Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma could be victims of wholesale changeto India’s Twenty20 team after the catastrophic World Cup semi-final defeatto England.
England romped to a 10-wicket victory on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval,chasing down the 169-run target with four overs to spare to set up a finalon Sunday against India’s arch-rivals Pakistan.
Openers Alex Hales (86 not out) and Jos Buttler (80 not out) did the damageagainst a muted Indian bowling attack lacking both fire and fury.
Cricket is by far the most popular sport in the world’s second mostpopulous country, but India have not won a global title since the 2013Champions Trophy and the painful wait goes on.
The thrashing was met with disappointment, anger and demands for heads toroll.
Reports on Friday said the T20 squad will start undergoing a majortransition in the coming days, with prominent senior players includingRohit, Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin being gradually eased out.
Kohli hit four half-centuries at this World Cup, including heroics to beatPakistan in India’s tournament opener, but at age 34 the superstar batsmanis not seen as the future.
“You will not see most of the seniors playing T20 next year,” the PressTrust of India quoted a source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) as saying.
The India team could look very different the next time the T20 World Cupcomes along, in the United States and West Indies in 2024.
“Absolutely not the right time to talk about this stuff or think about thisstuff right now,” coach Rahul Dravid said in the aftermath of his team’sbeating when asked about the futures of his senior players.
Former cricketer Sunil Valson told AFP that India were outplayed in everyaspect against a ruthless England.
“The selectors must sit down and see and work out a new combination,” theformer fast bowler said.
Former India bowler Harbhajan Singh suggested that India should install anew head coach who has retired from playing more recently than Dravid, 49,and name Hardik Pandya as captain in place of Rohit.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar said that the Indian selectors had already”sent the signal” to senior players by picking the 29-year-old Pandya asskipper for an upcoming T20 series in New Zealand.
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“There could be retirements, there are a lot of players in their mid-30swho might consider their future in international T20s,” he said on airafter the semi-final.
*Powerless powerplay*
India are ranked the world’s top T20 team but they were criticised for slowscoring in the powerplay, huffing and puffing their way to 38-1 off theirfirst six overs, while England raced to 63 without loss.
Veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai said India needed new blood who wereless conservative.
“We lost (the) game in first 10 overs when we played timidly. Need a Gennext that bats at strike rate of 150 plus, and wicket-taking bowlers,” hetweeted.
Dravid acknowledged that the Indian cricket board’s ban on players enteringoverseas T20 tournaments, such as Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), hadhurt them.
“A lot of our boys maybe do miss out on the opportunities of playing in alot of these leagues,” he said.
But allowing them to do so would eviscerate longer forms of the Indiangame, he added.
“It’s right in the middle of our season, and with the kind of demand therewould be for Indian players, if you allowed all the Indian players to playin these leagues, we would not have a domestic cricket.”
He added: “Our domestic trophy, our Ranji trophy, would be finished, andthat would mean Test cricket would be finished.”
Hales, who was only recalled to the England side when Jonny Bairstow brokehis leg in September, brought his BBL experience to the fore as he smashedseven sixes in his 47-ball blitz.
The opener, who had a successful season with Sydney Thunder, is one ofseveral English players who have taken part in the Big Bash and arefamiliar with Australian grounds.
