India vs South Africa at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 was the seventh instance in T20Is when the Men in Blue decided to take the field without a left-hand batter in their top seven. The multi-purpose Optus Stadium dons a seaming pitch, meaning Axar Patel lost his spot to… Deepak Hooda?!
Rohit Sharma’s decision to bring in Hooda instead of Rishabh Pant took many by surprise. With KL Rahul struggling with the bat at the same time, the pundits even pondered on whether it was time that he was replaced. It is another matter that Rahul announced his return to form with a half-century against Bangladesh in Adelaide.
Dinesh Karthik is yet to shine with the bat. Though the veteran wicket-keeper limped off in the second innings against South Africa, he returned to the side against Bangladesh after being declared fit. Pant, on the other hand, is yet to play a full match.
Hailing the young wicket-keeper-batter, and calling him a potential match-winner after India’s loss to South Africa, Kris Srikkanth said, “Don't expect consistency from Pant. Even in 10 innings, if he can play three [good] knocks, he can win you three matches single-handedly.” Dale Steyn, who was alongside Srikkanth, agreed. “That's what he can do in a World Cup, last couple of games. Time to make a hero of himself…the resurgence of Rishabh Pant. May be this is the exact moment that he is waiting for,” Steyn said.
Former India captain and World Cup winner Kapil Dev echoed similar sentiments, saying, “I want to say that since we have Rishabh Pant, now is the time India need him. It felt as if Dinesh Karthik would get the job done, but factoring in the wicketkeeping as well, I feel that if India have that left-hander option in the team, this team would look complete.”
Gautam Gambhir, himself a left-hand batter, backed the inclusion of Pant in the playing XI. He said, “You don’t pick a batter to play just 10 balls. You pick a batter who can bat for long and Karthik has not been given that role or he has not shown the same intentions himself. He only comes to play three or four overs in the death. But what if India loses a couple of quick wickets? That is when you need Pant as you don’t want to expose Hardik so early”.
In the same match, South Africa fielded five individuals who bat left-handed, out of which one (David Miller) played a match-winning knock sending the Proteas to the top of the Super 12 table. The Indian bowlers struggled to find the same rhythm after the initial 10 overs, once the Markram-Miller pair started heaving their bats at almost every ball bowled. Their left-right combination produced a 76-run partnership that changed the complexion of the match.
India’s previous six matches, wherein they excluded left-hand batters in their top seven, were played against the likes of Sri Lanka (three matches), Zimbabwe (two matches), and West Indies (one match). India lost one match each against Zimbabwe and West Indies. Now, four wins in six matches is nowhere bad, but this is not about the match result. It is about variety and being strategic.
It is no secret that the left-hand batters are a minority in cricket, but that is where their strength lies. They trouble the bowlers in ways that right-handed batters do not. They are the Royal Flush of Poker; they are rare to come by, but when they do they topple empires. Besides skill and talent, being a lefty is the reason why the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina thrived as Team India players. The bowlers had to adjust to the opening pair of Tendulkar-Ganguly/Sehwag-Ganguly. Yuvraj and Mohammad Kaif piled on runs in that famous 2002 NatWest Trophy final win because the English bowlers found it difficult to adjust to their dissimilar batting styles.
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar perhaps summed up the importance of having a left-hand batter in the team the best when he said, “Left-handers without any doubt add in value, and bowlers have to adjust, fielders have to adjust, and if they are able to rotate strike consistently, it is not something that the bowler enjoys.”
While announcing the squad, the BCCI went with three players who bat left-handed – Pant, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh. Ravindra Jadeja’s knee injury cost him a place in the Indian squad. Had that not been the case, the 33-year-old would have arguably started in all matches of the T20 World Cup.
One may call Patel a like-for-like player for Jadeja, and he does bring the same level of energy, if not better. Despite scoring just two runs in his promoted bid in the batting line-up against Pakistan, and just seven against Bangladesh, Patel may well have some impact in the games to come.
It is not for nothing that it is said, variety is the spice of life.
