Mohender Amarnath

India’s loss to West Indies in the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup is not only disappointing, but also quite worrying. It is now very important for the ‘Men-in-Blue’ to pull up their socks and win the rest of the two matches to keep their hopes afloat.

However, there is no point in thinking of the past and losing your morale. It is essential to learn from previous mistakes and to work to improve them.

Sunday’s match against England is something which India cannot afford to lose. The team needs to put in a lot of thought into what kind of side it wants. It is necessary that they study the pitch carefully and select the squad accordingly.

I think it is time that RP Singh is brought back into the playing XI and his skills should be utilised to the fullest. Ishant Sharma too can prove to be an asset provided he works on his length. He has a good length as far as Test Cricket is concerned. However, some variation is needed for the T20 format.

A major problem with the current team is their fielding. Fielders in the deep need to work hard. There are only 2-3 good fielders in the team. The rest need to practice hard as the need of the hour is athletic fielding; the team needs fielders who can stop the ball well and jump and throw the balls swiftly.

My suggestion to the batsmen is that they should stop playing the role of trying to be the anchor. One must not play to cement their position in the game. T20 cricket is fast moving and that is what is required of the batsmen too; come to crease, hit big runs, add as much as you can to the team’s score and then depart. If you are not able to play, make way for the next batsman.

One issue that is bothering me is the behaviour of Indian players after the loss. Primarily the problem was that the team did not hit the ground to practice. Secondly, a certain team member got furious when questioned about their loss to West Indies.

One must know how to tackle both, success and failure, gracefully. If people will praise you for success, they will also criticise you for your failure. Being a sportsman, one must have the grace to handle both the situations.