Of wisecracks, turning tracks and gambles: India's World T20 journey

Blame Game – Rahane, toss, no-balls and dew

Singling out Ajinkya Rahane for “slow scoring” is substandard thinking

Directly after the semi final loss to the Calypso kings, social media was awash with posts and feeds initiating the blame game and recounting “what-went-wrong” scenarios.

One of the players targeted was Ajinkya Rahane. Brought in to the side in place of the struggling Shikhar Dhawan, the Mumbai batsman scored 40 runs off 35 balls, putting on a brisk partnership with Kohli for the second wicket. Yet, a section of the viewers pinned the blame of the defeat on his slow run making.

Such a reaction evokes nothing but pity for the narrow-minded, short-sighted explanation of this loss. Rahane did what was asked of him. He lent a solidity to the opening partnership that was missing in the first four games. He ran hard and got the boundaries when needed. And yet he is responsible for the eventual debacle? No. Not at all.

India lost the toss and were put into bat first. A score of 192, by Twenty20 standards, is a fairly decent total. Sure, about eight to ten runs more would have helped a bit, but you have to understand that Dwayne Bravo bowled beautifully towards the end of India’s innings.

So how is that Dhoni’s fault, exactly – losing the toss? It's a probability game, and Darren Sammy won it. Done. Move on. India did that, and were treated to a Kohli special. A few extra runs were needed, yes, but there is only so much a batsman can do.

The dew factor did have a role to play, with the bowlers finding it difficult to grip the ball. But it doesn't mean that there is no counter to it, as former India opener Aakash Chopra pointed out five years ago.

It all comes down to the final reason: the no-balls that saved Simmons, and compounded India's woes. If Ashwin was the guilty party in the first instance, Pandya’s error proved to be costlier than his. Overstepping happens by accident, not by design, yet it is a cardinal sin in an already-shortened game.

Right up until the very end, India were playing catch-up. A semi-final finish is creditable, but there is plenty left to do.