In two T20Is in the series between India and West Indies, the tourists have hit 27 sixes in all, although they still went on to lose a game. But West Indies' mindset in T20Is has been to keep hitting even if you perish.
Packed with all-rounders in the past, their model was one which many teams tried to imitate. This includes India, who have been adamant about having a handful of all-rounders in the format in recent times.
But are India's all-rounders effective?
Here's a look at the contenders for the all-rounder spots as India look to identify their best team for the T20 World Cup next year.
Ravindra Jadeja
Once a handy limited-overs player, Jadeja shone in the ODI World Cup in England this year, but in T20Is, fact remains that Jadeja is a very average option.
Ravindra Jadeja’s average contribution in a T20 match
— Clive (@vanillawallah) December 8, 2019
Batting:
- 14.11 runs scored
- 11.5 balls faced
Bowling
- 18 balls bowled
- 22.8 runs conceded
- 0.75 wickets taken
Is this the all rounder you would want in your side?
In 46 T20Is, Jadeja has taken just 35 wickets, while under Kohli he has just 4 wickets in 7 matches. With his batting strike rate of 98.78, Jadeja adds little value to the side except for his fielding.
Washington Sundar
The Tamil Nadu off-spinner has barely batted for India in T20Is, although he regularly opens in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. A powerplay bowler capable of bowling stringent spells, Sundar is often used upfront. In five of his last seven games, Sundar has conceded runs at an economy of less than 7, but he has only picked up 3 wickets. In the last two T20Is combined, Sundar also let go of three catches.
Krunal Pandya
Arguably, he is the ideal man to don a floating role in the batting line-up and also chip in with a few overs. This mantra has worked for the Mumbai franchise in the Indian T20 League but India ended the Krunal experiment after he proved to be expensive with the ball. In 18 T20Is, Krunal averaged 24.2 with the bat and 38.42 with the ball. He picked up 14 wickets but went at an economy over 8. He might still make a comeback to the side given his all-round potential trumps that of Jadeja and Sundar.
Shivam Dube
The Mumbai all-rounder has been a revelation so far in his international career. After slamming five sixes in the Mumbai T20 League, Dube rose to prominence and the India call-up came soon. He picked up a three-wicket haul against Bangladesh last month to show he can be handy with the ball too and after a half-century at Thiruvananthapuram, he appears set to get a lot more games in the Indian side.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya is arguably the ideal all-rounder a team would want in T20s. A big hitter who can take the game away with his massive sixes much like a West Indies lower-order batsman and a hit-the-deck seamer capable of hitting the 140kmph mark.
Pandya's strike rate with the bat and usefulness with the ball makes him the first-choice all-rounder without a shade of doubt. He has a strike rate of close to 150 with the bat and can consistently give four overs with the ball, making him a potent T20 all-rounder.
Five all-rounders are probably vying for 3 slots at the most in the Indian World Cup squad. Hardik and Dube, as it stands, appear certainties. There seems to be room for only one of the three spin bowling all-rounders and we could see a tussle for the one spot in the upcoming months.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Arun Sankar
