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Nagpur: The batting Powerplay is posing too many questions for most teams. It has put captains and coaches in a fix.
The problem is not so much with the concept but the timing: most teams are scratching their heads trying to decide on when to opt for it. For most teams, more often than not the batting Powerplay ends up doing more harm than good as teams anxious to step on the gas often end up losing wickets.
It was no different in the first One-dayer at Vadodara. Batting first, Australia were cruising at 231 for four by the 42nd over. Cameron White — done with his half-century — threatened to take Australia way past 300 in the company of Mike Hussey. But then they opted for the batting Powerplay. In the second ball of the very next over, White perished. In the next five overs Australia managed 33 runs at the cost of three wickets.
India’s story wasn’t too different. Gautam Gambhir, after holding the innings together with a well-crafted 68, looked like taking India home along with skipper MS Dhoni. The pair opted for the Powerplay at the end of the 34th over and Gambhir departed off the first ball of the next over.
Australia coach Tim Nielsen conceded that the lure of quick runs proved detrimental. "At the end of the day, we need to keep our mindset strong. People feel that they need to hit over the infield. We lost Cameron White in the second ball of the Powerplay. Then we lost a couple of wickets and it affected our chances of a bigger total,’’ Nielsen said.
The Indian skipper says he has a formula. "Most likely in the subcontinent when you are batting first you want to take the Powerplay around the 34th over. The ball is hard and does not reverse much and if you have set batsmen and the luxury of seven or eight wickets in hand, then despite losing a couple of wickets you can accelerate. You then look to carry on the momentum in the slog overs."
