There is simple, yet chilling, message that the first T20 international at Christchurh held out for the ‘Rock Stars from India’: spend time at the middle, getting used to the pace and bounce before you launch into ambitious strokes. Indeed, as Team India went down by seven wickets to New Zealand, it became clear that India’s stroke players will have to adapt, perhaps even to the point of restraining themselves a great deal.
There is no point in telling themselves: “We are like this only.” In the run up to the opening game of the tour, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had talked about adopting an assess-and-adapt strategy but, barring Suresh Raina’s display, the tactic remained on paper and was not in evidence in Christchurch. Read more »
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