Case Study of India's 2019 Cricket World Cup loss: What went wrong?

Flashback:

India tasted success in one-day international (ODI) cricket with their maiden World Cup title triumph in 1983. Ahead of the competition, India were not considered favourites to lift the trophy but under the leadership of Kapil Dev, the team stunned other sides and pulled off the title beating the defending champions the West Indies in the final of the competition.

After the first trophy win, it took 28 years to lift the World Cup trophy. In 2011, India were the co-host, and noting their records on home soil, they were considered favourites to emerge victorious in the competition. Under MS Dhoni, India struggled to play quality cricket in the group stage but when the team reached the knockouts, their best came to the fore. In the knockout round, the Men in Blue vanquished Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and clinched the coveted trophy for the second time.

Considering India’s rich legacy in one-day cricket, the team’s supporters expected their side to bring the trophy home from England in 2019. This time, Virat Kohli was holding the reins of the side and the responsibility was on the captain himself along with key players such as Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami to help India win the trophy. 

However, India failed to repeat their 2011 World Cup performance under Kohli in the marquee ODI event in England, with their 18-run loss at the hands of the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in the semi-final. The defeat broke the hearts of Team India supporters as throughout the competition, the side had played excellent cricket.

India's trip to the 2019 Cricket World Cup as favourites:

India ended their campaign in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup but during the competition, they played with confidence and concluded the league round at the top of the points table with seven wins and one loss in nine games. Before the tournament, India were favourites to win the trophy as they landed in the competition after winning the bilateral one-day series in Australia and New Zealand, where conditions were similar to England and Wales.

The ODI series win on Australian soil had come after eleven years while the triumph in New Zealand was registered by the Men in Blue for the first time in ten years. Noting India’s scintillating victories against the Black Caps and the Aussies, cricket pundits considered India the favourites to win the distinguished trophy.

India's dominant run in 2019 Cricket World Cup league stage:

India’s domination was for all to see in the league stage of the tournament as they ended up as the most successful team with seven wins in nine games. Playing the opening match, South Africa got hammered by England by 104 runs. After the defeat at the hands of the hosts, South Africa faced a 21-run loss from Bangladesh. 

Noting South Africa’s poor form in their first two games, India extended their dry run with a six-wicket win at the Rose Bowl. Riding on Yuzvendra Chahal’s four-wicket haul, India restricted Faf du Plessis and his men to 227/9 in their tournament opener. Following the average total, Rohit Sharma stepped up and scored an unbeaten 122 and took the team home.

Kohli and his men locked horns with Australia at the Oval next and Shikhar Dhawan’s magnificent hundred helped the team put up a massive 352 on the board. Defending the enormous total, the joint efforts of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah helped the side register a 36-run win in the competition.

India’s third game against New Zealand in Trent Bridge was abandoned without a ball bowled. Their next assignment was against Pakistan at Old Trafford. Before the high-octane clash, India were the favourites but Pakistan’s unpredictable tag kept Kohli and his men vigilant. The big game ended in India’s favour by 89 runs (DLS method) and Rohit was the Player of the Match for his extraordinary 140 off 113. This was the right-handed opener’s second ton in the marquee competition.

After hammering a few quality sides, India went on to defeat Afghanistan by 11 runs and the West Indies by a massive 125 runs but their biggest clash was set on June 30, against hosts England at Edgbaston. For the hosts, it was a crucial contest as a win in this game would take them to the knockouts while the loss could have deprived them of their chance to qualify for the semis. Batting first, England players displayed their ferocious playing style and notched up 337 runs, with Jonny Bairstow scoring 111 off 109. Mohammed Shami grabbed a fifer in his 10-over spell.

Replying to England’s massive total, India racked up 306 runs in their 50 overs. Despite the loss, the Men in Blue got a reason to wear smiles as their vice-captain Rohit hit the third ton (102 off 109) of the competition. With this hundred, he was two centuries behind to become the batter with the most centuries in a World Cup edition.

After facing the 31-run defeat from England, Team India got back to the winning ways with their convincing victories against Bangladesh (28 runs) and Sri Lanka (seven wickets). In both matches, Rohit notched up tons and shattered Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara’s record of scoring the most hundreds (four tons) in a World Cup edition. The league round ended with South Africa’s 10-run win against Australia in Manchester and this important development helped India to end at the top of the points tally.

India shakehands with heartbreak against New Zealand in 2019 World Cup semis:

India confronted New Zealand in the semi-final encounter in Manchester. The Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and chose to bat first. On the challenging surface, skipper Williamson and veteran Ross Taylor held their nerves after the fall of openers Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls. Both batters hit vital half-centuries to take their team to a fighting total of 239.

Considering India’s form and record in the competition, they were expected` side to achieve the target without any hassle. But when the chase began, the top order collapsed under pressure. Rohit, Kohli, and KL Rahul went back to the pavilion after contributing one run each to the team.

Middle-order batters Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya strived to stabilise the innings but Mitchell Santner won the battle against both players and brought his side into a dominating position in the contest. The two-time champions were heading towards a humiliating defeat as they were six down on 92.

However, veteran MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja took the matter into their own hands and stitched a 116-run partnership to bring India close to the target. With 32 required off 14, Boult outclassed Jadeja (77 runs) and brought India’s batting tail into the scene. In the next over, Dhoni got run out with the famous throw from Guptill as the defeat looked inevitable for India. The Black Caps eventually bundled out India for 221 and with this defeat, Kohli and his boys’ magnificent campaign ended on a disappointing note.

India's middle-order woes prove costly in 2019 Cricket World Cup:

Throughout the competition, India played quality cricket and ended up as table-toppers. In most of the games in the round-robin stage, their middle order was not tested against quality bowling units such as South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan. Against the struggling Afghanistan and the West Indies, India’s middle-order got the task to stabilise the innings, and the batters in the line-up did their job efficiently. However, the failure against England was a wake-up call for the team.

Another factor that wrecked India’s campaign was the inability to get a credible name in the number four spot. In the marquee ODI event, the team management tried four batters at the crucial position. In the initial games, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya were assigned the role of filling the spot but later Vijay Shankar and Rishabh Pant were given a chance.

Ambati Rayudu, who was serving the team for a long time in the number four spot, was famously excluded from the squad, with India trusting Shankar due to his all-round skills. Rayudu’s non-selection raised questions on the team selection as the right-handed batter steered India to the series win in New Zealand in January-February. However, his form plummeted against Australia in the home ODI series but a lot of former players felt that the Rayudu player deserved a place in the World Cup squad.

Selecting Shankar over Rayudu cost Team India as the Tamil Nadu all-rounder failed to justify his role in the team with both bat and ball. Playing three matches, he scored only 58 runs and took only two wickets. Shankar came to bat at number four against Afghanistan and the West Indies but in both games, he struggled to put up an impressive show.

Some former India players also criticised the team management and selectors for destabilising the number four spot as they believed India needed an experienced name to fill the slot and Rayudu was the best candidate.

Conclusion:

The 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat taught India that experimentation in crucial tournaments can be detrimental. India did not get the desired results from the batters who played at the number four position. Pant strived to justify his role against England with his 32-run knock off 29 deliveries but he failed to absorb pressure after getting settled at the crease in the knockout against New Zealand.

The wicketkeeper batter’s failure against the Black Caps indicated that India needed an experienced player in that position. Rayudu was an ideal batter to do so. In the New Zealand series of 2019, India went through a similar situation in the fifth ODI in Wellington.

Following the fall of the top order, Rayudu handled the situation efficiently. He displayed nerves of steel with his excellent 90 off 113. After India’s World Cup loss, a lot of Indian cricket team fans recalled Rayudu’s Wellington knock. The right-handed batter’s numbers prove that he was an impactful player at number four. Serving the Indian team in the important middle-order slot in 24 ODIs, he scored 750 at a fine average of 41.66.