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India's T20 WC Prep: Strong Form, But Death Bowling Worries Karthik

Dinesh Karthik believes the Indian cricket team is in a formidable position heading into the T20 World Cup, citing their remarkable record of 29 wins in 36 matches. He highlights their recent Asia Cup triumph and consistent performances as major assets. However, the former wicketkeeper-batter identifies death bowling as a significant area of concern for the defending champions. He attributes this challenge to the team's selection balance and the composition of their playing eleven in subcontinent conditions.

Key Points: Dinesh Karthik on India's T20 WC Form & Death Bowling Concern

  • Strong win record of 29/36
  • Death bowling a key concern
  • Asia Cup success highlighted
  • Team's stacked XI creates balance challenge
3 min read

They're in strong position, death bowling is a concern, says Dinesh Karthik on India's form ahead of T20 WC

Dinesh Karthik says India is in a strong position for the T20 World Cup but highlights death bowling as a key concern. Analysis inside.

"Death bowling is a concern. I think it's a challenge because of the way they stack up their eleven. - Dinesh Karthik"

New Delhi, Jan 18

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes that defending champions India are in a 'strong position' heading into the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7, but raised concerns over the team's bowling in the death overs, stating that the Men in Bl;ue 'stack up their XI.'

India have undergone a handful of changes between the two T20 World Cups, but the style of cricket displayed by Suryakumar Yadav & Co. remains a strong asset as they prepare to defend their title.

"The Indian team is in a very strong position at the moment. As we sit here, they've won 29 out of the 36 matches they've played in T20 cricket post the World Cup, which is a phenomenal record to have. In a very fickle format like T20, where upsets are the norm, this level of consistency is remarkable," Karthik shared his thoughts on Team India's form ahead of the ICC tournament while speaking on JioStar.

"Winning 29 out of the last 36 games they've played is, I feel, very hard to replicate. For starters, it tells you about the strength of the team. They've also played a very good Asia Cup in the recent past and went past Pakistan in the final, beating them three out of three times. If you look at the depth of this group, there's India, there's Pakistan, and then there are three associate nations who are still finding their feet at the international level."

"You would expect India or Pakistan to beat them, but the beauty of this format is that you can't walk into any game thinking it's going to be easy. You lose the toss, you're bowling, and suddenly you're thinking this could be challenging at the back end. You need to get an above-par score to give yourself a chance to defend under dew. So, I would say India are in a very good place," he added.

The Indian team will face New Zealand in five T20Is, and the series will serve as a preparatory one for both teams before they kick off their World Cup campaign. However, the cricketer-turned commentator believes that the hosts will face challenges with their bowling unit in the death overs and highlighted their 'stacked playing XI' as a reason.

"Death bowling is a concern. I think it's a challenge because of the way they stack up their eleven. When they've played in the subcontinent, they've gone with Bumrah, Hardik as the second pacer, and Shivam Dube as the third, while backing their spinners heavily. At times, when the game goes deep, especially when they're defending a total, the back end can become a challenge," he stated.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As a cricket fan living here, I agree the record is phenomenal. But T20 is so unpredictable. One bad day and you're out. Hope the team management is working on specific death bowling plans.
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Vikram M
Yaar, why do we always have this death bowling problem? It's been years. We find amazing batters but somehow our pace bowling depth never feels secure after Bumrah and Shami. Need to invest in young pacers who can bowl yorkers.
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Priya S
Respectfully, I think DK is being a bit too critical. 29 wins out of 36 is no joke! The team is in fantastic form. Let's support them instead of always finding faults. The boys will manage the death overs when it counts. Jai Hind!
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Rohit P
The real test will be the knockouts. We breeze through group stages and then sometimes falter under pressure. Hope the New Zealand series is used to test our bench strength in bowling, especially at the death.
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Michael C
Interesting analysis. The "stacked XI" point is key. Sometimes having too many all-rounders means no specialist death bowler. Might be worth playing a pure finisher with the bat less and getting a specialist bowler in.

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