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India have all the ingredients of a perfect T20I team

Ahead of the ICC World T20 2016 and the Asia Cup, India have one of the most well-balanced T20I teams in the world at present.

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Indian cricket team is on a roll after their four consecutive wins in Australia © Getty Images
Indian cricket team is on a roll after their four consecutive wins in Australia © Getty Images

India are currently the No. 1 ranked Twenty20 International (T20I) team in the world. That is not actually as impressive as it sounds given that there are merely 10 rating points between India and the No. 8 ranked team, Australia. West Indies and Sri Lanka, which are ranked No. 2 and 3 respectively, are just two rating points behind India. There are a number of reasons for such a tight battle for the top spot, chief of which is that international teams play such few T20Is. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I at Pune

For instance, in the in the 11 years that T20I cricket has existed, there have been 470 Tests (played among only 11 teams — the 10 Test-playing nations and ICC World XI), 1,533 ODIs (played among 23 teams), and 494 T20Is (played among 22 teams). India, who play three T20Is against Sri Lanka starting February 9, have played 15 Tests, a whopping 70 ODIs, and a paltry 6 T20Is against that opposition in this period. READ: India squad for Asia Cup T20 2016: Perfect practice ahead of ICC World T20 2016

Given all that we have just learned, it would be unwise to presume that India is, beyond all reasonable doubt, the best T20I team in the world. That being said let us take a look at the ingredients needed to succeed in T20Is.

It is widely accepted that T20 cricket is unpredictable. A freak innings here, a 20-run over there, and the fate of the match is sealed. Zimbabwe beat Australia in the ICC World T20 2007. The Netherlands beat England in World T20 2009 and then again in ICC World T20 2014. In between England won the World T20 in 2010.

However, as franchise-based T20 cricket has shown, it is not always random. A team like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) dominated every edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) bar none. They always finished in the top four, even if they did not always win the title. That kind of consistency cannot be put down to dumb luck. So what set them apart? READ: India have found their ideal T20I combination ahead of ICC World T20 2016

Where CSK got it right, and where a lot of other teams get it wrong, is balance. Most T20 teams around the world, be it franchise-based or international, seem to think that the big hitters hold the key to success. As a result the likes of Glenn Maxwell (2,694 runs at 21.90 and a strike rate of 154.11) are usually more popular choices than Michael Hussey (4,404 runs at 38.29 and a strike rate of 125.75). What CSK showed was that having the quick scorers was only one part of a much larger puzzle.

CSK’s balance started right from the top of the order. Traditionally they had at least one hard-hitting opener (first Matthew Hayden and later Brendon McCullum), followed by someone who could play the long innings as well as keep the runs coming at a good clip (Suresh Raina or MS Dhoni), and someone who could act as fire-fighter in the event of a collapse (S Badrinath or Faf du Plessis).

Then there were the lower-order batsmen who could play the big shots when needed (Albie Morkel or Dwayne Bravo). With the ball, there was a steady medium-pacer who bowled line and length (Ben Hilfenhaus or Mohit Sharma) as well as a quicker bowler who could keep things quiet at the death (Doug Bollinger or Ashish Nehra), and the endless supply of spinners to tie down the opposition in the middle overs (Muttiah Muralitharan and Shadab Jakati initially and R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Pawan Negi later on). Some might argue that they may not have been successful outside of India, but they reached the last four in IPL 2009 which was played in South Africa.

Given CSK’s success, let us now look at the current world No. 1, India. In Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma India have two explosive batsmen capable of getting the team off to a flying start. Then there is Virat Kohli (who will not be a part of the side that plays Sri Lanka in three T20Is), who is the best batsman across formats in international cricket. Kohli can play the role of anchor or attacker as the situation demands. Coming in next is Suresh Raina, who is one of the major reasons behind CSK’s continued dominance, and arguably India’s best T20 (not T20I) batsman.

Following him in Yuvraj Singh, who is by no means the batsman he once was. The Yuvraj of old made bowlers all over the world run for cover, but this current version of Yuvraj is rusty. Whether or not he merits a place in the side is questionable. He could be the weak link in the batting order, but he has a reputation of proving people wrong. MS Dhoni too is far from the powerful striker he once was, but it should be noted that Dhoni’s T20I record is rather poor; he is yet to score a half-century in T20Is.

The all-rounder that follows, be it Hardik Pandya or Pawan Negi, will have to play the big shots from ball one. They have both shown themselves capable of doing so in the domestic circuit, but international cricket is a different matter. Neither man has batted yet in international cricket, so judgements should be reserved.

Coming to the bowling, India for once look like a side that has all the answers. As long as they are playing in India, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will keep the opposition in check more often than not. The two pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra looked competent in the series in Australia. Bumrah especially impressed with his yorkers in the death, and that could play a huge role for India moving forward.

India have one of the most well-balanced T20I teams in the world at present. Barring any major surprises they should sail through against Sri Lanka and do extremely well in the upcoming Asia Cup T20 and ICC World T20 2016. They have all the ingredients of being the perfect T20 side. Whether they can fulfill their promises remains to be seen.

(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)

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