With Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma taking a charge of the Indian Cricket Team in the shortest format of the game, there are a few challenges. These challenges are for the dynamic duo of Rohit and Rahul. If India seeks victory in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, these challenges need to be tackled. With India looking to set a new template, these challenges will help the team grow. Here is a look at the top 5 challenges for Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma: –
Setting the Template While Batting: –
Setting the template is what every cricket analyst and cricket pundit is talking about in today’s date. This means bringing a change in the mindset. The feared mindset of the Indian cricketers was evident in the second game of the 2020 T20 World Cup against New Zealand. The template about which the community is speaking is about the fearless batting approach. India has been using the tried and tested formula of starting slow and finishing big in the death overs. But according to many retired legends, this formula is out of order and doesn’t work well.
With England and Pakistan adopting the “All-Out Attack” policy, Indians are also expected to do the same. India has firepower with names like Rohit, Rahul, and Kohli. On their day, even if one of these stays on the ground, they can win games for you. Although the template adoption may not work for India but trying something new will not ruin our plans either. But as many analysts are saying, I personally feel that India needs to set up a new template while batting.
Finding a Leg Spinner for the Indian Cricket Team: –
The Indian Cricket Team is currently lacking a good wicket-taking leg spinner. The lack of a wicket-taking option was more than evident in the two games against Pakistan and New Zealand. India did have the option of Rahul Chahar in the T20 World Cup 2021 but Chahar was off-color. The battle for the leg-spinning place was between Yuzvendra Chahal and Rahul Chahar. Rahul Chahar pipped the veteran Chahal for a place in the 15. The selection of Rahul Chahar was shocking because Yuzvendra Chahal was in the pink of form and had a great IPL.
India also has a few other options in the form of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi. Kuldeep Yadav was dropped out of the blue even after having great performances. Ravi Bishnoi on the other hand is making a good case for himself. The versions of Ravi Bishnoi have only gone upwards and onwards. India has tried many options in the recent past like Mayank Markande and Rahul Tewatia.
Finding a Pace Bowling Partner for Jasprit Bumrah: –
The Indian bowling in the test circuit looks sorted. They have many quick and precise options. But in the shortest format of the game, it is a bit different. India is lacking pace bowling options in the death overs. Mohammad Shami compliments Jasprit Bumrah well but is off-color at times. Shami and Shardul Thakur do have the knack of picking wickets but they concede many runs in doing so. Rahul Dravid needs to find a good bowler to complement Jasprit Bumrah consistently.
The options that Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have are many and this makes the task more difficult. Deepak Chahar, the world-record holder is a good option for the powerplay overs. His work in the death overs is improving by the day. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is another strong contender with the experience he has. Bhuvi was not in the best form in recent times. But the team management has backed his abilities. Other options include Mohammad Siraj who can create magic with the white-ball in the first few overs. Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini can also be considered.
Finding a Number 4 Batter for India in ODIS and T20Is: –
The Indian Cricket Team has been dealing with the number 4 conundrum for ages. The team looks very skeptical about trying players at this decisive position. Over the past 4 years, India has tried over 20 batters at this position. From Kedar Jadhav to Hardik Pandya, from Mandeep Singh to Virat himself, many batsmen have tried their hand at this position. This number 4 conundrum needs to be solved by Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma. The available options for them are several. Suryakumar does the job very well for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and has done well for India. But Shreyas Iyer too was doing well before the injury. Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan also have put their name in the box with exceptional performances in the IPL.
The team needs to select one of these batsmen and needs to persist with him. The problem is that the initial management was judging players based on just 1 series. The problem was solved by Shreyas Iyer but his injury has bought this question back up.
Grooming the New Indian Captain: –
Grooming a leader in the last yet most important job of Rahul Dravid and his men. The Rohit and Virat era is going to end within the next 5 to 6 years and the nation will need a new leader. It is now up to Rahul Dravid and the management to find the new skipper. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill are the front runners in this race. We cannot comment on the form of an individual 4 to 5 years down the line but this task is the most difficult one for Rahul Dravid.