T20 World Cup 2022: 3 things that India should do after the World Cup exit

The game on Thursday, where India suffered a massive defeat at the hands of England, has not only left them shocked, but also exposed the vulnerabilities that the team possesses. The Men in Blue will now be traveling to New Zealand to play a three-match series across the T20I and ODI formats starting 18 November 2022.

With notable names like their regular skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul rested for the New Zealand assignment, a lot will be at stake for the team management to set the roadmap right for the next T20 World cup to be played in West Indies and USA in 2024.

Now, people might be of the opinion that it's too early to think about the next T20 World Cup. But we have already seen the impact of doing the trials and testing late until the Asia Cup T20 ahead of the World Cup. On that note, we bring you the three things that our team should do in their upcoming series in order to set the plans right for the future.

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#3 India should adapt an aggressive approach in the powerplay

Indian openers adapted a conservative approach

The major difference between the teams in the second semi-final game was the way their openers approached the game from the start. England's batters went after the Indian bowlers and put a dent in their opposition's hopes of winning the game. The Indian openers took a conservative approach at the top, leaving a lot to compensate for at the death.

Ever since the fiery Virender Sehwag broke into the scene, India have always had at least one opener, taking the attack to the bowlers at the top, setting the right tone for the innings. This seems to be lacking in the current Indian setup. KL Rahul was unable to play an attacking innings and in fact ended up consuming a lot of deliveries, leaving Rohit Sharma to fancy his shots at the other end leading to his dismissal.

Now that both these players are rested, India should take this chance to test different opening combinations between Ishan Kishan, Shubnam Gill and even Rishabh Pant. This should continue even in other series in the future, allowing one of these three to take on the regular opener role alongside regular skipper Rohit Sharma if and when he is back in the squad.

Unless we have an aggressive player open the innings, we will definitely not see an improvement in India's performance in the powerplay, which is largely affecting the result in the modern day of cricket.

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#2 Grooming medium pace bowling all-rounders

Shardul Thakur could have been a handy option in such conditions

Many might disagree with this point that players like Shardul Thakur could have brought stability to the playing XI. But, let me explain. While team analysis was made between the sides that took to the field on Thursday, most people pointed out the fact that England bat very deeply, unlike India. This has now become a necessity in T20I as of late.

Shardul Thakur had a habit of bowling slower deliveries and picking up some crucial wickets in the middle overs. He was also handy with the bat down the order when the need arose. With him already gaining some much-needed experience down under, it was quite surprising to see him part of the reserve group and not the 15-member squad.

Playing two or more spinners could be a need for the hour in Asian conditions, but the same cannot be the case when we play out of it. While even teams like the Netherlands had Bas de Leede to bowl some medium pace in the middle, India did not have the option to turn up.

With many medium-pace bowlers performing well in the Caribbean Premier League, it is high time for the Men in Blue to start looking for options on that front and nurture them at the international level before the World Cup in 2024. We already have a few talents like Venkatesh Iyer, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube and others waiting for their opportunities to shine at the top level.

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#1 Giving extended run for new players

Umran Malik is not the only one to get a shorter stint

We understand that in a country like India, where there are many players eagerly waiting for an opportunity to don the Indian jersey, it is really hard to give extended runs to players at the top level. However, this does not take away the fact that a player will need enough time to prove his real potential. This was the case with any player from the past who attained legendary status later in their careers.

It took 5 ODI matches for legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni to prove his mettle with the bat after a string of poor performances. In the recent past, we have seen many players being tried at the international level with minimal chances to showcase their talent. Umran Malik is the latest addition to the list. After performing well in both domestic and IPL tournaments, Malik found his way into the Indian setup only to be dropped after 3 T20I games.

Unlike Umran Malik, there were also players like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan who have been dropped or ignored after putting in some decent performances in the limited opportunities they got. These players should be given enough time to settle if the management is already looking beyond a few players in the current setup.