Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan. (Photo: AFP)

There has been lots of talk about the toss factor coming into play in the ongoing T20I series between India and England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In the three matches played to date, the team winning the toss has bowled first and won the match.

Since January 2019, India has played 15 completed T20Is at home. 12 of these games have been won by teams batting second, while only 3 were clinched by the target-setters. More interestingly, in 14 of these games, the team that won the toss decided to bowl first.

Zaheer Khan, Michael Vaughan Explain How To Negate Toss Factor In India In T20Is
Eoin Morgan and Virat Kohli during toss (Photo- BCCI)

This has been seen in the ongoing tourney as well, given England did it in the first and third T20I, while India won chasing in the second match, as the series stands 2-1 in favor of England.

Now with the T20 World Cup to be played in India in October-November of this year, teams need to find out a way to win games irrespective of how the coin spins. And hence former international players, India’s Zaheer Khan and England’s Michael Vaughan suggested a few ways which can help teams who are asked to bat first.

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Teams Batting First Need To Figure Out A Way Of Getting To That Total: Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan said teams also have to figure out a formula to win games after batting first. He also pointed out that early starts for night games can prevent dew from becoming a factor in the match.

“It’s been an early start now [India-England series]. Earlier the matches used to start at 8 pm, now they are starting at 7. So that’s one way of negating the dew factor. Dew factor used to be huge in terms of undue advantage to the team winning the toss. But today [3rd T20I] I don’t feel that was the case. In fact, the ball was turning more in the 2nd innings than in the first innings,” said Zaheer Khan to Cricbuzz.

Zaheer Khan (IPLT20)
Zaheer Khan (IPLT20)

However, he also added that teams batting first need to work out a formula to reach a par total on that particular surface and bat in a certain way to achieve their target.

“The team batting first need to figure out a way of getting to that total. Yes, when the conditions ar dry and the wicket is two paced, it makes it difficult. But you still need to figure out a formula. Because if you are talking about the World Cup, in a tough game if you are batting first, you can’t find an easy excusing saying ‘we lost the toss that’s why we lost the game’. That effort needs to be made and once you figure that out things get easier,” Khan added.

Teams Need To Get Braver And Bat Harder To Go Beyond The Par-Total In First Innings: Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan opined that the teams who are put in to bat first needed to be braver and go hard at the opposition in order to score big totals to put pressure on the bowling side.

Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan. Image Credits: Twitter

“It’s clearly an advantage to bat second but it is what it is. You can’t change it and certainly, you can’t create a World Cup without tosses. So teams around the world have to make sure they get into the game with the bat in hand. You will have to get on even harder, you will have to be more brave, you’ll have to try and get beyond that par score.

You have to get 190. It could be that you go harder and you end up getting bowled out for 120. You are going to lose anyway so you as well go for it and try and get the big scores to put the teams under pressure,” said Michael Vaughan.

In the fourth T20I, Eoin Morgan won the toss and put Virat Kohli’s India into bat first.

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