📌 In one of India's hardest series before the T20 World cup, the Men in Blue emerged victorious by a 2-1 margin against England. After winning the first two games by a comprehensive margin of 50 and 49 runs respectively, they could not complete a whitewash after a 17-run defeat in the final game. ▪ In what was arguably India's toughest series in the build-up to the 2022 T20 World Cup, The Men in Blue defeated England 2-1 and won their fourth successive series over the Three Lions in the shortest format. This is also their second successive series win on English soil having won a series in 2018 by the same margin. ▪ While lifting the trophy is a nice morale boost, the important thing is that Rohit Sharma & co. have made massive strides in their run to the 2022 T20 World Cup. With just three months left for the marquee event, India seem to be heading in the right direction as they aim to finalise their squad and plans for the events. ▪ Here are some important takeaways for the team management from the event- 1) Questions over Virat Kohli grow ▪ Virat Kohli seems to be the only name on the lips of every cricket fan around the world at the moment as his place in the T20 World cup squad has come under the scanner. While Kohli tried to play a high-risk game, it did not come off for him in this series as he was dismissed for 1 and 11 in the two matches. ▪ Although the intent from Kohli is delightful to see but ultimately runs are only the currency that matters and that is something he doesn't have at the moment. Having carried the team for a decade, Kohli has earned endless backing but Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid do have a headache in front of them. ▪ There is no shortage of talent in the country ready to replace him but there is no substitute for Kohli's experience too. It must not be forgotten that the ex-Indian captain's record in Australia is phenomenal. For these reasons, the Indian team will hope Kohli can soon get back into the runs or they will have to contemplate the idea of dropping him despite it having more chances of backfiring than working. 2) Batting conundrum ▪ Not only is the form of Virat Kohli a concern for Team India but also the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan Shreyas Iyer, and Dinesh Karthik. Pant was given a new batting position as an opener but after promising signs with a knock of 26 in the second game, he only managed a knock of 1 in the series finale. Similarly, Shreyas Iyer failed to make the most of a solid start in the Trent Bridge T20I while Dinesh Karthik only scored 29 runs in three games. Meanwhile, Kishan has made the runs in the home series against South Africa but his technique and temperament still raise questions. ▪ Despite centurion Suryakumar Yadav and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya being sure starters, the Men in Blue still have a lot of questions to answer with their batting order while only making any the idea of moving past Kohli harder. It must be remembered that KL Rahul is walking on a thin rope in his recovery from injury and it still remains to be seen if he can be fit in time for the T20 World Cup. ▪ While Deepak Hooda has impressed, he has only played three games so far which is way too early to judge a player. Similarly, Sanju Samson for all his talent is yet to prove his consistency at the highest level. Both are deserving of an extended run in the team but is still a case of the team hoping things work out rather than a guarantee which is a risky situation so close to a major tournament. 3) A set bowling-unit ▪ For all the issues in the batting unit, there are not many problems with the bowlers. In Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harshal Patel alongside all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya; the Men in Blue have their first-choice bowling unit set. All four of them alongside Jadeja and Hardik are proven performers and make India one of the strongest bowling units in the world. ▪ The only question remains on who the back-ups will be with the race still on between Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik in the pace department and Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and possibly Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar as far as spinners are concerned. 4) The new approach works ▪ More than the results, it was India's new approach that was pleasing to see in the series. The Men in Blue have been criticised over the years for not playing the shortest format in a modern way but under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, that seems to have changed. Just like the best teams in the world in the white-ball format, India played with positive and aggressive intent from the first ball. ▪ The most pleasing thing about it was that skipper Rohit led from the front and showed the team how to do it himself. Even for all his struggles, Kohli tried to play that way and while the runs might not have come, it does show that he has bought into the philosophy and the importance of a player of Kohli's stature doing so cannot be understated. ▪ The new approach is something India are still learning and it will sometimes come to hurt them, especially in the early days like it did in the second game before Jadeja's batting heroics saved them but it shows the team is heading in the right direction. Cre: TIMES NOW