Asia Cup 2018: The vulnerable Indian middle order going into the finals

India are sitting pretty in the 14th edition of Asia Cup having reached the finals without much fuss. India crushed Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and Pakistan on their way to the finals. Afghanistan are next in line.

The integrated efforts of the Indian bowlers and opening batsmen have resulted in easy wins against all these opponents. The one downside to all those facile victories has been the lack of exposure to the Indian middle-order going into the finals.

This article is about the possible ill-effects of lack of match exposure to the Indian middle- order leading up to the finals.

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The tireless efforts of the Indian bowlers

Bumrah and Bhuvi - Effective with both new and old ball

Barring the first match against Hong Kong, the Indian bowlers were spot on in dismissing the opponents for modest scores. In the group match, Pakistan were bundled out for 162 runs. Bangladesh fared a little better in the Super Four match having reached 173 runs on a good batting pitch.

The Indian bowlers were relentless and were always looking for wickets. Bumrah has been among the top wicket-takers in the tournament for India with 7 wickets from 3 matches, closely followed by his fast bowling partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 6 wickets.

The wrist-spin duo of Chahal and Kuldeep have taken 5 wickets apiece. Jadeja, on his comeback match against Bangladesh, took 4 wickets. Kedar Jadhav, with 3 wickets, was instrumental in knocking off Pakistan for 162 runs in the group match.

Even the newcomer Khaleel Ahmed has made his presence felt by claiming 2 wickets in his debut match against Hong Kong.

Because of the combined efforts of the Indian bowlers, the batsmen were required to chase down modest targets which didn’t really stretch them.

The terrific form of the Indian openers

Rohit Sharma and Dhawan in the form of their life

Both the Indian openers- Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been in terrific form all through this Asia Cup. The fact that they were chasing small targets to achieve victory, made their job that much easier without bothering about the required run rate.

Dhawan is the leading run scorer for India in this Asia Cup having scored 327 runs off 321 balls at a strike rate of 102 and an average 80. He has scored 2 centuries in the series.

Rohit Sharma is not far behind. He has scored 269 runs off 289 balls at a strike rate of 95 and an amazing average of 134. He has scored one hundred and remained not out on two occasions.

The tale of the Indian middle- order

Dhoni has not batted much in the tournament

The amazing form of the Indian bowlers and the opening batsmen has left the Indian middle order with literally nothing to contribute. In the limited time that they have spent in the middle, Ambati Rayudu has contributed 116 runs and remained not out twice. Dinesh Karthik has scored just 65 runs in 3 innings and remained not out twice. The Indian batting hasn't been stretched further beyond Dinesh Karthik.

Ambati Rayadu and Dinesh Karthik must be thanking their stars for getting a few opportunities to bat. Had Kohli been present at No. 3, India would not have lost more than a wicket in chasing down these average targets.

The other middle order batsmen like Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav haven’t got enough opportunities to exhibit their form or the lack of it. So is the case with late order batsmen Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

On the one hand, the Indians must be happy to win all their matches in a thumping manner with a huge contribution from their bowlers and the opening batsmen. However, the scenario has left the Indian middle order with inadequate match practice going into the finals.

The Law of Averages is definitely going to catch up with the Indian openers at some stage of the tournament. The Indian middle order must be praying that it doesn’t happen in the all-important finals.

Imagine a situation in the finals where the Indians have to chase down a huge target and the openers fail for the first time in the tournament. Or, while batting first in the finals, they are reduced to 20-2. The team management, in the absence of Virat Kohli, is not certain about the current form of the other Indian middle-order batsmen to pull India out of such difficult positions.

Dhoni has been struggling for form of late and Kedar Jadhav has come back after a long injury lay-off. Along with it, both Ambati Rayadu and Ravindra Jadeja have come back into the Indian team after a long gap. The only saving grace for India in the middle-order is Dinesh Karthik who has shown some decent form with the bat in the recent past. It remains to be seen whether Karthik can play long innings in a pressure game like the finals, if required.

On the positive side, all these middle-order batsmen led by MS Dhoni are fairly experienced in handling the pressure situations, if it comes to that. All they have to do in such a situation is to be patient and spend some time at the wicket to get back into rhythm. They would be better off if they are accompanied by one of the in-form openers at the wicket. That would take off the pressure to score quickly.

The strategy for Rayadu and Dhoni would be to stick on to the wicket; so that the runs will flow in due course. Karthik and Kedar Jadhav should try to play their natural game and hit their way out of trouble.

The success of the Indian openers has exposed the middle order and made them vulnerable to the smallest of pressure. The Indian team must be hoping that the success story of their bowlers and the opening batsmen continue for one more time in the finals.

Even if either one of the two factors fails to get going in the finals, that will leave everything in the hands of the brittle Indian middle-order; all the more reason for the Indian bowlers and the opening batsmen to make one final thrust in the finals of the Asia Cup.