India may have wrapped up its T20 World Cup group stage with a 17-run victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday, but concerns linger despite the defending champion’s unbeaten record.
The unease stems from a recurring vulnerability against finger-spin, an issue that surfaced even against comparatively modest opposition. In Delhi, Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus exploited the conditions with his left-arm spin, returning figures of 4 for 20 to restrict India’s scoring. In Ahmedabad, Aryan Dutt’s off-spin struck early, dismissing aggressive openers Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan inside the PowerPlay.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged that the team’s struggles against finger-spin require urgent attention.
“It is something we will have to focus on, looking at the amount of finger-spin we will face in the next three games. It will be important that we dominate that phase of the game,” he said.
The challenge is unlikely to ease in the Super Eights. India is set to encounter a strong lineup of spinners, including Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Sikandar Raza, Akeal Hosein and Roston Chase — all capable of exploiting any hesitation against spin-friendly surfaces.
The numbers underline the concern. Of the 31 wickets India has lost in the tournament so far, 15 have fallen to finger-spinners. The team has the second-lowest cumulative average (16.4) against them and the lowest run rate — 7.23 — among Test-playing nations in the competition.
Ten Doeschate attributed part of the problem to a lack of recent exposure to challenging pitches.
“The wickets we played bilateral series on, over the last 18 months, have been really good. As soon as you come to a wicket that does offer a bit of hold, it becomes a bit of a challenge. It might look like it is a short-term challenge, but on better wickets, you will see that you can hit through the line with more confidence. The point is, we need to have plans when the wickets do hold, and when the boundaries are bigger. We need to have a game plan to deal with that threat.”
India opens its Super Eight campaign against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Sunday, followed by fixtures against Zimbabwe in Chennai on February 26 and West Indies in Kolkata on March 1. How effectively the Men in Blue counter spin could shape the direction of their title defence.
