India’s Experiments with Batting Lineup: Lessons from 2011 WC
The Indian team management recently faced criticism for their decision to rest star players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the last two ODIs against West Indies before the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup. Fans were hoping to see these key players in top form before the major tournaments, but they didn’t get the opportunity to showcase their skills. This led to fans questioning India’s strategy of experimenting so close to the World Cup.
However, it’s important to note that India has experimented with their batting lineup before, and it proved successful in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Reflecting back on that tournament, here are five things the then captain MS Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten did that initially did not pan out as expected.
In the series decider against South Africa before the 2011 World Cup, Dhoni and Kirsten tried out Rohit Sharma and Parthiv Patel as openers. Unfortunately, neither of them impressed and failed to secure a spot in the final World Cup squad. Additionally, Gautam Gambhir was rested due to injury, while Virender Sehwag was also unavailable. Sachin Tendulkar was rested in the last ODI leading up to the World Cup.
Another experiment was giving Murali Vijay a chance as an opener in three of the five ODIs against South Africa. However, Vijay failed to make an impact and was subsequently dropped from the squad.
Despite these initial experiments, India’s batting lineup in the 2011 World Cup started with Tendulkar and Sehwag as openers, with Gambhir coming in at number three, followed by Kohli at four. The middle-order consisted of Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, and Dhoni.
Interestingly, Singh struggled at number four in most of the games leading up to the World Cup, but when he played at number five and six during the tournament, he emerged as one of India’s biggest match-winners.
Gambhir, who batted at number three in the 2011 World Cup, delivered exceptional performances with three half-centuries, including a match-winning 97 in the final. It’s worth mentioning that Gambhir had previously scored an unbeaten 150 while batting at number three in a match against Sri Lanka in December 2009.
In 2010 and early 2011, Dhoni and Kirsten also experimented with Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik at number three. Karthik even opened the innings in a few matches.
India made several changes to the batting lineup leading up to the 2011 World Cup, and while some experiments didn’t yield immediate success, they ultimately emerged as the tournament champions. This serves as a reminder to fans not to panic over the recent experiments conducted by Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma against West Indies.
It’s crucial to trust the team management’s decisions and remember that sometimes, experimentation can lead to positive outcomes. The upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup will provide ample opportunities for the players to find their rhythm and solidify their roles in the team. So let’s support our team as they embark on these crucial tournaments.
