Yes, they totally can.
Now, the Indian team I grew up supporting was essentially wound up around one person in limited overs cricket. And that person was Sachin Tendulkar.
So, let me tell you a story. According to Ricky Ponting, Sachin’s score of 175 at Hyderabad is the best he has seen someone bat in the second innings of limited overs cricket.
Have a look at the scorecard.
It is apparent that Sachin had nearly no support from the middle order and the tail never wagged. India lost by three runs.
I remember watching this match during my JEE preparation days. I was standing 20 meters away from a small TV. The match slipped out of hand the moment Sachin threw his wicket away.
Limited overs cricket has become a game of epic proportions. Each run counts. There are times when a valiant fielding effort near the boundary fence ends up drawing a line between victory and defeat.
The game has evolved quite considerably. Today, cricketers need to be fit and agile. The yo-yo test is regarded as the ideal benchmark to test a player’s fitness.
Batting has never been a concern for India. Moreover, in this WC. All they need to avoid is a batting collapse at the top. You cannot have Virat Kohli coming in at 20 for 2.
Take this for an example: during the fixture between The West Indies and New Zealand, the Kiwis were reduced to 7/2 in the first over. Now, the Indians might find themselves in a spot of bother if something like this happens. The middle order is fragile, and I must admit there is a lot that could be done to take care of that.
The team has to ensure that it plays cautiously. If it is a 270-pitch, don’t go for 330–340. Not every pitch is a batsman’s paradise.
During the India-Afghanistan match, everyone was seething with anger when MSD was finding it hard to rotate the strike. The pitch was slow, and the ball was not coming on to the bat.
I also hope the Indians bring in Rishabh Pant for a couple of games. He’s a stroke maker. He can turn a game on its head. The likes of Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar are utility players. They cannot win matches for you.
Chasing big totals isn’t the easiest of tasks. For example; A 340 run target cannot be achieved if the top three fail. Something similar happened in the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan. You can’t start smashing them out of the park right from ball one. Spend some time and settle down before going all guns blazing. You need to target the right set of bowlers. The good old British weather does complicate things a bit. Gray skies and strong gusts of wind make it hard for the batters to cut loose. The ball does move around a bit initially. Also, you need to see off the opening spells delivered by Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult. They can rip the heart out of the opposition’s top order if they’re on song.
One last thing, India should play down the ground (straight) more often. They have not played down the ground during this WC. Not every delivery can be smashed for a six. You need to get your eye in before you start scoring freely.
Rotate the strike. You cannot keep on playing the waiting game. Sneak a few cheeky singles every now and then in order to keep the scoreboard moving.