Top order failure to death-bowling woes: Four issues for Team India ahead of T20 World Cup semi-final

India entered the T20 World Cup in Australia with a cloud of doom, despite being a winning machine on either side of a wobble in the Asia Cup 2022. Fewer gave India a chance to win the prized title since their bowling attack appeared to be weak without Jasprit Bumrah.

However, after two games, they have a commanding lead in Group 2 of the Super 12s points table after hammering the Netherlands at SCG and overcoming Pakistan in a nail-biter at MCG. 

With a game against South Africa, as well as matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, they are currently two victories away from claiming a semifinal berth from this group.

The victory over Pakistan considerably made it easier for India to go to the knockout rounds. However, it doesn't mean everything is perfect for them right now; a number of problems are being examined and might cause serious problems for the team when they ultimately play in that semifinal.

India will need to correct these issues throughout the course of the next three group stage games in order to avoid them hanging onto their advantages when the competition becomes tough.

Despite being at the top of the table and having a string of victories under their belts, they continue to worry about the following four issues.

KL Rahul's performance with the bat

KL Rahul is a strong player of pace and bounce, but in India's opening two games, he has been incredibly nervous and uneasy while facing the new ball. The right-hander went out for 9 off 12 against the Netherlands and was removed for 4 off 8 against Pakistan.

The issue with Rahul isn't so much the movement at the top as it is the self-imposed constraints that he continues to allow the bowler to put on him. This must alter with some positive intent against South Africa in Perth, maybe India's most difficult match of the tournament.

Rohit Sharma's shaky transition from batsman to top-order aggressive

It's good for skipper Rohit Sharma to be the face of India's aggressive mentality, which coach Rahul Dravid has instilled in the team since his arrival last year. Those who have been paying attention have seen that the method does not suit the player, who is in his late thirties.

Rohit has done his best to adjust to the job, with a SR of 143.18 during the Dravid era. However, his average for these 28 matches is a modest 29.07. The fear with him is that he is at a point in his career when he no longer has that split second extra up his sleeve to confront fast-bowling with the new ball, especially when he needs to risk his wicket.

READ| 'He won't be too happy with it': Rohit Sharma after breaking Yuvraj Singh's T20 World Cup sixes record

Despite an evident effort to hit big from the word go, it took him a while to break free versus the Netherlands. It was a half-century marked by what Rohit couldn't do, not by what he did. That, safe to say, is India's biggest worry approaching the back half of their campaign in Australia.

Axar Patel at No.6?

The presence of Axar Patel at No.6, who plays an important role with the bat as the side's leading spin allrounder, does not inspire much confidence in Australian conditions, where sharp bounce makes injured Ravindra Jadeja a major miss in this role.

India might stretch their batting by inserting Jadeja at No. 4 or 5 as a tactical plug. However, Axar's powerhitting game does not allow them that luxury.

Dravid placed Axar at No. 5 in the match against Pakistan to face their two spinners who turn the ball into the left-hander. A run-out derailed that plan, but Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav's brilliance guaranteed he didn't have to bat against the Netherlands.

Axar needs a knock as soon as possible. If at all possible, play against the South Africans. The last thing India wants is for the left-hander to enter into a knock-out in a crucial circumstance feeling unsure, with only a few significant hits under his belt.

Death-bowling woes

With Bumrah out and Harshal Patel not instilling much faith on natural surfaces in Australia, the death-bowling pressure falls on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammad Shami.

For the time being, the trio hasn't really been tested against set batsmen in the end-overs phase, which offers a problem moving into the South African game.

Arshdeep appears to rely too heavily on his yorker and may be one-dimensional at times. He has been dispatched in his last overs of the competition by tailenders Shaheen Afridi and Paul Van Meekeran, damaging his numbers after promising starts with the new ball.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the intelligence and range, but with his yorker accuracy on the decline, he may be predictable, with batters hanging back to measure his slower deliveries and line him up on flat batting fields.

The in-form players will have to hide these vulnerabilities since the Proteas won’t leave any stones unturned to reach the semi-final spot.

READ| 'India bhi wapas aayegi...': Shoaib Akhtar brutally trolled after rant on Pakistan's defeat goes viral