The rise and rise of Indian Cricket in 2019

T20 Internationals

Played – 16, Won – 9, Lost – 7, Win percentage – 56

Series won – 3, Lost – 2, Drawn - 1

By comparison, India had an average year in T20Is. During the year, India lost two consecutive series against New Zealand and Australia while they managed to draw level in the series against South Africa at home. India also had the ignominy of losing to Bangladesh for the first time in a T20I. At times, one gets the feeling that India’s mediocre performances in T20Is were masked by their superlative performances in Test matches that followed the T20 series.

The sloppy ground fielding, frequent shelling of catches, Rishabh Pant’s untidy work behind the wickets, poor reading of DRS junctures, uncertainty over MS Dhoni’s future and the lack of penetration in bowling on batsman-friendly wickets continue to haunt Team India’s progress in white-ball cricket, more so in T20Is. Going forward, one gets the feeling that India would certainly miss Dhoni more behind the wickets than in front of it.

Despite the downsides, there were some positives for India in T20Is.

Positives for India in T20 Internationals

#1 Shivam Dube as the new option as an all-rounder

Shubam Dube - The new all-rounder

Shivam Dube made his debut for India in the series against Bangladesh. Though he didn’t get much opportunity to impress with the bat, he came good with the ball in the series-decider at Nagpur when he took 3 wickets in the middle which derailed Bangladesh’s chase.

Dube showed his skills with the bat against West Indies when he scored 54 off 30 balls at Thiruvananthapuram. Promoted to bat at Number 3 position, Dube showed his power-hitting clobbering 3 fours and 4 sixes.

Though these are still early days, Dube could be the batting all-rounder that India is looking for who could also do a bit of seam bowling.

# 2. Deepak Chahar’s progression as an effective swing bowler

Deepa Chahar created a bowling record in T20I

Deepak Chahar had a dream year. He registered the best T20I bowling figures when he took 6 for 7 in 3.2 overs including a hat-trick against Bangladesh, the first by an Indian bowler in T20I.

This season Chahar has been used both upfront and at the death where he proved to be more effective. He finished the year with 16 wickets in 32 overs at an economy of 6.53 per over. Chahar’s progression as an effective swing bowler presents India with another reliable bowling option.

#3 The evolution of youngsters

Washington Sundar - The power play specialist

The performances of youngsters like Navdeep Saini, Shivam Dube, and Washington Sundar augurs well for India going into the T20I World Cup. While Saini impressed one and all with his extreme pace, Sundar was accurate in power play overs.

With other youngsters like Sanju Samson, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, and Shubhman Gill waiting in the wings, the Indian cricket and the Indian fans are in for some exciting times.