India have problems at the top and tail

What do England's football team and India's T20 side have in common?

Though they play different sports, there seems to be a common thread. Both teams bring together the best club players in their country, and both tend to underperform at international level. Like with England's Premier League, India too boasts the world's most hyped T20 league, which should in theory make for a world-beating national side, but unfortunately that's not the case.

India have lost five of the their last six T20 games. The two losses in as many matches against South Africa exposed a few cracks that need urgent attention. The World T20 is five months and 10 games away, and if India are to repeat the heroics of 2007, they'll need to address these issues.

The lack of an explosive opener is clear. Worryingly, there isn't an option waiting in the wings. Mayank Agarwal, Manan Vohra or Robin Uthappa might have been options if any of them was regularly going at a strike rate of 170 or thereabouts, but since that's not the case India must make do with existing resources, which means either Ajinkya Rahane or Shikhar Dhawan opens with Rohit Sharma, and at least one of them assumes a slightly different role than he is used to. A slowish start doesn't hurt in a 140-145 run game but when you're chasing or setting a big total, the first six overs are crucial.

Rohit, Rahane and Dhawan open for their respective IPL sides, so it's convenient to assume that scoring quickly must come naturally to them. However, the fact is, these batsmen have explosive partners in the IPL and these three play the role of anchor - someone who's assigned the job of batting deep into the innings. For India, all three can't play the anchor role. Rohit seems to be the man with the ability to shift gears more easily than the other two, which means it might make sense for him to assume the role of aggressor, while Rahane or Dhawan bat steadily alongside.

The back end of a T20 innings is just as important as the Powerplay overs. In T20 matches the No. 6 batsman faces 12 balls on average, and the No. 7 batsman, eight. Does India have batsmen at those positions who can hit sixes right away? MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina used to be able to, but it's evident that these days Dhoni needs a little more time to explode. His strike rate in the first 15 balls in T20s in 2015 is 111.82, the lowest it has been in six years. He has expressed the desire to bat higher up the order, and if he does, it will leave a hole in the lower order.

Currently Ambati Rayudu is assigned the job of finisher, but can he hit sixes at will? I'm not convinced. His strike rate in the first 15 balls faced is, like Dhoni's, 111. Rayudu is an asset for Mumbai Indians because he gets to bat higher up the order, but if he's asked to bat only 10-12 balls every game, he won't be able to make an impact.

There's a need to find an explosive player for his slot. I propose Hardik Pandya. He strikes at just over 165 in the first 15 balls he faces, and though the sample size for him is relatively limited, his exploits last season for Mumbai Indians have given me hope. He seems to have the power and the know-how when it comes to hitting the long ball from the start of the innings. And he has been able to do it against top-quality bowlers, including fast bowlers. Anyone who wants to bat at the death must possess the ability to hit sixes against pace bowlers, for you won't usually find spinners operating at that stage.

Kedar Jadhav is another option India might want to consider. While he isn't explosive in the David Miller or Kieron Pollard mould, he does have the ability to find the fence quite regularly in the death overs, and it is something he has done regularly for Delhi Daredevils.

In spite of a few holes, India's batting looks reasonably formidable, for it does feature players who can win T20 games on their own. And the beauty of T20 cricket is that often you need only a couple of batsmen to fire to win most games.

The same can't be said about their bowling, for every over is 5% of the innings, and every over of a bowler is 25% of his quota. Those figures drive home the importance of having five proper bowlers in the side. In fact, there's even merit in having a sixth good bowling option in the XI, because one bowler having an off day in T20 cricket is par for the course.

India's bowling revolves around spin. It is led by R Ashwin, who is in the form of his life. To judge the form of a spinner in T20s you must focus on the ball he bowls right after getting hit for a six or a four. Bowlers brimming with confidence are likely to slow it down further, while the rest fire it in. Ashwin is slowing it down, and that indicates he's in a good place. The best part about his effectiveness is that his success doesn't solely depend on assistance from the surface. Against South Africa he was as potent in Dharamsala as he was in Cuttack. For the rest, the surface does play a huge role, and if it's a 180-plus pitch, they tend to go the distance.

India don't have two quality new-ball T20 bowlers. That keeps the runs flowing from one end, affecting Bhuvneshwar Kumar's potency in the process. Ashwin can only be used in the first six if there are three spinners in the XI, which calls for a spin-friendly surface.

India reached the final of the last World T20 without being stretched, because most of the matches were 140-run games and spinners ruled the roost. If the pitches in March for the World T20 are similar, India's bowling attack will have fewer headaches. Still, the issue of the last four overs is likely to be a concern. India have 10 more games in which to find a bowler who can bowl six yorkers at will. Ashish Nehra did a reasonably good job in the IPL and he could be an option along with Bhuvneshwar to bowl at the death.