Champions Trophy 2017: Is India on the right path to defend the coveted title?

The Special General Meeting on Sunday has finally cleared the air on the BCCI’s stance by giving a go ahead to the Men in Blue to participate in the eight-nation Champions Trophy. It is great news for millions of fans in India and abroad who cherish the very sight of some quality cricket being played by their cricketing stars. India’s participation will not only cater to the yearning of the fans but also make the competition much more competitive.

India at present would be high on confidence courtesy their comprehensive wins against New Zealand and Australia at home. For them, going into a multi-nation tournament and that too with the extra burden of being the defending champions would require a herculean effort from the team to turn the tide in their favour.

Now that the 15 member squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy is announced, let us analyse India’s build up to this multi-nation tournament and the recent performances of the selected lot.

No overseas tour

The Indians have not travelled for any away series since August last year when they toured the West Indies. Instead, they have had an extensive home season where they have been on a roll. Winning every series at home would have certainly filled the Indians with immense confidence.

However, at the same time, they have not been exposed to the challenging overseas conditions which might have been a great learning curve for the young Indian squad. At most instances, such challenging tours surface some harsh realities which might not get highlighted in conducive home conditions.

The Champions Trophy will be played in England where the pitches are more conducive to swing bowling – something quite different from the conditions in India. Coincidentally, the last time Indians travelled to England was way back in 2014. The BCCI might have missed a trick here by not having any overseas tours in the build up to their next big assignment.

The Indian Premier League

The IPL hasn’t panned out as many Indian players would have expected

The brainchild of the BCCI has turned into one of the most lucrative and glamorous tournaments around the world. Consequently, the travel and the pressure to perform consistently is bound to take a toll on players both physically and psychologically. With the extended home season culminating with the series against the mighty Australians, the Indian players would have ideally opted for rest before the start of the Champions trophy but there was the IPL lined up without providing adequate resting time for the players.

And one might think the workload on them is finally beginning to show. While there are players who have made the most out of the opportunity in the IPL, there are still some for whom the campaign hasn't panned out as they would have ideally expected.

The mainstays of Indian cricket team in the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja had a good home season and were high on confidence but lately, in the IPL, their fortunes have not been as bright. Kohli himself has scored a mere 245 runs from his eight outings at the time of writing – a stark contrast to his last year’s record tally of 973 runs in the same tournament.

Meanwhile, Kedar Jadhav, after having an impressive ODI series against the touring English side, also has had a below average IPL stint as well. Jadhav has averaged a mere 23.18 with the bat in as many as 12 games.

Additionally, players like Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami who were coming fresh from injury into the IPL haven’t had the best of comebacks so far. Sharma, who struggled mightily, to begin with, sees his average at just 27.77 with the bat from his 12 outings while Shami has taken just two wickets from his five outings so far.

Lack of One Day Cricket Practice

England have been quite proactive in their preparation for the Champions Trophy

The top teams around the globe have engaged in bilateral series and touring extensively in the build-up to the Champions Trophy. There has been a lot of competitive one-day cricket being played in 2017. The England and South African teams will have played as many as 11 and 13 one-day matches respectively before the start of the multi-nation tournament.

The New Zealand team also isn’t taking things lightly. They have already played eight ODIs in 2017 and are left with four more matches before the commencement of the Champions Trophy in June. The mighty Australians have also played eight ODIs in this year.

On the contrary, the Indians have just played three ODIs in 2017 and are left with no more in their kitty before they set sail for the English shores. In the last one year, the Indians have just played 11 ODIs, out of which three were against a weak Zimbabwe team where India had sent its second string team.

Going by the numbers, it can be clearly noticed that Indian team is low on match practice as far as the one-day cricket is concerned. It doesn't paint a promising picture but all is not lost for them.

The bright side

Bhuvi is all set to lead the Indian pace attack in England

India’s spectacular performance in the last edition of the Champions Trophy in England is a testament to what the team is capable of pulling off. The Indians have never been a great touring team and not many were of the view that India could lift the coveted trophy before the start of the tournament in alien English conditions back in 2013. With a new and enigmatic captain at the helm in the form of Kohli, the Indians have the right man to infuse the faith and belief in the team to just do the trick for them.

India’s last limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has made the most of his time off from Test cricket by opting to play in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy this year. Yuvraj Singh, after having one of the dream comebacks to the national side against the touring English side hasn’t got complacent as well and trod a similar path as Dhoni’s by playing for Punjab in the 50-over domestic tournament. Both these veterans have found their touch with the bat and look promising to make a mark in the days coming ahead.

Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya have made the most of their IPL stint and look to be in touch with the willow. Dhawan, who was India’s highest run-getter of the last edition of the Champions Trophy is back amongst the runs in the current IPL season. The stylish southpaw has amassed 450 runs from his 12 outings at an impressive average of 40.90 runs per innings.

Pandya, on the other hand, has hit the ball clean and long and gathered some quick runs for his side at a daunting strike rate of 154.76. Such a successful campaign would have done a world of good to the confidence of these players going into the multi-nation tournament.

Another positive for the Indians is the return of their spin department spearhead, Ravichandran Ashwin, into the squad. Ashwin had played a crucial part in India’s successful campaign in the last edition of Champions trophy by taking eight wickets at an impressive average of 22.62. Since then he has transformed into a much more lethal and matured cricketer which augers well for the Indians.

Another young prospect, Manish Pandey has impressed one and all in his short limited-overs career. Pandey’s staggering average of 57.50 per innings in the ongoing IPL season makes things even better for the Indian team.

The fast bowling department, which has been their weak link in away tours looks settled with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav in prime form. Kumar is currently the leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets in the IPL season so far. Additionally, both Yadav and Bumrah have been impressive and have taken 13 and 14 wickets respectively (at the time of writing).

The final verdict

The Indian team, with the plethora of talented players it boasts of, has all the elements needed to defend the title. The true measure of a champion side is in its ability to win when the things are aligned against it.

The Indian cricket team finds itself in a similar territory going into the multi-nation tournament. Now the onus lies on the players to maintain a balance of their workload and shield themselves from the injuries in the remainder part of the highly demanding Indian Premier League.