any sense of complacency that might have set in with all the talk of India being the overwhelming favourites.