TTF - The India Edition

[mastimasti]

India have failed to win an ICC world trophy for 10 years and let's be entirely honest, they now have zero chance of lifting the ICC World T20 2021. Ten years of failure, and yet in that time, the side has been labelled everything form the greatest batting unit ever (a distant second to England across ODIs and T20s in that period, and even to Australia or South Africa at various times in the decade past) to the greatest Asian side ever, across formats. For such a great side, why can they not win anything outside of bilateral series?

The answer my friends, is the Tried and Test Failures of the team and squads that have graced LOIs for the best part of the last 5 or 6 years.

Let's start off by looking at the world cup winning team of 2011.

Sehwag
Tendulkar
Gambhir
Kohli
Dhoni
Yuvraj Singh
Raina
Harbhajan Singh
Khan
Patel
Sreesanth

That was a team of experienced winners and a rising star. These guys were involved in iconic wins across all formats and titular struggles, even if they lost. There was grit, determination and very little hair gel on display. Zaheer Khan had bowled brilliantly to win a test series in England, Dhoni had been a great leading man in a test triumph in Pakistan, Yuvi was one of the great strikers of the era, Tendulkar and Sehwag were iconic. None of this was a media blitz, hyperbole or propaganda, it was plain fact.

Let us now look at the players that have played in this world T20.

Rahul
Sharma
Kohli
Yadav
Pant
Jadeja
Pandya
Kumar
Shami
Bumrah
Chakravarthy
Kishan
Thakur

Only Kohli has ever lifted an ICC trophy among the 13 players listed above. Six of the above players however, did feature in the abject destruction at the hands of Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final of 2017.

Sharma failed against left arm pace, as he did here in this tournament, Jadeja still can not spin the ball and is very much a home track bully. Life repeating itself huh? Well what would you expect if nothing ever changes.

I know there was the bright spot of the 2013 Champion's Trophy the final devolved into a T20 game. Hardly the send off needed for a 50 over tournament.

In the 2015 world cup, India were knocked out by yet another drubbing, this time ta the hands of Australia, mustering a barely audible 233 in a chase of 328. Sharma out to a left hander? Check. Kohli out to a left hander? Check. Jadeja wicket-less? Check.

The circle of life...the circle of loss.

These TTFs are now older and failing at a greater rate. Times change, so much India. It is time to replace with now, bright eyed stars. Are there any in the domestic game? The IPL certainly does not bare fruit. A serious re think is needed in the BCCI.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Judging from what I have seen in this world cup - I think India should swiftly move on from Jadeja, Shami, Chakravarthy, Thakur, Bhuvi

I personally see no reason for playing Ishan Kishan if Pant is playing.

Pandya is not good enough to play as a pure batsman. If he is unable to bowl properly he shouldn't play.

Kohli and Sharma should continue into the next world cup.

 

[Usman Chadda]

This forum is obsessed with India. More than half of the threads are about India, why do we care so much about them?

Our team is doing well, let’s focus on them rather than discussing India every minute of every day here.

 

[mastimasti]

Judging from what I have seen in this world cup - I think India should swiftly move on from Jadeja, Shami, Chakravarthy, Thakur, Bhuvi

I personally see no reason for playing Ishan Kishan if Pant is playing.

Pandya is not good enough to play as a pure batsman. If he is unable to bowl properly he shouldn't play.

Kohli and Sharma should continue into the next world cup.

Kohli? Yes. Sharma? No. He walks around with a fat belly and is a flat track bully. Don't get me wrong, he has been a fine LOI servant but India needs to move on from him.

I can't see Pandya or Pant being picked in matches not played on the tracks of India, SL, Bang or Aus. India need strikers who can play well in UAE, maybe one day Pak and NZ. Horses for courses approach would work here.

This forum is obsessed with India. More than half of the threads are about India, why do we care so much about them?

Our team is doing well, let’s focus on them rather than discussing India every minute of every day here.

Multiple reasons:
1. This is a cricket forum.
2. MY team is not Pakistan.
3. This is a big topic to discuss during a major tournament.

 

[RamLakhan]

Kohli? Yes. Sharma? No. He walks around with a fat belly and is a flat track bully. Don't get me wrong, he has been a fine LOI servant but India needs to move on from him.

.

Rohit Sharma is starting to do so well in tough Test Conditions as an opener. This is not the time to call him FTB. Perhaps he has lost that magic in LOIs to balance his game in tests! Even Rahul is undergoing the same issues... Kohli messed up his batting form with continuous failures in captaincy! I think Pant will become more consistent & more mature in coming years... He was first drafted into test cricket & asked to wait in LOIs to give farewell matches/years to Dhoni...

The whole Indian team is in a mess! The bright spot between all these is they are doing well in test format! And hence this team definitely has the talent, skills, depth & temperament... But some policies needs to be changed and its the transition time as well... Even Pakistan were ridiculed by the same set of people during Misbah's time & when they stuck onto senior players! (And probably they were doing reasonably well in test matches during that time).

 

[RamLakhan]

Test matches are for senior players, ODI's are for prime/seasoned players (these guys can probably play tests or T20s as well depending on their tendencies) and T20s is purely for fresh/hungry players who don't have any hangovers...

ODI stands in the middle. Some players can play both Tests + ODIs (if they have more skills compared to powerhitting), some can play both ODIs + T20s (if they have more powerhitting compared to technique) and only few can play all 3 formats. And some players should play only T20 or only Tests.

Currently only Rahul, Pant & Bumrah have the skills to play all 3 formats... But for that they have to be clearly explained about their roles. Rahul should be told that he is the opener in all 3 formats for at least 1 year now. Him batting at No.4 in ODIs will again disturb his rhythm. Even Kohli should move on from T20 & bat at No.4 in ODIs. Rohit & Shami should be limited to Tests & ODIs...

 

[mastimasti]

Rohit Sharma is starting to do so well in tough Test Conditions as an opener. This is not the time to call him FTB. Perhaps he has lost that magic in LOIs to balance his game in tests! Even Rahul is undergoing the same issues... Kohli messed up his batting form with continuous failures in captaincy! I think Pant will become more consistent & more mature in coming years... He was first drafted into test cricket & asked to wait in LOIs to give farewell matches/years to Dhoni...

The whole Indian team is in a mess! The bright spot between all these is they are doing well in test format! And hence this team definitely has the talent, skills, depth & temperament... But some policies needs to be changed and its the transition time as well... Even Pakistan were ridiculed by the same set of people during Misbah's time & when they stuck onto senior players! (And probably they were doing reasonably well in test matches during that time).

We are not talking about test cricket here (although Sharma has one good innings out of 4 tests in England last summer).

International tournaments are LOs cricket, not with standing the new WTC and even that we have lost. Anyway, back to LOs, India is much hyped in bilateral series every 4 year cycle, in the recent past they were labeled as the best T20 team on the planet and yet have failed miserably in this tournament. They have looked completely toothless and the TTFs need to change.

 

[frenchcut]

Only on this forum can a player who hit five centuries in a world cup in English conditions subsequently be labelled a limited overs flat track bully

 

[mastimasti]

Only on this forum can a player who hit five centuries in a world cup in English conditions subsequently be labelled a limited overs flat track bully

The pitches were largely flat that summer of 2019. In fact it was a tournament where 7 players scored more than 500 runs, there were 21 players who averaged 50 or more. Hardly a tricky, early summer test match conditions.

 

[Ab Fan]

TTF - Tried and Tested failures.

Over last 6 years, India have been chokers in limited overs.

However, their record in bilaterals has been excellent and hence the word TTF is wrong here. If someone performs consistently but fails in ICC Tournaments knockout, then they aren't TTF.

Among all, I have been mostly disappointed with Rohit, Rahul and Bhuvi. The openers were scoring runs for fun throughout the bilaterals but come the tournament, they have disappointed. It has been poor show from them.