By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Defending champion India is looking forward to retain the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad on March 8. But there’s many a slip between the cup and the lip.
Players like Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and last but not least Captain Suryakumar Yadav himself are not playing well at least in the last few matches.
In the semifinal match against England on Thursday in Mumbai, everything went in India’s way except the expensive bowling spell of Varun and Arshdeep. Both the bowlers were repeatedly hammered for fours and sixes by English batters with Jacob Bethell leading the charge.
Bethell thrashed the two bowlers so hard that at one point of time it appeared that England might chase the colossal Indian target of 254 runs. Despite taking one wicket each, both Chakaravarthy and Singh suddenly lost their touch with the bowl especially against Bethell.
In the end, England were unlucky as India scraped through to enter the Final.
But against the resurgent New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad, India will face a tough task as far as these two bowlers are concerned. There is hardly any time left for the replacements of the two bowlers who were till now being considered as big strengths of the Indian bowling lineup.
The T20 World Cup semifinal in Mumbai was expected to be a showcase of India’s bowling strength, yet the match highlighted significant shortcomings, particularly in the performances of Chakaravarthy and Arshdeep.
Varun Chakaravarthy, known for his mystery spin and ability to deceive batters with subtle variations, failed to make the desired impact despite taking 13 wickets in this tournament. On the Eden Gardens pitch that offered little turn, he struggled with accuracy and rhythm. Commenting on the semifinal match, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar also criticised the two bowlers for the poor spell.
But on the same ground last year in January, Chakaravarthy had bowled brilliantly taking 3/23 against England in the first of the T20 match series.
Arshdeep Singh, typically reliable at the start and death overs, also had an uncharacteristically poor outing. His inability to control swing or hit consistent yorkers proved costly. England capitalized on his short and wide deliveries, punishing anything off‑target. The pressure of the moment seemed to affect his composure, leading to a decline in both pace and precision. At a time when India needed breakthroughs to break England’s momentum, Arshdeep struggled to provide them, allowing partnerships to flourish unchecked.
Prof Karunakar Jha, who is an expert on cricket, said Indian bowlers need serious thinking for the Final against Kiwis. Finn Allen had already scored a century in 33 balls against South Africa.
Abhishek Sharma’s poor form is also a big concern. One can’t expect Sanju Samson to score in every match since he has already led from the front to play all important role in India’s victories in the two previous matches against West Indies (97 n.o) and England (89).
Captain Yadav is also plagued with poor form. He is yet to show that he too can hit big scores in important matches.
Save Yadav and Sharma, most of the Indian batters are in top form. India’s middle order is also very strong. Jasprit Bumrah is capable of destroying the opponents. And who knows whether Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep may bounce back in the final. Afterall, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. So all the best for Team India.