On the three-hour flight from Perth, Western Australia, to Adelaide, South Australia, the India team management will have had some time to consider their first loss in the T20 World Cup after their batsmen fell victim to South Africa’s pace and bounce on a fiery Perth pitch on Sunday.
And captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid have at least a few selection issues to consider as they get ready to play their upcoming opponents, Bangladesh, on Wednesday at the picturesque Adelaide Oval.
Rahul has had a lacklustre tournament, recording scores of 4, 9, and 9.
The manner of his dismissals has led former India captain Sunil Gavaskar to raise concerns about his footwork and state of mind. He has been extremely hesitant in the middle.
Will India stick with their opener or will they consider trying someone else at the top of the order, like Rishabh Pant?
Will Dinesh Karthik still be the go-to finisher despite his two failures to Pakistan and South Africa?
Karthik was not selected for the team on Monday for the three T20 International matches against New Zealand that were to take place right after the T20 World Cup, but chief selector Chetan Sharma declined to comment on the team management’s decisions in Australia, saying that choosing the starting lineup was their prerogative.
KL Rahul has previously received support from the team management. There is a case for him to spend some time in the middle and try to rediscover his rhythm before the semi-finals, especially since India’s two remaining group games will be played against smaller opponents in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
The 37-year-old Karthik was chosen by the India team management and the senior selection committee specifically for the finisher’s role, a new role that the team had not previously designated.
They referred to it as the expert of death-over batting. Prior to the World Cup, Karthik’s actions, including those in the Indian Premier League, mostly sounded right.
Similar to Rahul, Karthik may stand a better chance of scoring runs against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to bolster his self-confidence.
In the lead-up to this World Cup, the team management made significant investments in Karthik, so it will be interesting to see how much breathing room they give him as the tournament’s final stretch draws near.
During a nets session recently, Pant expressed his desperation to play. Former India opener Virender Sehwag wants Pant to play because Karthik has performed better in subcontinental conditions, while Pant has performed well in Australia in the past.
The team management has already tried Pant as an opener before and it shouldn’t be a surprise if he is asked to face the new ball again.
So many dilemmas but only a few starting spots to temper with.
