India T20 WC exit: From Selection rigidity to lacklustre powerplays, 8 reasons behind India's T20 World Cup debacle, as Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid mission ends in agony

India T20 WC exit: India’s campaign in an ICC tournament has ended in shambles once again after Rohit Sharma and Co were knocked out on Thursday. The Men in Blue took a 10-wicket Sucker punch to their face, As England set up a T20 WC Finals date with Pakistan. Follow Indian Cricket and ICC t20 World Cup live updates on Insidesport.IN

Also Read: India T20 WC Exit: Rahul Dravid delivers another FLOP SHOW, BCCI to review performance after Australia series, Check Rahul Dravid Report Card

India entered the tournament as one of the favourites, but Rohit Sharma and Co had to fight tooth and nail to make it to the semifinals. While reaching the knockouts is an improvement from last year’s debacle, the Men in Blue have Virat Kohli and the rain gods to thank for giving them a push. At InsideSport, we decode the reasons behind India’s T20 World Cup exit.

India T20 WC exit: From Selection rigidity to lacklustre powerplays, 8 reasons behind India’s T20 World Cup debacle, as Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid mission ends in agony – Check out

1. Timid approach from top order

Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid adopted an aggressive approach following their T20 World Cup humiliation last year. Rohit, and KL Rahul went particularly hard in the powerplay, with the Men in Blue playing a high-reward game in the powerplay.

However, in the T20 World Cup, India reverted to their timid approach. Rohit and Co had a powerplay average of 36, which is second from bottom in the tournament. Rohit finished the tournament with 116 runs at a strike rate of 106.42. Rahul managed 128 at a strike rate of 120.75. In comparison, Alex Hales and Jos Buttler have scored runs at a strike rate of 145+ each, eventually leading England to victory in the semifinals.

2. Poor fielding, catching

Fielding is turning out to be India’s nemesis in recent months. While the dropped catches were considered a minor ‘blip’ in form during the home series, the trend continued Down Under as well. Virat Kohli was guilty of dropping David Miller in their loss to South Africa.

Some questionable fielding in the game against England saw Hales and Buttler race away to the target. The crowning moment of India’s fielding problems came when Mohammad Shami lobbed the ball over Bhuvneshwar Kumar with pace, when he could have directly thrown at the stumps, costing his side more runs.

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3. Resistance to change even when things didn’t work

For all of India’s experimentation in the build-up to the World Cup, they still persisted with almost a similar side. From that loss to Pakistan in Dubai, India’s batting order saw only one change which was forced by Ravindra Jadeja’s injury. Rahul Dravid and the team management have backed players to the hilt, but the move hasn’t worked out well.

Despite options around, India stuck with Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik as wicketkeeping options and both failed to make their mark in the tournament. Axar Patel struggled as Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement, but India retained him in the side, with Chahal not making a single appearance. Vice-captain KL Rahul also persisted, despite him having a best score of 18 against the top sides in the T20 World Cup.

4. Failing to read conditions

Yuzvendra Chahal, the leading wicket-taker in the IPL, warmed the bench throughout the T20 World Cup. India persisted with Ashwin and Axar, even when wrist spinners had a successful tournament. Wanindu Hasaranga, Shadab Khan and Ish Sodhi have all enjoyed a good run in the tournament and India missed a trick with Chahal.

With conditions aiding the pacers, India also decided against grooming Umran Malik for the tournament. Malik is one of the faster bowlers in the world and could have come in handy, but was dropped after just a couple of matches. The management pished through with Harshal Patel, who is not suited for Australian conditions.

India T20 WC exit: From Selection rigidity to lacklustre powerplays, 8 reasons behind India’s T20 World Cup debacle, as Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid mission ends in agony – Check out

5. Confusing role for Hooda, Axar and Rishabh

Deepak Hooda was pushed to No.3 in Virat Kohli’s absence and he scored a stunning century against Ireland. However, the all-rounder was shunted down straightaway after Kohli returned. Hooda furthermore was holed in at No.7, playing a bits-and-pieces role with both bat and ball. He naturally struggled and featured in only one game at the World Cup, in which he scored a three-ball duck.

A similar case can be made of Rishabh Pant. The left-hander was promoted to opening the batting on a couple of occasions, while his natural slot is in the middle. He was also shunted to the finisher’s role at times, giving the 25-year-old no clarity on his place or role.

6. Inconsistency in selection

Mohammad Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin were not considered for T20Is before miraculously making a return in the build-up to the tournament. Ashwin returned to the T20I set-up after a gap of 8 months vs West Indies, while Shami was called up to the Australia series.

Both players featured in all games at the World Cup with a less-than-desirable impact, raising questions regarding their selection. If they were in the team’s plans, why did they not feature more frequently?

7. Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja injury management

Injuries to Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja hit a roadblock in India’s T20 World Cup campaign. Bumrah was rushed back into action with the T20 World Cup in mind, but the effort saw him miss out on the tournament by aggravating his injury. Other T20 specialists in Deepak Chahar and Washington Sundar have also missed out on action due to serious injuries over the last year.

8. T20 specialists Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan not groomed despite Wicketkeeping crisis

Ishan Kishan was India’s highest-ranked T20I batsman before Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli returned to their best and changed the complexion of the same. The left-hander impressed in the home series vs SouthAfrica but was not given much of a go despite India lacking an attacking option in the powerplay. Kishan’s left-handed also gave him benefit but India stuck with Rohit-Rahul for the tournament.

The same case can be made for Sanju Samson. The Rajasthan Royals captain showed maturity since making a recall to the side, scoring fifties in both ODIs and T20Is, playing the role of both an opener and a middle-order enforcer. He also filled in as a finisher in the West Indies but was ignored from the squad. Samson likes pace and bounce and the conditions in Australia would have suited his style of play, but India opted against the move.