ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
Ahmedabad, Feb 23: India’s team management is set to review its batting combination following the 76-run defeat to South Africa, with at least one underperforming batter likely to be dropped ahead of two must-win Super Eight clashes.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak admitted that changes are being discussed after a string of poor returns from Abhishek Sharma (15 runs in four games), Tilak Varma (107 runs at a strike rate of 118) and finisher Rinku Singh (24 runs at 82.75).“We have reached a point where we need to think if we should do something different,” Kotak said, hinting that the current combination may not continue.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged concerns over the lack of specialist batting back-ups but suggested Sanju Samson could come into contention to add a right-handed option at the top. “That will be a talking point going into two very important games,” he said.
Ten Doeschate defended Rinku, noting the difficulty of batting at No. 7 or 8 in high-pressure chases, but stressed that “only performances will talk now.”While Abhishek’s recent illness and string of low scores have hurt his rhythm, Kotak cautioned against overloading him with advice in a short turnaround. (PTI)
