There is now just one trick left in T20 cricket in India that can largely guarantee wins amid batting-friendly pitches, small boundaries, and high-quality bats.
That trick Team India used in the T20 World Cup earlier this year at home. Their campaign had been quite average until the match against Zimbabwe in the Super 8s. They had just lost to South Africa, and the panic button was forcefully pressed. Their think tank sat down and discussed what can be done to avoid more embarrassment. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav’s jobs were on the line.
We don’t know what they discussed, but going by the pattern in India’s next few matches — right up to their T20 World Cup triumph on March 8 — it won’t be far-fetched to say that they probably decided on batting out the opposition. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
India scored the second-highest T20 World Cup total against Zimbabwe: 256. Comfortable win. And then they chased down 196 against the West Indies in what was a virtual quarterfinal for either team. They made 253 against England in the semifinal and 255 against New Zealand in the final. 250-plus scores thrice in four matches! Never done before in international cricket involving top teams. Had they batted first against the West Indies, they would have targeted the same total. One can’t disagree, looking at the pattern, can you?
So, it’s simple. 200 is not a winning total by any means in India. Multiple times we have seen this season, teams comfortably chasing down 200-plus scores. Punjab Kings even chased down 265 against Delhi Capitals, but that wasn’t a clean example as DC dropped many important catches. An aberration there!
The only way one can feel good about their chances is to put 250 or more on the board. 240 looks safe too – on second thoughts. Just like India’s example in the T20 World Cup, any IPL team that manages really huge totals in their next few matches is going to lift the IPL trophy. Even high-quality bowling line-ups can’t guarantee defending totals between 200 and 225. Bowlers are totally hopeless at present in the IPL.
The venues ideal to execute India’s blueprint!
The Qualifier 1 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans is in Dharamsala. The Eliminator and Qualifier 2 are in New Chandigarh. The final — no prizes for guessing — is in Ahmedabad. All good venues for batting. In what is a nice reminder, Ahmedabad was the venue for the T20 World Cup final, where India trashed New Zealand.
So, when all is said and done, the team that bats really well will go on to win the trophy. Be mindful of the stress on “really well”. Having that in mind, at present, Sunrisers Hyderabad appear the favourites thanks to the presence of the explosive quartet of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen in their ranks. Two of them, Abhishek and Ishan played big hands for India in those last few T20 World Cup matches not long ago.
