5th ODI preview: India must win in Vizag because another series defeat will raise tough questions

There is not enough focus given on pre-series/match media conferences. Usually, these are considered a routine affair, wherein captains or players come in and spew out the usual chitchat. Look past the noise though, and sometimes you are able to find the basic pointer encapsulating the impending contest.

“When the regular players aren’t there, the others will get opportunities. This will be good to some extent to see our bench strength. Also, since we’re playing only eight matches before the Champions Trophy, whatever we have in our minds, we can do in these games and see where we’re going,” said skipper MS Dhoni, ahead of the first One-Day International in Dharamsala.

The shuffling hasn’t worked

In the four matches that followed, he has pretty much kept to his word. India have stuck to the same playing eleven (barring the odd change), but have tried various combinations. Hardik Pandya has opened the bowling, and batted at No. 7. Dhoni has batted at No. 5, and then at No. 4. Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav have been handed over the middle-order duties, with the latter’s bowling also tested as Suresh Raina went missing.

On paper, this looks good especially considering the skipper’s point of only an eight-match run before the Champions Trophy in England. In reality though, the scoreline of this series reads 2-2. It indicates that these changes have not really worked as much as the Indian team management would have liked them to. As such, it makes for an uncomfortable setting for the decider in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

India have not won an ODI series of note since November 2014. As skipper, Dhoni has not won an ODI series of note since October 2014. These two sentences, in singularity or summation, should be unacceptable as regard to the fortunes of Indian cricket. Furthermore, the chance that this poor run could continue a bit longer cannot be denied. What happens then to the rest afforded to frontline bowlers, and the run-in to the Champions Trophy?

Opportunities missed

Evidently, there is a lot more at stake in this series’ finale than just a mere trophy. A loss would put Dhoni’s future as ODI captain under serious question, and its implications are unfathomable. From his utility as keeper-batsman to the time frame the new captain (Virat Kohli, if it so happens) would need to put his plans in place, to the potential threat to the team’s chances in Champions Trophy, and so on – India’s ODI plans as a whole will be rendered directionless.

To avoid this happenstance, in a way, the onus is on the batting line-up to come good. The bowling has an excuse – the front-liners are resting. And yet, this second-string attack has done the job on every occasion. New Zealand are yet to breach the 300-mark in this series. For batsmen bred on Indian Premier League pitches, targets of 191, 243, 286 and 261 should not have been a problem.

Yes, it can be argued that India should have been leading 4-0 by now. Instead, they stand on the cusp of another ODI series defeat. Two of their four run-chases have faltered, and the common factor in both cases – apart from Virat Kohli not crossing the 50-run mark – is the pitch. At both Delhi and Ranchi, New Zealand made clever use of the conditions on offer – slow-wicket and negligible dew – to strangle the Indian line-up with regular wickets.

“Obviously, the opportunity has been missed especially in the last game,” said Kedar Jadhav in Visakhapatnam. “But it’s still early stages for Manish (Pandey) and me. We need to grab whatever opportunity is thrown at us. We need to learn quickly from the opportunities we have missed. That’s what international cricket is all about –delivering when it matters most to the team.”

While it is true that the middle-order has not contributed as much, given the combined inexperience among Pandey, Jadhav and Pandya, it is not their job to share Kohli’s burden. It is a learning curve for them, and Team India might reap the benefits of this tough phase later. In the present scenario, the failures at the top-order have been more hurtful.

Ajinkya Rahane has scored 123 runs in four innings (average 30.75) – his claim of opening in January against England or in the Champions Trophy next summer is already in tatters. And yet his figures look good when compared to Rohit Sharma’s 53 runs in four innings (average 13.25). The two-time ODI double centurion has yet to cross the 20-run mark in this series.

A must-win

It does not help that Kohli has come to the crease at 49/1 in Dharamsala, 21/1 in Delhi, 13/1 in Mohali, and 19/1 in Ranchi. Clearly, New Zealand’s pacers have done a good job on the openers, accounting for both in all four matches – eight out of eight dismissals. The increased dependency on Kohli (and Dhoni whether he bats at No. 4 or 5) as a result of this newfound fallibility against pace queers the scenario for this last ODI.

Following his exploits at the World Twenty20 earlier this year, Kane Williamson has again shown great propensity to play horses for courses during this series. From resting his main bowlers in Dharamsala to playing three spinners in Ranchi, he has gone through all possibilities, barring a pace-heavy attack. It could yet happen on Saturday for the pitch at the YSR-ACA Stadium saw a three-day Ranji game between Rajasthan and Assam some two weeks ago.

It had raised doubts over this ODI, and there was even talk of shifting the game. But a batting pitch has been promised to allay the fears. However, no curator has the power to alter the course of a storm (Cyclone Kyant is in the vicinity).

Last year, perfect batting conditions cost India the series against South Africa. The furore in that defeat’s aftermath made headlines. Another ODI series loss – thanks to prevalent conditions – could create similar waves, albeit for different reasons this time around.