On Sunday night in Nagpur, an edge-of-the-seat thriller in Nagpur helped India stay alive in the three-match Twenty20 International series against England. It was edifying in that moment, but in an odd manner, like defeat in the first game in Kanpur, victory here was counter-productive.

That loss made sure India would again pick a lethargic, old even, playing eleven for this frenzied format. This win – taking the series decider to Bangalore –further assures a continued run for the oldies.

The question emanating from Kanpur was obvious – what is the future for India’s T20I team, with the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni playing on since forever, and the likes of Rishabh Pant and Mandeep Singh not getting a look in? The question emerging from Nagpur is equally important. In light of Amit Mishra and Ashish Nehra plotting a magnificent comeback for India, can experience be disbanded so easily?

Repeating the mistakes

Never mind the purpose of this T20I series, the answer lies in equilibrium, and the awareness of intelligently balancing out things. It cannot be denied that India’s selection in Nagpur was flawed again. From the very outset, this misjudgement was clearly visible. Both Pant and Mandeep missed out, while Manish Pandey was once again listed to bat at No. 6, moving up to No.5 only because of the top-order collapse.

It was almost as if the team management was hell bent on repeating its mistakes from the first game. Surprisingly enough, post the loss in Kanpur, skipper Virat Kohli had highlighted that his move to open the innings was a temporary move in the absence of Rohit Sharma. If so, why not revert to his normal No. 3 slot and give Mandeep a go?

India’s openers have been caught in a time warp off late. There are too many of them around – five (Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit) across formats, seven if you consider Gautam Gambhir and Parthiv Patel as well (ignore Kohli). Talk to them and they will tell you this competitive scuffle for limited spots is only a boost for them. Is it really so?

Too many openers spoil the broth

None out of Vijay, Dhawan or Rahane have kicked on in the opportunities they have been afforded this season (across formats), which is increasingly worrying. To the point however, Rahul has ebbed and flowed in his inconsistencies as usual. Mostly, he has been guilty of trying too hard in the limited-overs. Perhaps the absence of an enforcer (like Rohit) at the other end has affected him.

It could be seen in the One-Day International series, when Dhawan/Rahane failed at the other end, and Rahul would try to pick up the scoring with uncharacteristic shots. It was the same in Kanpur too. Here, Kohli’s early dismissal forced him to retreat a tad. The pitch played its part as well. Shot making was not easy, particularly down the ground, and he had to bide his time.

Did it help Rahul regain some semblance of form as he etched out an impressive half-century? Maybe, maybe not, for the answer will be hidden until the opening partnership at Bangalore.

It did reinforce the team management’s belief in him though. They were keenly looking out for one opener to make a semblance of impression, and this knock will be enough to grab a spot in the eventual Champions Trophy squad. The less said about the following batsmen, barring Pandey, the better.

In a way, it was a throwback to the 2016 World Twenty20 opener against New Zealand. The Jamtha wicket was slow and low, as it usually is, but lacked the bite from that particular game (or maybe there was not ample spin quality around in comparison).

There was just enough in the pitch to make the middle overs vital. India scored 62/3 from overs 6 to 15. England scored 68/1 in comparison. It underlines the big-hitting contribution.

Experience is important, but at what cost?

India were dependent on Raina, Yuvraj and Dhoni to fire. They failed. England were dependent on Ben Stokes to come good, especially since their openers misfired. Surviving a first-ball duck thanks to Mishra’s no ball, Stokes put on 52 runs off 34 balls with Joe Root and almost made it work.

Forty-one runs were needed off 30 balls then, and somewhere amid the engrossing din emanating from the stadium, you could hear one of the commentators call out that Stokes could go big any time. You saw a precursor of that, when he whipped Jasprit Bumrah’s full toss for a four. Late dew in the evening only made the task enviable for India’s pacers.

This is where experienced seeded in once again. Nasser Hussain was happy to point out the need for pitching the ball, and forgetting the yorkers for once. It took a veteran of Nehra’s calibre to put this in practice. All his six deliveries in the 17th over were pitched nice and proper, with variations of pace worked in cleverly, showing his young partner how to do it. Oh, and he got rid of Stokes too!

It makes for a momentary pause in the narrative. But for his bowling duties and experience, Nehra could not be hidden on the field. His attempts at chasing the ball and preventing boundaries were an embarrassment to Kohli’s bold claims of “building the fittest and best fielding side in world cricket”.

India continue to rely on weary bodies in this most energetic format of the game, but for how long? Sure, you cannot dispense with the entire array of old-timers in one go. Can there be selective progression though? Pant for Dhoni, Mandeep for Yuvraj maybe, if Nehra is too valuable to be left out just yet?

Bumrah’s sensational last over

This debate was pushed back for a later time thanks to Bumrah’s sensational last over. He has been a prized bowler for India for the past year or so, maturing into a death bowler of sharp expertise. Recently, he had been off colour a bit, and yet he fathomed his entire knowledge of such situations into this boiling finish.

In doing so, he rescued Kohli from uncomfortable questions. There is no need just yet to build for the next World Twenty20, for the riches of Indian Premier League mean there is always a handsome bounty of talent available ready to be plucked.

The underlying point though is in moving on from the past and affording chances to the youth, much like what England have done in their quest for an adventurous limited-overs’ record. Thanks to a series-equalling victory, India’s own journey of this trim has been delayed again until further notice.