After Test high, it's time for T20 hit
The true test of champions lies in the ability to adapt to different situations. The Indian team, after being anointed kings of Test
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cricket, next face the challenge of excelling in Twenty20, a format in which they were once masters.
Not so long ago, MS Dhoni’s men surprised many by emerging supreme in the slam-bang version in South Africa in 2007. The ascension, though astonishing, proved much easier than the act of retaining the T20 crown. India were dethroned in England in a rather embarrassing manner - an exit in the Super Eight stage of the second ICC World Twenty20.
The next edition of the tournament is six months away and in between, India play just two international games of the shortest form. Out of that, one will be played on Wednesday while the other is scheduled in Mohali on Saturday. So the two-game T20 series gains importance as it is the only opportunity to develop a squad ahead of next year’s ICC World T20.
Rivals Sri Lanka have made rapid progress in the meantime. They finished as the second-best team in England. So even if going by current form India appear favourites, it will be far from a cakewalk for the hosts. Sri Lanka have drafted in veteran Sanath Jayasuriya to bolster the squad and his return will certainly add more power to the visitors’ batting, while slinger Lasith Malinga’s comeback from injury will lessen Kumar Sangakkara’s bowling woes.
With the kind of form his batsmen have shown in the Test series, the Indian skipper is not bothered about them adapting to the shortest format. ‘‘The approach need not change much. In the last match we have scored at five runs per over. (Virender) Sehwag and Yuvraj (Singh) actually bat in the same way. You can say that they are a bit over-aggressive in T20s, but overall they are positive players, they look for runs,’’ Dhoni said.