India’s disappointing run in T20 cricket has raised fresh questions over several aspects of the team’s performance. While the defeats against Ireland and England have exposed weaknesses in both batting and bowling, one former India cricketer believes there is another area that deserves even greater attention if the team wants to bounce back quickly.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel believes fielding has become the biggest issue for the Indian team across all levels of cricket. Looking back at the recent T20I series defeats, he said India have repeatedly paid the price for dropping catches at crucial moments.
According to Parthiv, the problem is no longer limited to the senior men’s side but is also visible in the women’s team and junior cricket.
‘The result was a bit surprising and shocking. You can’t expect to beat Ireland after playing poor cricket. Over the last two to two-and-a-half years, the most alarming aspect of Indian cricket has been fielding, across the men’s team, the women’s team and even junior cricket. Even in the Ireland series, had those two or three catches been taken in the first game, they wouldn’t have scored over 180. The same thing happened in the second game. This is definitely an area India needs to address because they’re dropping catches at crucial moments,’ Parthiv told JioStar.
Parthiv also questioned India’s approach towards building its bowling attack in the shortest format. He feels the team management should start investing in bowlers who are specialists in T20 cricket instead of relying on players who feature across all formats.
The former wicketkeeper said India cannot continue waiting for senior stars to return every time the bowling attack struggles and believes young pacers should be given more opportunities.
‘Secondly, just as we have T20 specialists in batting, why don’t we look for the same in bowling? We always think, ‘Bumrah will come back and do the job.’ Then we keep going back to the likes of Prasidh Krishna. We also have bowlers like Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan, so we need to start looking at T20 specialist bowlers as well,’ he stated.
Parthiv also expressed concern over India’s current batting combination, pointing out that the top order has become heavily dependent on left-handed batters. He believes the team needs better balance going forward and said Tilak Varma’s return to form could play a key role.
Without naming any specific changes, Parthiv suggested that India will eventually need to back more right-handed batters to avoid becoming predictable.
‘I’m just hoping we don’t see another vice-captain get dropped. The kind of batting line-up we have can’t work in the long term. If six of your top seven batters are left-handers, that batting order won’t work. Changes have to be made somewhere. Now, who comes into the side and which right-hander gets backed, I don’t know. That’s why Tilak Varma needs to score runs,’ Parthiv added.
India have endured a difficult phase in T20 internationals after suffering series defeats against Ireland and England. With concerns emerging over fielding standards, bowling combinations and batting balance, the team management will be under pressure to address those issues before the next major assignment.
Parthiv’s comments reflect the growing belief that India may need to rethink its approach in the shortest format, with greater emphasis on specialist players and improved standards in the field.