One of the more intriguing aspects of the ongoing One Day International series between India and South Africa has been the constant fiddling with the batting order by both teams during the four matches so far. In a series which has not thrown up any new batting faces, the tinkering has been all the more surprising.
South Africa had a different order for the same top-six batsmen in each of the first three ODIs, before JP Duminy’s injury forced a change in personnel ahead of the fourth game in Chennai. This has long been a feature of the Proteas’ game because of the flexible nature of their batsmen: Duminy, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis can all happily walk in whenever the team needs them. That said, it was a surprise when David Miller walked in to open in the third ODI at Rajkot. The rationale was that he was struggling against spin in the middle overs and needed runs under his belt.
India’s muddled middle-order
India do not have such flexible players, but have had a different batting order for the same top-six in each of the last three ODIs. Only between the first match in Kanpur and the second in Indore did the home side’s batting order remain unchanged – and there were middle-order failures in both matches that attracted much criticism.
Heading into the series decider in Mumbai on Sunday, though, India finally appear to have settled into a batting line-up that suits them the best. While De Villiers’ decisions are relatively free from scrutiny, India affords no such luxury to MS Dhoni. His every move or lack thereof is dissected and analysed.
At the centre of India’s batting order instability are two men. The first is the captain, who has been keen on moving himself up the order to “enjoy his cricket” away from the pressures of a finisher’s role. While this seems selfish on the surface, there is sound reasoning behind it. Dhoni knows he is no longer the big-hitter he was in his heyday and reckons he will be a bigger asset to the team at a higher batting position, where longer innings can be constructed at a slower pace.
The Rahane conundrum
The second is Ajinkya Rahane, one of the darlings of Indian cricket. He is too good to be left out of the starting eleven, yet considered too much of an opener to be played down the order. Rahane was dropped from the team on the Bangladesh tour because rotating strike – a prerequisite for middle order players – was one of his weaknesses and India had no place for him higher up the order.
The problem is the lack of alternatives. There is no player in the pipeline remotely as calm under pressure as Dhoni, even if he seems to be losing his touch. Rahane’s closest middle order rival, Ambati Rayudu, hasn’t taken his chances and has not earned his captain’s trust. Without Rahane, Dhoni admitted, the Indian batting line-up looks meek on paper, especially with a bowling all-rounder at five down.
A solution was needed and someone had to compromise. In the first two ODIs, that man was the previously untouchable Virat Kohli, who was bumped down to number four. This allowed Rahane to be slotted in at number three – the closest position to his comfort zone as an opener.
It was a huge risk that did not pay off. Kohli returned with scores of 11 and 12 at Kanpur and Indore. It raised serious questions about Dhoni’s captaincy and even – without much basis – his relationship with Kohli. It reaffirms the theory that for India, there is little room for experimentation. Each game is a high-stakes affair. Kohli was immediately moved back to his preferred spot and he scored 77 and 138 in the next two matches.
Obvious conclusion
In the third ODI, Dhoni promoted himself to number four while chasing 270 under lights at Rajkot. It seemed like a great decision when India’s two best finishers, Kohli and Dhoni, were cruising along towards a win. But when South Africa stifled the scoring rate and dismissed both batsmen in the space of four overs, India were left with no firepower down the order.
With less than seven overs to go and 64 runs to get, Rahane came in at No.6 – the same position he is deemed incapable of thriving in – and looked like a fish out of water. Before him, an out-of-form Raina had scored a second consecutive duck. It typified Dhoni’s problems: if he bats up the order, there is no comfort of another finisher lower down.
Thus, after a series of experiments, India went into the do-or-die Chennai game with a more tried-and-tested batting order. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli cemented the first three spots. Rahane slotted in at No 4, the highest available spot, and was part of a 104-run partnership with Kohli that rescued India. Raina finally played himself into form at No 5, while Dhoni came in at No 6 to finish the innings – the positions of these two are likely to remain interchangeable.
At the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, expect the Indian batting order to mirror the one at Chepauk. With the series on the line and momentum key ahead the four-Test series, the time for experiments is most certainly over.
South Africa had a different order for the same top-six batsmen in each of the first three ODIs, before JP Duminy’s injury forced a change in personnel ahead of the fourth game in Chennai. This has long been a feature of the Proteas’ game because of the flexible nature of their batsmen: Duminy, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis can all happily walk in whenever the team needs them. That said, it was a surprise when David Miller walked in to open in the third ODI at Rajkot. The rationale was that he was struggling against spin in the middle overs and needed runs under his belt.
India’s muddled middle-order
India do not have such flexible players, but have had a different batting order for the same top-six in each of the last three ODIs. Only between the first match in Kanpur and the second in Indore did the home side’s batting order remain unchanged – and there were middle-order failures in both matches that attracted much criticism.
Heading into the series decider in Mumbai on Sunday, though, India finally appear to have settled into a batting line-up that suits them the best. While De Villiers’ decisions are relatively free from scrutiny, India affords no such luxury to MS Dhoni. His every move or lack thereof is dissected and analysed.
At the centre of India’s batting order instability are two men. The first is the captain, who has been keen on moving himself up the order to “enjoy his cricket” away from the pressures of a finisher’s role. While this seems selfish on the surface, there is sound reasoning behind it. Dhoni knows he is no longer the big-hitter he was in his heyday and reckons he will be a bigger asset to the team at a higher batting position, where longer innings can be constructed at a slower pace.
The Rahane conundrum
The second is Ajinkya Rahane, one of the darlings of Indian cricket. He is too good to be left out of the starting eleven, yet considered too much of an opener to be played down the order. Rahane was dropped from the team on the Bangladesh tour because rotating strike – a prerequisite for middle order players – was one of his weaknesses and India had no place for him higher up the order.
The problem is the lack of alternatives. There is no player in the pipeline remotely as calm under pressure as Dhoni, even if he seems to be losing his touch. Rahane’s closest middle order rival, Ambati Rayudu, hasn’t taken his chances and has not earned his captain’s trust. Without Rahane, Dhoni admitted, the Indian batting line-up looks meek on paper, especially with a bowling all-rounder at five down.
A solution was needed and someone had to compromise. In the first two ODIs, that man was the previously untouchable Virat Kohli, who was bumped down to number four. This allowed Rahane to be slotted in at number three – the closest position to his comfort zone as an opener.
It was a huge risk that did not pay off. Kohli returned with scores of 11 and 12 at Kanpur and Indore. It raised serious questions about Dhoni’s captaincy and even – without much basis – his relationship with Kohli. It reaffirms the theory that for India, there is little room for experimentation. Each game is a high-stakes affair. Kohli was immediately moved back to his preferred spot and he scored 77 and 138 in the next two matches.
Obvious conclusion
In the third ODI, Dhoni promoted himself to number four while chasing 270 under lights at Rajkot. It seemed like a great decision when India’s two best finishers, Kohli and Dhoni, were cruising along towards a win. But when South Africa stifled the scoring rate and dismissed both batsmen in the space of four overs, India were left with no firepower down the order.
With less than seven overs to go and 64 runs to get, Rahane came in at No.6 – the same position he is deemed incapable of thriving in – and looked like a fish out of water. Before him, an out-of-form Raina had scored a second consecutive duck. It typified Dhoni’s problems: if he bats up the order, there is no comfort of another finisher lower down.
Thus, after a series of experiments, India went into the do-or-die Chennai game with a more tried-and-tested batting order. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli cemented the first three spots. Rahane slotted in at No 4, the highest available spot, and was part of a 104-run partnership with Kohli that rescued India. Raina finally played himself into form at No 5, while Dhoni came in at No 6 to finish the innings – the positions of these two are likely to remain interchangeable.
At the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, expect the Indian batting order to mirror the one at Chepauk. With the series on the line and momentum key ahead the four-Test series, the time for experiments is most certainly over.
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