Team India is one of the most expensive sides in death overs. Two of their main pacers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel, conceded above 10 runs per over in these crucial overs. Rohit’s men have surrendered many major contests after dominating in the early part of the game, including the ones against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This affected the progress of their campaign as they bowed out in the Super 4 stage.
Indian death bowling in T20Is. Not surprised that Bhuvneshwar and Harshal have the worst numbers ☠️
Also, not surprised that Bumrah and Arshdeep are acing it consistently. Only Deepak Chahar there is interesting but feel it's because of that one spell in 2019. #INDvAUS #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/KTNGC6tUoB
— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) September 23, 2022
Previously, India used to be one of the best teams in handling the overs from 16 to 20. Much of their success was primarily due to two specialists, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The duo bowled yorkers and mixed it up with slow balls to make the batting extremely challenging to the opponent batters.
Why is India failing in death overs?
India lost their major specialist Jasprit Bumrah due to injury and his absence has left a major vacuum because of the range of skill set he possesses in the game. In Bumrah’s absence, senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar struggled for control. Bhuvi’s strategy to go for wide slow balls did not work in the team’s favour. He became far more predictable to the opposing team and thus leaked runs from his end.
Best Economy Rate For India in the last four overs in T20Is since 2019: (min 15 overs)
7.38 – Arshdeep Singh 🫡
7.88 – Jasprit Bumrah🫡
9.05 – Shardul Thakur
10.36 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar
10.92 – Harshal Patel#CricketTwitter #arshdeepsingh #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/6amPFO8ZeH— Subhash Chandra Patel🌞 (@iPunjabKingsFan) September 29, 2022
Harshal Patel, who came back from an injury and is slowly settling in, into the mix-up. He’s declared fit but probably needs time to get into the groove and redo his past exploits. The pitch conditions, due factors, and wet ball are the other major reasons Indian bowlers faltered in the slog overs. They lost their grip and control and thus could not bowl according to the plans.
Arshdeep Singh is a ray of hope
As India continues to address their issue of handling the death overs, they have found an impressive talent who can carry out the job with control. Punjab’s left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has emerged as a strong contender to handle death over duties. The youngster, being a left arm pacer, adds variety and gives consistent results.
The start we wanted🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/lqi7NuXGeF
— Arshdeep Singh (@arshdeepsinghh) September 28, 2022
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Arshdeep’s exploits for Punjab Kings made him stand out and later took him to the selector’s radar for Team India selection. He has made most of his opportunities count in his young career.
It is wrong to attribute India’s death over miseries to an individual or two as pitch, fielding, form and other factors play a part. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma in a presser noted the team is looking to address this issue quickly. India would hope they resolve the struggles soon. Their bowling unit fired in the first T20I against South Africa. Rohit would hope for consistent results.
