Why Did Indian Batsmen Fail to Score More Runs Against Afghanistan Today?

India's cricket team has been consistently posting high scores across all formats against Afghanistan. This article delves into the reasons behind the team's performance, particularly examining their batting strategies and the outcomes of recent matches.

Data Analysis: Performance Trends Against Afghanistan

India has consistently dominated Afghanistan in cricket games, especially when batting first. This article examines the data from Test matches, One Day International (ODI) matches, and T20 matches to confirm this trend.

Test Matches

In the only Test match played against Afghanistan in June 2018, India scored 474 runs in the first innings, while Afghanistan managed a mere 109 runs and 103 runs in its follow-on attempt. India's victory was by an innings and 262 runs in this fixture.

One Day Internationals (ODIs)

India and Afghanistan have played a total of four ODIs against each other, with India winning three matches and one match ending in a tie. In these games, Afghanistan often batted second, resulting in India scoring more runs and winning by a larger margin. This strategy has been effective in ensuring India's victory.

T20 Matches

In T20 matches, Afghanistan has often struggled to score more runs when batting first. However, there have been instances where India batted first and scored a impressive 210 runs, indicating that India can adapt and perform well regardless of the batting order. However, even in these instances, the other team often fails to match this score due to India's strong middle and lower order batting.

Critical Analysis of Indian Batsmen Performance

While Afghanistan is a strong team, especially after the 2020 reforms, it is incorrect to attribute all failures solely to Afghan players. The Indian team needs to improve its performance, particularly when batting first against weaker opponents.

Factors that may be contributing to the Indian batsmen's failure to score more runs include:

Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara have struggled in recent matches, with neither of them posting any significant runs since the last century partnership in the recent test match.

The middle order has been identified as a weakness for India, and Joe Root and his teammates have capitalized on this weakness.

Choosing to bat first when the opposition is not capable of scoring a significant number of runs may not always be the best strategy.

Conclusion

While Afghanistan is a strong team, India's failures in matches against them can be attributed to various factors, including out-of-form batsmen and middling order weaknesses. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) needs to take action and replace batsmen currently struggling for form. Additionally, Virat Kohli should focus more on playing matches rather than increasing MRF advertisement revenues.

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