“The message is very clear and loud,” Suryakumar said after India’s 86-run win

Adelaide 2022 seems as far off as a memory. India had spent most of that innings painfully rebuilding from the early loss of an opener, but the narrative in Delhi in 2024 was much different. Indeed, the pressure of a semifinal was absent, and they arrived with a series lead, but India’s response to a batting crisis in batting-friendly circumstances spoke volumes about how far they had gone in the last two years.

Here, during the second T20I against Bangladesh in Delhi, India’s reaction to losing not one, not two, but three wickets in the PowerPlay was not into survival mode. Ironically, in times of deepest need, that strategy has done nothing but fail. Rather, India changed gears at 45/3 after the PowerPlay, hitting 120/1 in the middle overs (7-15). In that period of a T20I, it was third highest ever.

India’s great comeback in Delhi was mostly driven by a persistent message from the leadership group ever after Adelaide’s loss revealed exactly how far behind they had slipped in the T20 batting revolution. If it was Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid pushing the children to take an aggressive style back then, it’s Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir today.

The message has been really plain and loud. After India’s 86-run triumph, you just go out and express yourself—the same thing you do in the nets, the same thing you have done for your franchise, what you have done for your state,” Suryakumar said. “Rest everything stays the same; only the jersey changes and the emotional changes when you arrive here. Simply be yourself.

With a 108-run stand-off 49 balls, the two batters at the core of the action during those middle overs really personified the counsel of their skipper and carried out the plan to perfection. And all they needed was a little time to flip the innings around—that occurred when Mahmudullah delivered a no-ball and sent Nitish into his crisp bat-swinging motion.

With seven sixes, three more than Bangladesh as a whole, the 21-year-old Andhra and SRH hitter hammered. And Rinku told him later about how he would meet him mid-pitch, telling him with a grin, “God’s plan, baby!” each time he cleared the ropes.

Rinku knocked three sixes of his own, bringing the hosts’ total to fifteen. Among T20I versus Bangladesh, it was the most sixes struck.

India outperformed their rival not just with their will to strike big but also with better technique and strength in many respects. This metamorphosis took time, effort, and the agony of a World Cup defeat; it did not happen over night. But now that they have a World Cup victory under their belts, their intention is far more obvious.

“I should credit the coach and captain,” Nitish said at the post-game ceremony. “They advised me to perform in the IPL the aggressive manner solely, the way I did. They bestowed upon me permission. I took some time [at first] and that no-ball arrived; I thought this is my moment..”

India’s surge in the game wasn’t about being a one-trick pony either. Actually, Nitish was 13 off 13 on a surface he had been advised was sticky. Rediscovering his flow with a free-hit six, he waited for the ideal opening to strike, deliberately focusing on offspinner Mehidy Hasan from whom he plundered 26 runs in a single over.

Speaking with Jio Cinema after the game, Nitish dug a bit more into his game plan and his alliance with Rinku: “We didn’t plan too much. Although we were three down and under pressure, we usually prepare in the dressing room where we have to play brave cricket. I suppose that’s what kept me sane. I went slowly; once I spotted the over from which I should strike, everything changed.”

Hardik Pandya arrived at the crease and attempted to clear the very same boundary when Nitish fell attempting to smash one over midwicket. And Riyan Parag came in to try to clear the same fielder as Rinku holed out in the deep. The goal was clearly scoring runs, not on seeing the innings through. It was therefore not surprising that India was nine behind at the conclusion of their innings; however, their all-out attacking strategy brought 221 runs on the board.

What would particularly be appreciated in India given the way the younger generation is adopting the forceful strategy? Indian cricket is, of course, very competitive. Given two players poised to occupy your position, it makes sense why many would go toward a more wary, cautious approach. But what we seen from the young Indian players in this game indicates that the aggressive, fearless kind of cricket has taken root even without Rohit Sharma present to go down the field and demonstrate the way.

This was a performance that really highlighted the T20 batting ability of India under good hands. Safe hands, you said? Never was the intended course of action. By 2024, that strategy just won’t cut it. And India will be happy she’s smarter because Adelaide 2022 taught their lessons.