India look T20 World Cup-ready, except for one lingering question: Lessons from South Africa warm-up

The countdown to a World Cup, often, is riddled with anxiety and nervousness. More so when the World Cup is a home World Cup. India, by virtue of being favourites at almost every World Cup they play, are not alien or unaccustomed to pressure. But they will feel it nevertheless.

From that POV, they would have enjoyed their run-out in front of more than forty thousand people at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. They won the toss in the T20 World Cup warm-up, opted to bat first and then put up a mountain of runs, which South Africa were unable to hunt down.

Through the contest, India seemed to shed light on a lot of things, ranging from what playing eleven they might prefer. And what roles they are envisioning for certain players. The first bit of telling news came at the toss itself, with captain Suryakumar Yadav mentioning that Ishan Kishan would open the batting with Abhishek Sharma.

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India have been trying to solve this quandary ever since Kishan returned to the fold with a bang and Sanju Samson began huffing and puffing. And on Wednesday, it became clear which tack India would likely adopt come Saturday.

Kishan, to his credit, did nothing to suggest India had made the wrong call. He batted with intent, he struck sixes for fun and he made Anrich Nortje look like an ordinary medium pacer.

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Kishan’s onslaught was followed by a Tilak Varma salvo. Returning to action for India after missing the entirety of the New Zealand series, he barely showed signs of rust. He was at his free-flowing best, and that knock would have quelled any fears India may have had over his ability to hit the ground running.

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The same, though, could not be said about Rinku Singh. He came in to bat at six, hoping to further his credentials but trudged off having cast a slight doubt over his spot. Excluding him at this stage, considering he was recalled only recently, may seem reactionary. But if India want the extra bowling option, Rinku may be the batter sacrificed.

Which brings us to the bowling attack. On Wednesday, Jasprit Bumrah did not bowl. But Arshdeep Singh did, and he bowled three overs in the powerplay, like Bumrah regularly did at last year’s Asia Cup. Arshdeep impressed too, at the start and later at the death, and that may just have nudged him ahead of Harshit Rana, who bowled a solitary over and shipped 16.

Axar Patel, who also scored an unbeaten 35 off 23, was tidy in the only over that he bowled, accounting for David Miller. Varun Chakravarthy, as always, popped up with a wicket, conceding only 12 across his two overs.

It would, hence, not be a surprise if Arshdeep, Axar, Bumrah and Chakravarthy form the crux of the bowling unit. Each can perform a different role and each complements the other. Seeing that Shivam Dube bowled his entire quota (albeit for 56 runs), there is a strong chance India will hope to fill the fifth bowler’s quota with Dube and Hardik’s overs.

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But therein lies their only bit of weakness. Dube, in recent times, has proven to be a bankable change-up bowler. That was the case very early on Wednesday, too, as he dismissed Dewald Brevis in his opening over. But a combination of his and Hardik’s overs could be something opposition teams target.

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Both Dube and Hardik are good enough to stave off that threat. But that, as things stand, seems the only sticky area in an otherwise smoothly-functioning machine.

To counter that, India could include an extra bowler in Rana, or maybe even Kuldeep Yadav, if conditions warrant it. That, though, will come at the expense of Rinku. And if Kuldeep is the bowler preferred, it might lead to a rejig elsewhere because playing Kuldeep alongside Arshdeep, Bumrah and Chakravarthy would rid India of the lower-order hitter at number eight they so crave.

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Thus, it seems India would be better served having Axar, Dube and Hardik as their fourth and fifth bowling options because their other three bowlers (Arshdeep, Bumrah and Chakravarthy) are outright match-winners (and do not offer much with the bat).

In theory, that may leave India slightly threadbare in the bowling cupboard. But with batting depth empowering the top order to play the way they do, it is a gamble worth taking. Not to mention that Hardik and Dube, on most days, can combine for four overs.

Throughout the T20 World Cup run-in, it felt India would be insulated from such questions and decisions. But it would not have felt like a home World Cup without it. And India feeling a slight pinch, just to keep themselves on their toes, may not necessarily be a bad thing either. Especially as they embark on a potentially historic campaign.