CHENNAI: AT the 2019 World Cup, India’s middle-order was involved in constant musical chairs. Out of the eight matches where Nos. 4, 5 and 6 came out to bat, only once was the same sequence repeated. After the trio of Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni came out to bat in that order against England, the team management held the status quo for the game against Bangladesh. In all the other games, there was a sort of unwritten randomness.
For example, Vijay Shankar was the No. 6 versus Pakistan. In the very next game against the West Indies, he walked out at No. 4. After beginning the event with MS Dhoni as the de facto No. 5, he was shunted to No. 6 against West Indies and Bangladesh. For the New Zealand clash, he was outside the top six. KL Rahul came out at No. 4 against South Africa in the opening match.
He was No. 6 a few days later when Australia came calling. In the third game, the clash with Pakistan, he was the opener. In all, there were six different combinations in eight matches. One could say there was a certain role clarity that was missing.
One of the biggest changes between the event in 2019 and the ongoing one in India is the sort of clarity that’s visible. That’s most tangible in the middle-order. Irrespective of whatever happens in terms of the match situation, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav (Hardik Pandya before him) are Nos. 4, 5 and 6. Coach Rahul Dravid was asked about their contributions before the Netherlands game. “It’s been terrific,” he said. “Middle- orders are going to be very, very important in a tournament like this. How well your middle order performs in sometimes very tricky conditions and challenging situations under pressure, is actually going to probably decide how well you do.”
While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have scored the bulk of the runs, Iyer, Rahul and, in the last few weeks, both Suryakumar and Ravindra Jadeja have chipped in with big runs. In fact, Iyer, with 421 runs, is the eighth leading run-scorer at the event. Rahul, with 347 runs, is 18th in the list. Suryakumar hasn’t had much of a hit but his 49 against England helped them set a target in excess of 225. His late thrust against South Africa (22 off 14) was also pivotal as it gave the innings the desired finish.
“I think our middle orders (have) played very critical roles,” Dravid continued. “Sometimes you can’t judge them by sheer numbers. It’s obvious that when you look at a leaderboard of scores and runs, it’ll always be someone in the top three. I mean, it’s pretty obvious. You look at that whole board and It’s all filled with guys from any country who are in the top three. So that only gives you one half of the picture, but it’s actually some of those 30s, 40s, critical knocks.”
Apart from Rahul’s 100 against Netherlands, his match-winning, unbeaten 97 against Australia set India on their way. He closed out the game against Bangladesh in the company of Kohli, apart from making crucial runs against England. What Rahul also offers is a comfort blanket. If India loses early wickets, he can ride out the storm, and play the situation before accelerating towards the end. He can also walk in at 250/3 where there is a need to move the game along from the off.
A one-man Swiss Army knife. What makes Iyer a worthwhile option at No. 4 — sandwiching Kohli and Rahul — are the gears that he has as soon as he comes in. He is a classic counterpuncher who will look to take the game head on irrespective of the situation. In that sense, it’s a vital skill-set to have in this line-up. “He brings temperament,” Dravid said. “So, when someone like him does well, you know he’s going to make big contributions. It may not always work out, but when it does, you know someone like him is going to make a big play.”
He has made that big play over the last few weeks. In a way, the narrative around India’s middle-order has flipped upside down. When the Black Caps ambushed the Men In Blue in 2019, they collapsed like a pack of cards. Now, it’s made of reinforced steel.
