Team India in the absence of their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been struggling to put a curb on the leakage of runs that is coming at a rapid rate of knots.
This is unsettling to many not least the Indian selectors who are reported to speak with the Indian selectors over India’s protruding snag with the ball.
This sticks out like a sore thumb for the men in blue as they suffer a series of defeats while defending defendable totals.
After Pakistan, Sri Lanka - Australia adds to the latest teams to whom India ended up losing while defending their highest total of 207 against the T20 world champions.
However the men in blue couldn’t celebrate the feat for long as in reply the Australians chased down the target at a canter, leaving India with a bitter taste in the mouth despite a massive score of 207.
Now with the fast approaching T20 World Cup, the Indian selectors have been feeling the jitters in view of India’s bowling which paints an unpalatable picture of India’s fate.
"Of course, it’s a concern when our bowlers cannot defend 208. But there is time and you have to understand that the Mohali pitch was a batting heaven. So, it would not be ideal to discard them based on one match. We will talk to the team management on the help they need to make this work," one of the selectors was quoted as saying by InsideSport.
The world cup which will be underway in October and hosted by Australia is around the corner with growing concerns regarding Bumrah’s slow recovery to fitness and Bhuvneshwar’s inconsistency with the ball has certainly given pause to the selectors.
"Jasprit is still not 100%, Harshal has just returned, and a senior campaigner like Bhuvneshwar has a dip in form at the worst possible time. So, it’s concerning. Umesh has returned from injury, so he was a bit off the rhythm. They will bounce back," the selector added.
India will take on Australia in the second T20I on Friday (September 23) in a bid to win the all-important clash to keep the series alive after first match jolt.