In the end, India’s failure to reach the finals of the Cricket World Cup may not have come as a surprise. In the very first knockout match India had to play in the tournament, its excessive reliance on two batsmen, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, stood exposed. When both fell cheaply to brilliant deliveries, the three other “specialist” batsmen failed to rise to the occasion with India tottering at 24/4 at one point. India was saved the blushes by a spirited fightback by Ravindra Jadeja and the ageing MS Dhoni but it was always an uphill struggle after the top six batsmen were back in the pavillion with just 92 on the scoreboard.
The pressure of the knockout phase, especially while chasing, requires batsmen with better temperament and KL Rahul squandered his chance to seal his place in the side. Rather than persist for the No 4 spot with Rishabh Pant, who is more of a wicketkeeper-batsman and can be handy lower down, India needs to find a quality batsman for this key position. The signs of Dhoni slowing down- and being unable to repeat his heroics as a finisher who can maintain a scorching strike-rate- was also evident in many matches.
India’s bowlers have been consistent throughout the tournament and will rue Wednesday’s defeat despite their success in restricting New Zealand to a score that shouldn’t really have challenged Indian batsmen. India won the 2011 World Cup on the strength of a phalanx of phenomenal batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni and Kohli. We need to find that batting depth again before the next World Cup in 2023.