Solid Top Order But Absence Of Proper Finishers - SWOT Analysis Of India For T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma will lead India in T20 WC 2024 (x.com)
The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup will take place at the Carribean Islands and the United States of America. The teams are gradually gearing up for the mega event. The participating nations are announcing their squads. The Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 has been declared on the 30th of April.
As the stage gets set for the gala event, let us take a look at the Indian squad and delve into a deep analysis of the team.
Indian Squad for the T20 World Cup
| Roles | Players |
|---|---|
| Batters | Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav |
| Wicketkeepers | Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson |
| All-rounders | Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja |
| Bowlers | Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj |
| Reserves | Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan |
Strengths of India ahead of T20 World Cup 2024
Mix of dynamism and stability in the top-order
A glimpse at the Indian squad for the mega event gives us the idea that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav will be the top three.
Let us take a look at the strike rate of the these players in IPL 2024 so far.
| Players | Strike Rate |
|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 160.31 |
| Virat Kohli | 147.49 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 171.13 |
The table gives us the idea that the top order of India has two batters who can bat with a strike rate of over 150.
Kohli will most probably bat at No. 2 or 3 in the T20 WC (AP)
The presence of Virat Kohli amidst these two will provide the solidity to the team. Kohli has batted at a strike rate of 147.49, while having an average of 71.43 in IPL 2024. This shows that he has the ability to score the volume of runs at a good rate.
Thus, his presence will allow batters Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav to go about the business in their own ways and keep the scoring rate of the team high.
Dynamic and flexible middle-order
Hardik Pandya will hold the glue for IND in T20 WC (AP)
To start off the tournament, India might opt to go for Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja as their lower middle-order. The presence of these four batters in the middle order gives flexibility and dynamism to the line-up.
Pant, Dube, Pandya, and Jadeja could be shifted around in the batting order as per the situation of the game and the playing conditions.
Variation in the bowling department
Siraj, Kuldeep, Chahal and Bumrah (AP Photo)
It seems like India will go with Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah as their four prime bowers. Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya would be used as the supporting bowlers to these four.
So, India have a great variety to upset the rhythm of the opposition batters.
Weakness of India ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024
Imbalance in the pace department
Siraj hasn't had an impressive time in IPL 2024 so far (AP)
The three pacers in the main Indian squad are Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. It seems like only two of these bowlers will get a go in the playing XI. If Bumrah and Siraj are playing together, then the opening bowling looks sorted but Bumrah will miss a partner in the death overs.
On the other hand, if Bumrah and Arshdeep are playing together it weakens the opening bowling of the team. Again if the three bowlers are playing together, then it would mean the sacrifice of a proper spinner or Pandya is given the new-ball duties.
Thus it seems that there is an imbalance in the bowler types selected for the team.
Lack of proper power hitter in the lower middle order
In Hardik and Jadeja, India do not find a hitter who can hit the big shots from ball one. Dube has that capacity but his skills have not yet been put to test in the international arena. India might struggle during the tournament to get powerful finishes.
Opportunities for India ahead of T20 World Cup 2023
Establishing Shivam Dube as a proper finisher
Dube will be India's designated finisher in T20 WC 2024 (AP)
Shivam Dube has done a great job for CSK in the middle overs. He always had the ability to hit the spinners, but in this edition of the tournament, Dube has looked like a much complete batter with a high strike rate against the pacers. Dube has also shown the ability to take on the bowlers from the very beginning of his innings.
Thus all the ingredients are there in Dube to be a powerful finisher in the T20 format. The Indian management needs to make proper utilisation of his skills and provide him with the right entry point to be successful in this tournament.
Threats for Indian ahead of T20 World Cup 2023
Choking at the big stage
Since 2014 India has been starving for a ICC trophy. The team has done well in the group stages of most of the tournaments but they have failed to keep the nerve in the big stages like the semi-finals and finals.
It looks like there is a problem within the mentality of the team and that can haunt them again in this T20 World Cup.
India's Probable Playing XI
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Virat Kohli
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Hardik Pandya
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shivam Dube
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Mohammed Siraj
- Jasprit Bumrah
.jpg "CSK vs PBKS preview")
 "Probuddha Bhattacharjee")
![[Watch] Shreyanka Patil Outfoxes Bangladesh's Ace Batter With An Ashwin-Esque Delivery](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1714482995305_shreyanka_patil (1).jpg "[Watch] Shreyanka Patil Outfoxes Bangladesh's Ace Batter With An Ashwin-Esque Delivery")