India T20 Batting Sets New Standards for the T20-batting format in India. Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bowled New Zealand for 7.1 overs in Wellington, scoring 133 runs in that time and leaving their teammates in awe. The impressive first half ensured India set up new scoring records and make their game of T20 more challenging for the opposition to play.
India’s first two elevated the challenge to good start on the third T20I on October 27 itself. Sooryavanshi and Abhishek created a marvellous attack that got the team’s fastest 50 and second-fastest 100 in T20 Internationals. Their tandem proved to be hugely explosive making this competitive game of cricket look like an altogether different kind of game.
Abhishek then continued his fine work following Sooryavanshi when he was removed. He said that he was going to try and break his own world record for the fastest century for a batter from a full member state which he had previously achieved in a cricket match played in 30 balls. Again, marked the boundary with his 100-run achievement in 35 balls with yet another great performance.
Indian hitting captain Shreyas Iyer found it tough to comprehend what he saw as India was hit so hard. When the ball was still moving off the pitch, Iyer and Sanju Samson appeared on the pitch. But Abhishek and Sooryavanshi had struck fear in the hearts of opponents in their assault and the conditions seemed almost a piece of cake.
This was something that Iyer illustrated in a perfect way – the way India plays today, compared to the more traditional way of playing cricket. It had been the bowlers who had got the movement but still managed to have a huge say in most of the elements of the short spell in action.
The crux of India’s success is not only the ability to play for returning balls but to play against the bowler. They are pushing bowlers to alter their plans, putting pressure on the fielding side as soon as they have got a rhythm going.
Bowlers traditionally attempt to dictate a game with the type of control they have over their line, length and variations. Those bowlers target the batters and try to find the runners-up the pitch. Now, however, India’s most dynamic T20 side is putting the onus back on the opponent bowlers, attacking them right from the off.
Abhishek and Sooryavanshi had played this flawlessly at Wellington. Acceptable deliveries of length were penalized for boundaries, even if that’s the norm. The bowlers started making alterations and the batters had more causes to attack.
This form of cricket, however, is only possible when skills are brilliant. It’s not merely a physical game of breaking fastballs, it’s a mental game too. Requires timing, fitness, self-confidence, and practice! Players also need to be aware that sometimes an aggressive play will get them dismissed.
But India are willing to take that chance as the rewards can be massive. They are not lacking of batting strength, either, with several players that can stir up a storm in the depths as well.
In the last year or so, not only in the T20 domain, the depth of the Indian batting line-up has come to the fore. Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have done their share of damage early in the day before bowling at the start and bringing the heat later in the innings before evening playing and Abhishek has been a major thorn in the side of the format with his sheer ferocity.
Alternatively, Sooryavanshi is a high example to choose! The 18-year-old who has enjoyed a fine international debut has shown that he is capable of holding his own with international bowlers without being overwhelmed by the occasion. He $\times$ Abhishek couldn’t have developed such a dangerous partnership had they not joined forces in Wellington.
In the meantime, the middle order is gaining valuable experience as well. When a first-bow partnership is unsuccessful, there are chances for players like Tilak Varma to convert matches for their side. It is a balance that is important because even a very powerful side cannot hope to exert their dominance in each game.
New Zealand are a team who have to deal with the Indian team time and time again this year. The pair have played a total of nine T20 internationals, with New Zealand dominating the series with a single victory, including the first half of the T20 World Cup. India have been fast and have scored big sums with plenty of space left for no mistake for opposition bowlers.
However, New Zealand are a solid side as they qualified for the T20 World Cup final but failed to match India’s scoring style with plenty of power. It’s not just a matter of individual talent. With a larger group of players playing in T20 cricket format, the chances of them producing a match-wornind performance and giving India options are greater.
But there is a danger that an overlap of foolproof performances might start to be expected as the norm. Records, when they show extraordinary charges every few days, are so ready any time someone needs to be shocked that they aren’t. Abhishek’s off the pace centuries or Samson’s brilliant shows coupled with Kishan’s all-conquering capability can be a highlight reel in itself.
That doesn’t detract from its achievements, though. So to get behind every bomb charge; they look back years of practice, in the gyms and the courage not to quit if they fail just one ball.
The evolution of T20 cricket over the past 20 years has been remarkable. Teams have now learned to train for the format and assembled special batting line ups and strategies that go against the grain of the conventional safety vs. reward analysis. India have taken advantage of that transformation, having constructed an eleven in which each player grasps how to capitalise on opportunities to get the big runs.
Last, but not least, the Wellington run was more than one record-breaking pair. It not only demonstrated the improvement of Indian T20 batsman but also the rapid improvement of the standard of Indian cricket.
It is the challenge for India now to be able to compete with the aggression but find a way to perform on various pitches, opponents and match scenarios. It’s even tougher for opponents, as a batting line-up like this threatens to change a match’s course before the playdown.
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