A Fresh approach needed in India’s bid to capture major crown

Rohit Sharma, who became the first Indian to hit 500 sixes at international level, will be vying a return to winning top trophies when India host the ICC ODI World Cup in October and November.

India's strength is the 50-over game, which they’ve mastered over the years. However, there’s talk that to succeed in either white ball series then they need separate captains for the ODIs and T20Is.

Sharma is highly unlikely to relinquish leading the ODI side, while Hardik Pandya appears to be arguably the best player to take the helm for the T20Is.

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India can end their decade-long drought for an ICC men’s title when they host the 2023 ODI World Cup next year. They have played co-host in 1987 with Pakistan, 1996 with Sri lanka and West Pakistan as well as 2011 with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Their last major trophy was the 2013 Champions Trophy, held in England and Wales.

The reason that India have failed for so long to be crowned champions seems to be that the selectors at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) treat ODI and T20I formats as being similar. There’s clearly a vast difference between the two, which nowadays require completely different skill sets.

India proudly plays host to the world’s biggest T20 franchise league with the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). However, a specialist side from the plethora of talent competing in the IPL constantly evades them.

Veteran India wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik and medium-fast pacer Harshal Patel excelled in the IPL, but were only among a handful of big-name T20I specialists. The BCCI failed to scrutinise how other nations were succeeding by just picking a few all-format players, and cutting their cloth according to the two different white ball tournaments.

Test hero Cheteshwar Pujara, for example, is a batsman who can sit in the middle for hours to drum up the runs. Yet he isn’t going to be much use for the hit me quick performances that one-day contests demand.

Following India’s humiliating 10-wicket defeat to eventual winners England in the recent T20 World Cup semi-final, something has to alter. The buck stops with the BCCI, and ultimately for Sharma to lose his T20 captaincy.

A fresh approach would be to elevate Pandya to the role of the T20 skipper, with Rohit remaining in charge of both the ODI and Test teams, especially as India failed to reach the Asia Cup final when Rohit was leading them.

India’s T20I game has fallen down as they lack all rounders, with the exception of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Pandya, as they prefer to field specialist batters and bowlers.

The BCCI’s cautious approach with this tried and tested format, in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, came crashing down when they met England in the semi-final showdown.

Kohli has publicly suggested separating the two white-ball formats if India want to hunt down trophies. His desire to achieve glory is very apparent.

He controversially claimed that he wants to be India’s ODI captain, with a young vice-captain, in preparation for a shot at capturing the 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil. Kohli also mooted that Sharma should lead the T20I side, and mirror his role with a young vice-captain.

Bringing in more multi-skilled players, who could provide some flexibility in white ball tournaments, would change the outlook of India’s teams at ODIs and T20Is and could leave the door open for the return of veteran players.

India’s coaching staff’s contracts are secure until the end of 2023 ODI World Cup, and whether they are extended depends on the nation’s overall performance.

If India are going to finally stake a claim at clinching the top prize, then ideally the BCCI will appoint a separate coach for both the ODI and T20I to work with different captains.

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