The start to Brendon McCullum’s white-ball reign in Kolkata this week could not be more at odds with the start of his Test tenure as head coach.
In 2022, having already sown the seeds of ripping up the rule-book, there was an energy and a freshness around that side who ripped through New Zealand at Lord’s. Two and a half years later at Eden Gardens, the same staleness which has held England back from keeping pace with rapidly developing sides was the overwhelming takeaway.
Their collapse to high-quality spin bowling on a subcontinental pitch felt pre-ordained, as did Jos Buttler’s post-match assertion that ‘more aggression’ was the template they would follow to avoid similar results in the rest of the series. Perhaps there’s merit to that.
Abhishek Sharma’s demolition featured the most sixes hit by an India batter in a T20I chase. Sanju Samson hit more boundaries in the 20 balls he faced than any England player bar Buttler. India’s attack and intent was comprehensive, deliberate and highly effective. The 43 balls they had to spare at the point they reached their target was the most they’ve ever had remaining in a T20I win over England.
On paper, these are two teams at similar developmental points. Both replaced coaches last year after the T20 World Cup, both had a significant group of senior players either retire or move on. While the catalyst for India’s regeneration was their T20 World Cup win, for England it was their semi-final loss. Nevertheless, both sides find themselves in a position where a new regime has been tasked with bringing through new players under a fresh ethos. The degree of success India have had in that regard over a short period of time is remarkable.
Since winning the T20 World Cup final in June of last year, India have won all but two of the 16 T20Is they’ve played. They scored in excess of 200 in seven of those matches, and won by more than 50 runs or by seven or more wickets in 10. Whereas, even in the transitional period England have been in for the last six months, since June they’ve lost three out of seven and breached 200 in one of those games in the Caribbean.
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That’s not to suggest England have necessarily done much wrong with the cards they’ve got. They backed their next rank of players who will take them through their next era over the summer.
Will Jacks was in their best three top-order options available both against Australia over the summer and in the Caribbean. They selected Jacob Bethell on his level of talent and ceiling value, a decision which was vindicated both against Australia and by what he produced in New Zealand. The difference between their cards and India’s is the pool and environment India have available to them.
Since 2020, India have given 36 players debuts in T20Is. Those players have come through on an exclusive diet of IPL and Indian domestic success. It’s telling that Yashasvi Jaiswal, the best young batter in the world in international cricket who’s scored centuries in the last two editions of the IPL, cannot force a regular place in India’s T20 side. His place in India’s top three is being guarded by Samson (three T20I centuries last year), Abhishek and Suryakumar Yadav.
The finishing school India players have available to them prepares them for international cricket in a way no other country’s does. Years before Abhishek debuted for India, he was tested against the best bowlers in the world in the IPL, just as his now teammates were as well. It’s no surprise that when forced into an A side rethink, they come out of the blocks with a side that looks capable of beating any in the world.
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In comparison, England's list of T20I debutants since 2020 ends at 15. Their white-ball players now pretty much exclusively cut their teeth in franchise leagues at home and around the world, or on sporadic junior international tours. Bethell’s only exposure to Asian conditions before now was in a handful of U19 matches, while his T20 career has been made up exclusively of Blast and Hundred fixtures - the same as Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith, and the rest of England’s best young players. While Bethell's 7 off 14 in Kolkata was uncomfortable, throwing him into a comparison to India’s next T20I generation is unfair.
The question, then, shouldn’t be whether England’s reset will make them competitive in T20I cricket, but whether any side will ever be able to match India in the format again.
While the difference in India’s resources for the other formats is less marked, no one can compete with the environment young India players come through in T20I cricket. The new generation, who were barely born when the IPL came into existence, epitomise that environmental superiority more than any of their predecessors.
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