Adil Rashid and Indian team - (Source: AP and AFP)
Things are not going well in Indian cricket. The 2027 ODI World Cup is less than 18 months away, and the Men in Blue are on a losing streak. The Shubman Gill-led side suffered a 1-2 defeat against England and now faces a tough task to identify the perfect 15 for the marquee fifty-over event.
It was a frustrating ODI series for India against England because the Men in Blue were up 1-0 but lost two matches on the trot. Talking about the 3rd ODI, the Three Lions put 387 runs on the board, crushing the hopes of a series win.
However, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill took the matter into their own hands and stitched a 147-run stand for the opening wicket. It ignited the hopes among the Indian fans, as they were 260/1 at one point but still somehow lost.
Adil Rashid Shames India’s Middle-Order
India’s middle-order collapse is becoming a new normal, and in the latest events, England spinner Adil Rashid opened up on how they no longer fear India’s solid opening stands, which includes Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill's opening partnerships.
"The match never really slipped away from us while India's openers were batting. When you are chasing a target of 380 and don't have 180 runs on the board after 20 overs,we know that once a wicket falls, it becomes difficult for the incoming batsman to score quickly."
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The same thing happened in the 3rd ODI between India and England, where India, who were 260/1 at one point courtesy of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli's heroics, finished at 360/7 after 50 overs, losing 6 wickets for just 100 runs on the board.
What Is Wrong Within India's Middle-Order?
The entire UK tour exploited India's woes at the middle-order. The over dependency on all-rounders than specialists turned against India. Notably, the likes of Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Shivam Dube failed to impress with the bat and neither of the players rose to the occasion.
If we look at the stats, Axar Patel only amassed 79 runs in 8 innings against England across formats, averaging less than 10. Further, Shivam Dube amassed 85 runs in 6 innings, averaging 14.6.
Washington Sundar has not been good either as he scored 59 runs in 3 matches he played in England. India are missing Hardik Pandya in the middle-order, who took responsibility and made sure he stayed on the pitch till the run-chase.
On the other hand, if we look at the top-order, then Rohit Sharma slammed a century in the 3rd ODI, while Shubman Gill has two fifty-plus scores to his name.
India To Test Middle-Order Against Zimbabwe
Following the England tour, India have shifted their focus towards the Zimbabwe T20Is, where one of their agendas would be to play specialist batters in the middle-order than opting for all-rounders.
Rinku Singh is part of the T20I squad and it is a perfect opportunity for him to impress the selectors and then force his way into the ODI squad as well because of the lack of genuine batters in the lower middle-order.
Notably, the BCCI will also hold a review meeting soon where they will assess what went wrong for India during UK tour.
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