By Our Special Correspondent
The T20I series decision between the two top teams on Sunday. With the atmosphere at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, it is all the more important for a weekend getaway Despite the threat of rain, things seemed to be going smoothly with the tossing in time. But heaven opened up as the Indian openers guarded. After some delay, the game started 30-40 minutes late.
Ishant Kishan, who hit two sixes in the opening, lost his stump to a slow ball. Fellow opener Ruturaj Gaikwad also cheated with a slow ball and the rain gods visited once again. This time it rained non-stop and after 3.3 overs India finished the game at 9.37 PM with 28/2.
The series may have ended 2-2, but despite the flaws in the approach to the Indian format in general, there are many promises, especially in the absence of the senior trio - Captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. At top order. zFor starters, they demonstrate a lot more purpose with the bat regardless of the consequences or circumstances. Like the first two T20Is it sometimes costs them, but they adapt to their approach and team choices, playing the unchanging XI in all five matches. While this may come as a bit of a surprise, their head coach Rahul Dravid has made it clear what to expect before the series.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the only experienced pacer to receive call-ups for Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh. But only Avesh Khan was able to play and he showed his abilities, especially in the fourth T20I. Herschelle Patel took wickets and was better in every game Bhubaneswar played. And then there were Yuzvendra Chahal and Hardik Pandya too.
"But our white-ball cricket is good; it shows the role of the team. It is amazing to see the fast bowling talent we have (during the IPL), especially when some bowlers are rushing at such speed,”Dravid told the host broadcaster before the match.
Ishant, Ruturaj, Hardik and Dinesh Karthik have done well in the batting department. Perhaps the only concern is the lack of influence from their captain Rishabh Pant. He tried to pursue his aggressive intent without scoring big; it will be interesting to see how conditions play out in the coming months in the Sanju Samson and Karthik combination for the upcoming Ireland tour.
Make no mistake, Rohit, Kohli and Rahul will go into the team after their return. And the lower half of the batting order is not yet locked. But this series gave a glimpse of how the Indian T20I team would be without them. And it promises to say the least. "A lot of youngsters have had the opportunity to showcase their skills and many of them have come out well, these are really good signs for Indian cricket, exciting times to come," Dravid said on Sunday.
The many T20I games that precede the World Cup, along with all the excitement, cause plenty of trouble for team management and selectors. But it will probably be a headache, they will be happy.
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