World Cup 2019: 3 areas of concern for India after their first loss

Amidst a wave of expectations, the two cricketing giants, India and England faced each other at Birmingham for their World Cup 2019 encounter. The face-off was a spectacle as it had every element of a quality cricket match.

The England side batted first, and they tore through the Indian bowlers to set a mammoth total of 337/7. The Men in Blue chased it enthusiastically, but their run chase slacked off in the final few overs as they fell short and finished with 306/5.

This is the first defeat for team India in the 2019 World Cup. The Men in Blue, prior to this game dominated this World Cup with victories in five out of six matches. The only match which they didn’t win was a washed out encounter against New Zealand owing to incessant rain.

Then there is the English side which did not win two matches before their clash against India. England certainly posed a stiff challenge to the Indian side and on the back of a defeat, the Virat Kohli-led side will be looking to address some issues prior to the knockout stages.

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#3 A surprise twist for the bowling department

Chahal was expensive against England

England scoring a 300+ total isn’t unpredictable because of its strong lineup. A scenario of such predictably should have played to the advantage of the Indian bowlers. The sturdy bowling attack giving away plenty of runs, however, showed their unpreparedness.

Sri Lanka grabbed a win against England because of good bowling. In India’s case, the same should have happened. The conditions were different and India would’ve pulled off the same feat their neighbors if the venue was Headingley.

However, a bowling lineup of the world’s best team like India not containing the opponents in challenging conditions highlights the potential weak spots for their rivals to notice. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav going for too many runs forewarn of a similar possibility in the knockout stages.

As the upcoming matches are very important for the Men in Blue, they have to consider improvising their tactical game. They have some of the best bowlers in international cricket but they have a concern now to use them with extreme cleverness in situations like this.

#2 Jitters within the team structure

Rishabh Pant's bat flying after a reckless shot

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli laid a good foundation with their 138-run partnership despite Rahul falling early in the chase. The experienced duo saved India from a very humiliating defeat so to speak.

The management trusted the three World Cup debutants KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya to handle precisely these situations while selecting them. The three have either seen or set high targets multiple times in the IPL games.

Rahul disappointed the most but Hardik and Rishabh got decent runs, however, it did not suffice as India did not get across the line in the line. With Hardik Pandya getting a decent start, the all-rounder should have well stayed till the end.

In a high-pressure World Cup tournament, jitters happen for the inexperienced players sometimes. However, in a quality side like India, it shouldn’t be the case for experienced campaigners.

These three are talented players and have the potential to steal the game away from their opponents. The concern for the management at this point of time would be to make them mentally and tactically prepared for similar scenarios in the upcoming games.

#1 Same tactic for all occasions?

MS Dhoni's tactic didn't work well against England

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the most experienced batsman in the Indian and his judgments have worked well on most occasions. Reading the bowlers and crafting the finish never comes easy like it does for MS Dhoni than for any other batsman.

Chasing a 300+ total against England, Dhoni should have ideally shown intent in the initial deliveries he faced. With his keen awareness and the strong bottom hand, Dhoni can switch gears whenever the need props up.

However, the legend worked out a poor strategy for the occasion. He was farming the strike when the need of the hour was to go big. It would’ve made sense even if MS Dhoni tried to attack and failed but his deliberate defense left everyone puzzled.

The former Indian captain is the best finisher in world cricket and is immune to criticisms and objections against him. One bad inning cannot take away his aura, but at this point of time in the World Cup, there would really be concerns about his reliability in similar situations.