India, the pre-tournament favourites, started off with losses against Pakistan and New Zealand in the Super 12 stage which made it nearly impossible for Virat Kohli and men to claw back ito the tournament. A lot has been said in the media about India's dismal show at the showpiece event. Let us have a look at some of the key points that has contributed to India's early exit from the T20 World Cup.
Bio Bubble Fatigue
Most of the Indian players, including captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant among others have been on the road since June when the Test team had reached England for the World Test Championship final. It was followed by the five-Test series against Joe Root's men and then the players were transferred into the Indian Premier League (IPL) bio-bubble in the UAE.While the IPL 2021 final was played on October 15, the T20 World Cup Round 1 action got underway in Oman and the UAE on October 17. India played their first match on October 24 and got a week's break before their second against New Zealand. Jasprit Bumrah had cited that bio-bubble fatigue was one of the reason for India's poor show.Bumrah highlighted that bio-bubble fatigue tends to creep into players' mind amid the packed scheduling. However, Sunil Gavaskar said that he does not agree with Jasprit Bumrah’s bubble fatigue comment. Gavaskar said there should not be any excuse, when you representing India. “It’s a huge honour to represent your country because there are millions who want to get the India cap. So you are really privileged to do that. There should be no real excuse. “You have got to go out there and give it your best. And that’s all the fans are expecting. We all know you can’t win every game,” he added.
Hardik Pandya's Fitness
Hardik Pandya’s selection in the T20 World Cup has been under scrutiny, given that the all-rounder hasn’t played a potential bowler due to his back issues. He made the cut against Pakistan last week but before the India skipper could get his bowling services, he suffered a shoulder injury while batting and had to be taken for scans.However, his poor form with the bat and the lack of contribution with the ball increased India's woes. The Indian selectors were reportedly not in favour of keeping Hardik in India's T20 World Cup squad after he didn't bowl at all for Mumbai Indians in the second leg of IPL 2021 in UAE. However, it was MS Dhoni who vouched for Hardik's finishing skills and helped him stay in the T20 World Cup squad.
Unsettled Playing XI
In four games (including the two warm-ups), India twice tried out two different opening combinations – the first-choice seemingly being KL and Rohit, and the other being KL and Ishan. In a must-win match against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma was pushed to number three and Ishan Kishan opened the batting but India lost by eight wickets. Kishan, who had been picked in the squad as a reserve opener, came to open alongside KL Rahul. Skipper Kohli moved down a spot and batted at four. Virender Sehwag compared Rohit Sharma's demotion to the No 3 batting spot in the match against New Zealand to the mistake of asking Sachin Tendulkar batting at No 4 at the 2007 ODI World Cup. Sehwag told Cricbuzz that this decision was similar to the Rahul Dravid-led side having Sachin play at No 4 during the tournament to balance the middle order. India crashed out of group stage of that tournament after losing to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Virat Kohli's Captaincy
Kohli had announced that he will step down from India’s T20 captaincy after the World Cup. Kohli has so far led India in four ICC events — the 2017 Champions Trophy, 2019 50-over World Cup, World Test Championship (WTC) and the ongoing T20 World Cup. In all these events, India failed to clinch a single title. India’s title drought has stretched for long with their last major tournament win being the 2013 Champions Trophy in England and Wales. India’s last successful campaign in an ICC event came under former captain MS Dhoni. Kohli looked unimpressive in his approach at the showpiece event. Kohli also made some controversial comments after India's loss against New Zealand which irked many players including Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev opened up on Virat Kohli’s ‘we were not brave enough’ comment following India’s eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand, saying a captain should not give such weak statements. "For a big player like him, it is a very weak statement. If that is the kind of body language the team has and if that is the kind of thought process the captain has, it is really tough to lift the team. I felt a little strange hearing those words. He isn’t that kind of a player," Kapil said on ABP News.
Lack of Unity Within Team
Two days after Virat Kohli announced that he will step down as the T20 captain after the upcoming World Cup tournament in UAE, it has come to light that several senior players in the dressing room are miffed with the attitude of the ace cricketer, reported Telegraph.Reportedly, Virat Kohli had accused the unnamed senior cricketer of showing ‘no intent’ during the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton. The source further told The Telegraph, “Kohli is losing control. He has lost respect and some of the players are not liking his attitude. He is no more an inspirational leader and he doesn’t earn the players’ respect. Some of them have reached their limits when it comes to dealing with him…That Kohli failed to play a big innings has also complicated the issue.”Pakistan bowling legend Shoaib Akhtar expressed surprised over India's dismal performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup, and said that there appears to be divisions within the team. Speaking in a video on his Youtube channel, Akhtar said that there may be two camps within Indian team, one of which may be against Kohli. The former fast bowler also said that everyone should respect Kohli as he is a great cricketer, despite him making some bad decisions in the first two games.The former fast bowler also criticised Team India for their attitude against New Zealand, saying the players looked deflated after losing the toss.
