Why nothing went right for the Men in Blue in the defining phase of campaign

Besides a few crucial factors, the Indian cricket’s ecosystem prioritising the second half of the IPL over focusing on preparations for the global event harmed the team

While England and New Zealand were slogging in the nets on Tuesday ahead of the first semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue — most of whom were away from home since March — joined their families in their respective hometowns.

For the first time since the World T20 in 2012, India failed to make the cut for the knockouts in an ICC Championship. While the management has been quick to point at toss, dew, bubble fatigue as reasons, “not excuses”, for the debacle, here is a look at the primary factors that made Virat Kohli’s last hurrah as T20I captain and Ravi Shastri’s final assignment as the head coach a big disappointment.

When the original squad of 15 had five spinners and just three pacers, it was clear that the squad could not be more imbalanced. A last-ditch effort was made to rectify it by bringing Shardul Thakur in place of Axar Patel.