Brad Hogg tried to figure out why India decided to overhaul their whole batting lineup for the critical match against New Zealand. Ishan Kishan entrusted to open the innings alongside KL Rahul. After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were suddenly relegated from the batting order. The strategy backfired, as the top of the order crumbled under the skilled New Zealand bowlers.
Teams have about two years to assemble together a pool of players for the showcase tournament, according to Hogg. Hogg believes that once the squad selected with a specific starting eleven in mind, it should not be changed.
“When you look at the structure of your team for the T20 World Cup, you have got 2 years to prepare for it. You are going into it with a set of 15 players with a fixed playing XI and batting order in mind. So, you cannot change the playing XI that in mind prior to the tournament.” he said
“You can bring in a like-to-like player, but you absolutely cannot change the structure and dynamic midway through the tournament. It is not the skill level that cost India against NZ, it is the structural changes and the panic.” he added
Ishan Kishan
In the warm-up games, the experiment of starting with Ishan Kishan used. It was the first time. However, that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were relegated to the middle order.
A possible rationale for the alteration in the batting order. According to Hogg, was to have a more aggressive and impactful start. In order to get the teams a few additional runs. The dew has hampered India’s bowling unit, with only two wickets claimed in both matches.
Rather than batsmen risking their lives for a few additional runs, Hogg believes that bowlers should be better able to deliver in such conditions.
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