Shreyas Iyer feels Indian batting philosophy won’t change

The Indian middle-order batsman and the highest scorer in the last match, Shreyas Iyer has said that the Indian batting philosophy of going hard early on wouldn’t change even if early wickets keep falling. 

 “It won't change because if you see the batting line up we have and the power-hitters down the line, we don't have to change anything, to be honest," he said in the post-match press conference. 

Saying that the team has come with a plan and executing that as much as possible is the onus of the players. “Going into the World Cup we need to see to it that we tick all the boxes,” Iyer said. 

“This is a five-match series, so it is a perfect time to try different stuff and see what suits us," added the 26-year-old. 

Iyer scored 67 off 48 balls and was the mainstay in the middle of a collapse and take India to 124. "I am in no sort of pressure to perform, I am playing freely, happily and enjoying my innings. Coming into the Indian team, you have to be flexible with which batting position you will be batting. I haven't made any changes, it is just the mindset, what the team requires and (I) batted according to the situation," he said.

It would be interesting to see how the team behaves in the second T20I and whether or not their approach changes towards the game. The two teams square off on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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IND vs ENG | 2nd T20: Hosts look to make a grand comeback after getting drubbed in the opener

A brutal reality check in their first T20I, India will look to come out all guns blazing when they lock horns against a strong English side in the second encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad tomorrow. However one cannot deny the fact that this is not the first time that the home team have lost the first match of any bilateral series. In recent years it has happened quite often and the way they have responded after being 0-1 down goes onto show their mettle and the ability to make a grand comeback when they are pushed towards a corner. Without a shade of doubt, the visiting English team was by far the strongest team in the first encounter and it will take some exceptional all-round effort from the Indian team to force their way back into the series. India at home is always the favourites without an iota of doubt but given England’s team combination and the top half of their batting order, it will be a tall task for India to get the better of them especially when they are on song. As far as India are concerned, the team combination for them in the opening encounter backfired. While India decided to field a spin heaving bowling attack, England just like the Test series went for a pace heavy attack and that proved to be a masterstroke from the English limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan. His ability to think ahead of the game came to foray yet again as England thrashed India by 8 wickets in a lop-sided encounter. India will like to believe that the defeat in the opening encounter like many other opening matches of the previous bilateral tournaments was more of an aberration. As far as the team combination is concerned, they are trying to work out their strongest combination with some of their top players resting or being unavailable due to personal commitments. With the T20 World Cup slated to be held in India later this year, the home team will like to consider this series as more of a preparation for the mega event rather than going out with their full strength in a bid to win the series. Unlike the Test series, England are fielding their best possible side with the likes of Jos Buttler and some other T20 specialists back for the white-ball set-up. Jofra Archer who was doubtful for the series owing to a shoulder injury was fit enough to take part in the series opener but lamented the fact that he couldn’t bowl at full tilt due to the troublesome elbow. However, he did make a match-winning impact in the game bagging three crucial wickets which were instrumental in restricting India to a below-par score of 124 runs. The return of other limited-overs specialists including the likes of Jos Buttler and Jason Roy also bolstered the English unit as both looked in complete command of proceedings in the opening encounter and made a mockery of the target set by the home team. Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow also smashed some lusty blows and was trying to amends for a flop show in the Test series. His power-hitting resembled the fact that he was trying to wipe away the frustration of the Test series. India vs England: Match Details Match No.-01 Date and Time: March 12, 07:00 PM IST, 01:30 PM GMT Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad Broadcast and Live Stream: Star Sports, Hotstar Pitch conditions If you go by the pitch which was on offer in the opening T20I you have to agree that it wasn’t the best of batting wickets. However just as many predicted that it could be a rank turner yet again just like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it wasn’t really the case. The pitch under any stress of imagination was easy to bat on but and it was holding on the pitch quite often. However this time around, it was the English side who got their combination right and fielded a XI which proved to be ideal for the surface. As far as the second encounter in concerned, I don't think there will too much change in the pitch but it could offer a bit more turn. Win the toss and bowl first should be the ideal choice yet again. Team News India It was mentioned by skipper Virat Kohli during the toss in the opening encounter that Rohit Sharma will be rested for the first two encounters. Hence India should go with the same opening combination in Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul. While Rahul has proven himself in this format, it will be a huge match for Dhawan to prove his mettle. Given his poor returns in this format especially in the international arena, Dhawan is no longer the first choice opening pair for India in the shortest format. Kohli clearly mentioned ahead of the opening encounter that Rohit and Rahul will be the two frontline openers in this format going forward. The void of Rohit Sharma is immense in the limited-overs format and it will be interesting to see whether Kohli keeps his words or is forced to include Rohit in the XI for the second encounter after India’s dismal performance in the opening encounter. As far as team combination is concerned, I don’t think too much chopping and changing is required. Dhawan at the top of the order might be a concern and the only other option if Rohit is not playing is to open with either Ishan Kishan or Suryakumar Yadav. Both of these rookie players have the experience of opening the innings for Mumbai Indians and it will be interesting to see if the team management takes that path. As far as the bowling line-up is concerned, not much needs to be changed at the moment. Navdeep Saini might come back in favour of Shardul Thakur but there should be room for Deepak Chahar who has proved his credentials in the shortest format. His skill sets might be similar to Bhuvneshwar Kumar but you cannot drop a bowler who has come up with match-winning performances in this format whenever given an opportunity. As far as the spin department is concerned they might opt to drop either Axar Patel or Washington Sundar and bring in a pacer. Predicted XI India Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal England Nothing much needs to be changed for the visiting team. Their top-order looks settled as ever and with Jason Roy storming back into form, England is left with no other options but to play Jonny Bairstow in the middle order. Jos Buttler also came out all guns blazing and blasted the Indian bowlers during his attractive knock in the opening encounter. Roy who came into this encounter on the back of some poor returns in this format showed why he is regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen of the modern generation. He took on the Indian bowlers with utter disdain and ensured England reached the target with consummate ease in the end. He remained unbeaten on 49 of 31 deliveries. The middle-order wasn’t tested that much in the opening encounter so there shouldn’t be any change in the XI, especially in the top half. There could be some issues with Jofra Archer owing to the shoulder injury but just like the opening encounter, he could play even if he is not 100 per cent. A spin bowling option might be brought in the form of Moeen Ali if they feel the pitch could offer some turn. All in all, England looks a strong side without much chopping and changing required. Predicted XI Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer/Moeen Ali, Mark Wood, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid

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Holder, Bravo back as 10 players from Bangladesh tour retain their spots in Windies Test squad

West Indies Cricket announced the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series of the men in maroon against Sri Lanka. Jason Holder and Darren Bravo have found themselves back in the squad while 10 players from the ‘second string’ team that created history in Bangladesh barely a month ago have also retained their positions in the squad. Jermaine Blackwood has been named deputy to Kragg Brathwaite who overtook the captaincy mantle from Jason Holder. "It is good to be able to put together a Test squad with a number of players coming off very good performances in their last series in Bangladesh. It is a fantastic opportunity to build on the good work that was done in Bangladesh,” chief selector Roger Harper said in a press conference. Terming the historic victory as a boost for Windies cricket in the long format, Harper said that too many players competing for limited spots would increase the competing zeal in the squad. “This now means that there is keen competition for places which should drive better individual performances and that of the team. I also think that these players are looking forward to displaying their skills on home soil,” Harper added. West Indies play the first of the two games beginning 21st March at the iconic Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound. West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain) Jermaine Blackwood (vc) Nkrumah Bonner Darren Bravo John Campbell Rahkeem Cornwall Joshua Da Silva (wk) Shannon Gabriel Jason Holder Alzarri Joseph Kyle Mayers Kemar Roach Jomel Warrican

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IND vs ENG | 1st T20: High on rhetoric, low on performance India get brutal reality check

Establishing what their side is capable of pulling off in the white-ball format, Eoin Morgan’s trounced India in the opening game to start the series on a dominant note. There have been contrasting traits of both sides on their ‘approach’ towards the shortest format, and the stark contrast could not have been more visible on the night of March 12 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Whatever could have gone wrong for the hosts went terribly wrong for them, while the tourists were brilliant in all their moves and justified their dominant position on the ICC Rankings for T20Is. Chasing a below-par score of 126 runs, Jason Roy looked like a man on the mission who may have got offended for being unsold in the IPL auction that took place last month. He was preferred probably due to his perceived weakness against spin bowling, and hence the first victim of his onslaught was Yuzvendra Chahal who was to be the trump card for Kohli. The move to attack Chahal was calculated one by Roy as Kohli relied on the surface to be another turner and played three spinners to reap the best advantage. However, Roy took it upon himself to make a resounding statement that the trial by spin was over in the Test series, and the players who are here for the white-ball leg of the tour are a different kettle of fish. Kohli looked like a confused captain who was lost after suffering a collapse in the batting effort in the first innings. He played Washington Sundar along with Axar Patel as the two extra spinners other than Chahal, but Washington Sundar was kept away from bowling in a move that appeared as a hangover from the Test series where his skills were not considered worthy enough, while Axar bowled ahead of him. Ironically, Kohli has been Washington’s skipper in the IPL where he bowls the majority of his overs in powerplays and has an astounding economy rate. Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked rusty with the ball and lacked both swing and control with the new ball against the pair of Buttler and Roy who had the luxury of taking time in pursuit of a relatively lower score for their standards. The second pacer—Shardul Thakur started off his spell with good control over his line but lacked incisive edge over batsmen to trouble in such a small chase. Hardik Pandya, whose returning to bowling was widely anticipated showed signs of a bowler who is short of overs under his belt and India were left flummoxed and bamboozled against an all-strength England side. The struggles of Test matches were left far behind and it could not have been explained in any better ways than Jonny Bairstow coming in at number four position to tonk spinners Chahal and Washington over the ropes with such ease that would have left many fans bewildered if they were watching the same Bairstow in whites against Indian spinners. Earlier in the evening, Kohli’s tryst with the toss continued even with the white ball as Morgan won the toss to send them in. England opted for an all-pace attack with Adil Rashid as the lone spinner in the line-up, while India opted for a spin-heavy attack. The contrasting team selection was reminiscent of the final Test between the two sides, and the jury was out on who got it right in terms of selection in the final selection of the series. Fair to say, in the end, Morgan outclassed his counterpart in selecting only one spinner as his pacers bowled their heart out and rattled Indian batsmen with pace and bounce off the surface. Kohli had on the previous day publicly accepted that their batting approach in the shortest format has been found wanting in the shortest format and that they will look to revamp it starting with the series England. The sense of ambiguity around the decision-making process remained with Kohli’s method in the first T20 as well with Dhawan and Rahul selected to open the batting as the team decided to rest Rohit for a couple of games. Kohli had said that Dhawan was the third opener and was to get chances when either Rohit or Rahul was to miss out due to injury concerns or resting, but none would have expected that the rest for Rohit will come in the very first game of the series. Dhawan must have been under enormous pressure to remain in the reckoning of the team management knowing that Rohit would walk in the team whenever the team decides, and Rahul has been too consistent with the bat to be replaced. All the talk and rhetoric about fearless mindset and revamped approach in bating were not evident in the first over as both Dhawan and Rahul looked scratchy with the bat. To be fair to them, morgan stumped them with a brilliant tactic to introduce Adil Rashid in the powerplay and clearly, neither of them looked to be ready for a probable out of syllabus question from the opposition. Jofra Archer has been a phenomenal force with the new ball in IPL, but not for England in T20Is, but he had his eyes set on course correction. The pace was right up there and his signature steep bounce off the back of length areas was evident with the new ball as he dismissed KL Rahul and rattled Virat Kohli in his very first over that ended as a wicket-maiden over. Tight overs from Rashid and Archer mounted pressure on Kohli, who appeared not to be backing down from the aggressive mindset he had promised a day before and appeared attempting to walk his talk. Rashid was smart enough for him on the night and Kohli’s desperation for quick runs handed England another success fairly early in the innings. If Archer’s bounce was not challenging enough for the Indians, Morgan had a real thunderbolt in the form of Mark Wood in store for the hosts. Dhawan really looked all over the place against a really quick first spell from Wood and ended up walking back to the pavilion having played an ugly heave across the line of Wood. India were caught off guard even before they could start off with the bat, but Rishabh Pant who has earned a recall into the T20 team on the basis of his recent form in the Test format made sure to capitalise on the opportunities he got at the number four position. There is no limit to Pant’s insanity in terms of shot selection as he pulled out yet another jaw-dropping reverse scoop off Archer’s delivery bowled around 140 kmph which England batting legend Kevin Pietersen rated as the best shot played ever in the history of the game. However, he could not get going after a six and four off Archer and when he found the fielder at deep square leg after a sluggish innings, India’s hopes of a competitive total suffered a serious setback. The number four slot in the batting order where Shreyas Iyer used to bat in the last few series was a contentious issue among fans and commentariat as more than one contenders emerged fitting for the position. Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav finally hammered the door of selection down to get a call up while Ishan Kishan who promises a lot of fireworks with the bat also got a look in for the series in order to rejuvenate the middle order. For the first match though, Kohli went with the tried skills and offerings of Iyer who must have been under enormous pressure with the likes of Yadav and Kishan waiting for an opportunity to pounce on and also due to his own lack of runs in the previous series against Australia. The situation of India losing too many early wickets could not be bigger for Iyer to establish the solidity he offers to the batting order as he relied on his timing and immaculate placements to steer India towards some sort of respectable total in the opening game. His backdoor game was exposed in Australia, and Morgan too was eager to ask him tough questions with pacers measuring the length of his throat. However, he also got deliveries on his hips which he capitalised on to get going. He was the lone warrior with the bat for India as even the reliable Hardik Pandya who has been one of the main architects of India’s win in the recent past failed to rise to the occasion. India were left lacking clarity on the objectives they wanted to achieve in the first game. Openers did not show enough eagerness of proactive batting while Kohli lost his wicket in the desperation of quick runs. In the end, the game turned out to be a nightmare game for a side that has appeared lacking clarity of thoughts on the style of cricket they want to play in the shortest format, and the England side which is as clear-headed as side can be punished them for having cluttered head and ambiguity. For both sides, the outcome of the series does not hold that greater value contextually as they are using these games to reach their best as a squad, but needless to say, India were left with more questions than answers in their first journey on to the path leading up to the World T20.