India’s All-Out Assault: The New T20 Blueprint
Anyone who watched the warm-up match between India and South Africa will know what I am talking about. From ball one, India were aggressive — an uninhibited, relentless assault that is now the defining feature of this T20 team. Bowlers like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, both world-class operators, seemed clueless in front of the Indian batters.
The key lies in the approach, and that’s where the team management must be given credit. It is not as if Abhishek Sharma hasn’t failed — he did twice in the five games against New Zealand — but that did not prompt a change in his approach. He has been given the licence to attack, come what may. A few failures here and there don’t matter, and he knows he has the full support of the management.
It is perhaps even more applicable in the case of Ishan Kishan. Anyone making a comeback is expected to be apprehensive. The spot is on the line, and you are talking about a World Cup after all. It would have been very understandable had Ishan played within himself and tried to seal the spot first. But he did nothing of the sort.
In the warm-up fixture against South Africa — the last ahead of the World Cup — Ishan was sent to open the batting ahead of Sanju Samson. In 20 balls, he sealed the deal before being retired. Six-hitting of a kind that almost seemed straight out of a highlights package, Ishan’s approach underlined the way India is approaching this T20 World Cup.
Attack, and more attack. So what if a wicket or two falls in the powerplay? Everyone who comes out follows the same template, and more often than not it comes off in good batting conditions. Tilak Verma, playing his second game since returning from a forced lay-off, followed the same template. The mantra has been passed on. The players know what they need to do and are executing a plan hatched in the changing room. With players of extraordinary ability in the team, the template is working.
Can India follow this through, or should they also have a Plan B? After all, the last World Cup final was won thanks to a very impressive anchor act by Virat Kohli. The truth is, the template for the format has changed over the last two years. Anchors aren’t part of the plan anymore. You don’t need a Kohli or a Shubman Gill to slow things down after losing two wickets. This is a high-risk, high-reward game, and so far, at least, it has worked for India. Whether they can see it through will determine if Suryakumar Yadav can lift the trophy on March 8.
It can also be said that there is a method to the madness — targeted assault to unsettle the bowlers from the start, get into their minds, and instil a sense of fear. It is indeed a well thought-out strategy, and the fans are having a blast.
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