Is Team India missing Rohit Sharma the player badly?
Maybe!
Is India missing Rohit Sharma the captain?
Definitely!
11 games with Rohit Sharma as a captain and India has won all 11 of those games. And in the 7 games that he has not been a captain for team India, India has lost all 7.
This is not a coincidence now, is it?
Yes, this is not the best Indian XI side India is likely to pick for the World T20. But some big names are playing in this squad as well. Some names who have done well in the IPL or in the domestic circuit that has earned them the call-up to this series. But somehow Team India is being dominated in their backyard by the visiting team.
And that is not something anyone expected to see and not something anyone wanted to see.
Team India has been outplayed in the second T20I by a young South African team yet again. It is to be known that it was this same team that whitewashed India a few months back when they visited South Africa. And now the same thing is happening again but surprisingly this is happening in India. And what happens in India will not just stay in India but it is rather shocking to the whole cricketing world.
It seems so hard to believe that this was this same Indian team who were on a run of 12 straight wins and they equalled the world record of most consecutive T20 wins. They are being just outplayed in every department by the visitors.
After scoring 211 in the first game, India could not defend a target of 212 runs. Maybe it was a belter of a wicket and yes the game could have gone anyway but lack of experience and some ordinary catching cost India that game.
In the second T20 also, India did start well but then lost their way slowly and gradually. The pitch was slightly two-paced but India finished up with a below-par total of 148 runs.
They did start well with the ball. But once Bavuma and Klassen got set, they later took the game away from India. The Indian spinners were taken to the cleaners. Anything they tried did not seem to be working. And it was a cakewalk for South African batsmen.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance was India’s only positive from this game. The veteran pacer took 4 wickets in this game. He brought India back into this game after taking 3 crucial wickets in the powerplay. This was only the second time in his career that he managed to take 3 wickets in the powerplay. Do you remember when the first one was?
Yep, you guessed it right
It was on his debut against Pakistan in December 2012.
But even that was not enough to help team India win.
Will Coach Rahul Dravid finally hand in a debut to young Umran Malik?
Coach Rahul Dravid will have to look at the bench. He will look for more options to provide more solidarity to the Indian batting attack. India will be looking to rope in Deepak Hooda who had a great IPL. Bowling adjustments could also be made to make way for young Umran Malik to make an impact.
But one thing is for sure. Team India is missing their key players like Virat Kohli, K.L Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and of course captain Rohit Sharma.
Do you think India will comeback in the third T20I? De let us know in the comments below.
