Asia Cup 2018: Lessons for Team India from the tie against Afghanistan

The super four match between India and Afghanistan ended in a tie in the penultimate ball of the match. Hats off to Mohammad Shahzad who played the innings of his life. India would have definitely loved to enter the finals with a win against the ever-improving Afghanistan team but the tie was the best possible result for both the teams in the context of the closely fought game and going forward in the future.

For Afghanistan, it was a perfect result and as good as winning against India. They must be happy that they could close down in another close encounter without any heartbreak. It was a moral victory for Afghanistan. More than winning the match, they have won the hearts of millions of cricket fans all over the world with their performance in this edition of the Asia Cup. Now they can go home with their heads held high. This Afghan team resembles the Sri Lankan team of the early 80s.

For India, a defeat against minnows Afghanistan would have been humiliating and hard to swallow. It would have shattered their confidence ahead of the final. Going into the match with fringe players would not have been an excuse for losing to Afghanistan. It would have been a heartbreak for MS Dhoni, who was captaining the team for one last time, had India lost the match in his 200th match as captain of India.

On the other hand, the tied result is a bit of a wake-up call for India before the big finals. Had they won this match, it would have masked so many weaknesses of the team. The Indians can learn a thing or two from the tied result which would stand them in good stead in the finals.

Instead of voicing their opinion against some unlucky dismissals in their match against Afghanistan, the Indians should try to learn from their mistakes. They would be better off if they concentrate on what exactly went wrong against Afghanistan. This article is about the lessons the Indians should learn from their near defeat against Afghanistan.

#1 Never underestimate the opponents

It was an unbelievable inning from Mohammad Shahzad

The first and foremost lesson the Indians should learn is never underestimating the opponents. In limited overs cricket, one individual peice brilliance, like the one from Shahzad, could change the fortune of the weaker team quite dramatically. The Indians should acknowledge the fact that there are some match winners in the other team too who could take the game away from them in the blink of an eye.

We saw that happen in the Champions Trophy final when Fakhar Zaman played a blinder for Pakistan. In the match against Afghanistan, it was the turn of Mohammad Shahzad to go on the rampage at the most unexpected time. The Indians should expect such individual brilliance and should have a strategy in place to tackle such tough situations. They should not be caught unaware.

#2 To avoid chasing in the finals

Chasing will be a difficult proposition for India in the finals

The Afghan match has taught the Indians a hard lesson that the present middle order was simply incapable of finishing off matches, especially after the openers put on 110 runs. It is true that three of the middle order batsmen had unlucky dismissals. But that is part of the game and we never know when such human errors will crop up.

Judging by the mindset of the Indian middle order, the Indians would be doomed if they choose to chase in the finals. Should they win the toss, the Indians should look to put runs on the board. Moreover, the Dubai pitch has slowed down considerably and it is better to bat first in a pressure game like the final.

#3 When and when not to use the Review

The Indians should use the Review judiciously especially when batting

In the Afghan match, KL Rahul unwisely used up the review knowing fully well that he had very little chance of success after the on-field umpire’s call was out. The only thing that could have saved Rahul was an inside edge. He was reverse sweeping and the ball hit him on the back leg and he had no chance. By using up the only available review, Rahul denied Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik their legitimate rights. In the end, the Indians had only themselves, particularly Rahul, to blame for the unfortunate dismissals of a couple of batsmen.

In the final, the Indians should ensure that they use their limited review option judiciously especially while batting. The non-striker should be better positioned to assess the merits of the case. He should have the courage and conviction to say no when it looks more out than not.

#4 The specialist batsmen should aim to bat through the innings

In the match against Afghanistan, none of the middle order batsmen tried to bat through the innings. Only Dinesh Karthik tried to do that before he was done in. Finally, it was left to Jadeja and the inexperienced tail to scamper home. Such a situation in the finals could be suicidal.

In their crucial super four match against Afghanistan, Pakistan needed 18 runs in the last 2 overs with 2 wickets in hand. The same bowling combination of Rashid Khan and Aftab Alam were at work. Pakistan were able to finish off the match with 3 balls to spare. The reason being the presence of one of the experienced specialist batsmen in Shoaib Malik.

In the finals, one of the specialist batsmen should bat through the innings for India irrespective of whether they are batting first or second.

#5 To finish off the spells of the spinners when in rhythm

The spinners should be given extended spells when in rhythm

In the match against Afghanistan, Kuldeep Yadav was in a fine rhythm in his first 6 overs when he gave away just 8 runs and took the wickets of Shahidi and captain Asghar Afghan off successive deliveries. Even Mohammad Shahzad treated him with due respect. Kuldeep looked like taking a wicket off every delivery as none of the Afghanistan batsmen were able to read him properly. But for some strange reason, he was taken off the attack when in rhythm, which allowed the Afghanistan batsmen to settle down. Kuldeep was not the same bowler when he returned for his second spell when he gave away 30 runs in his last 4 overs without taking any wicket.

In the final, the Indians should continue bowling with a bowler who is in rhythm. The captain should not try to rotate such bowler or should not hold him back to bring him after the 40th over. The Indians have enough ammunition in their armory with 3 regular spinners and one part-time spinner in their line up. It is easier to rotate with so many options and to bowl out one bowler who is in rhythm. This strategy would lead to claiming more wickets in the initial stages of the innings and slowing down the opposition.

#6 Running between the wickets

Jadhav was one of the batsmen who was run-out

The running between the wickets has not been so good for the Indians in the entire tournament. Even in their two matches against Pakistan, the Indians were erratic in their running between the wickets. Thankfully for them, the Pakistanis missed a lot of direct hits which could have resulted in run- outs. But against a better fielding unit like Afghanistan, it was a different story as they lost three wickets through run -outs. The Indians should not repeat such mistakes in the finals.

Looking back, drawing level with Afghanistan is not at all a bad result for India. It is not the end of the world. On the other hand, it is a blessing in disguise and a wake-up call for the Indians ahead of the finals. Now it is up to them to learn from their mistakes and come back as a better team for the finals.