Defending totals in T20 hasn't been India's forte in recent times. It's got worse this season due to the absence of Jasprit Bumrah from the line-up.
Defeats against South Africa at Bangalore (while defending 134), against Bangladesh at Delhi (while defending 148) and Thiruvanthapuram (while defending 170) have only brought forth the team's Achilles heel.
A day before the third and deciding T20 International against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium here, Rohit Sharma explained why Team India hates batting first as much as it loves chasing totals.
"If you're chasing you know the target you're going after. Whether it is 200 or 150, you know the target and you know what pace to bat, how many runs you have to get an over. But when you are batting first, you want to set a target as big as you can, and at the same time you have to remember that you're the set batsman and you shouldn't be throwing your wicket away and things like that," Rohit said.
A major reason for their loss in the second T20I was that they failed to get going in the last 10 overs, managing only 77 and finishing 15 short of the par total.
"A lot of things creep in when you bat first. It's a different ball game when you bat second. When you're batting first, if you're hitting the ball well, you want to continue to do that and get as many runs as you can in that over. The batters who are coming in can take a bit more time and then go off. It's different when you're chasing; you have the target in front of you. You know exactly how you need to bat, the partnerships and everything. That's how I look at it," he said.
The team's lack of comfort while taking first strike couldn't have been more evident than in the second game. The surface seemed sluggish and difficult when India were batting, making their 170-run total look enough. The free-spirited Caribbeans, however, galloped to the target, making it look a completely different, typical T20 batting-friendly pitch.
"Of late our chasing has been good and not posting targets, or defending it, rather. It was a good target that we posted there (in the last game) but again it's a new set of guys. A lot of inexperienced players along with experienced ones.
"That is what every T20 team now has. A bit of inexperience along with that some experience. Those two elements need to come together to form a composite side," the 32-year-old said.
If in experience is indeed an issue, why doesn't the team play its best, inform bowlers - Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, in the T20 format? Rohit stressed that India were focused on the present, and not the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.
"See, I don't want to keep saying that we are trying to build a squad for the World Cup. It is still a long way ahead. We just need to focus on winning (this) series and that will hold us in good state, moving forward.
"If we keep winning games, keep doing the right things on the field, the composition of the team will take care (of itself). We just need to focus on the present and try and IQ win games and series."
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