Are batting collapses entirely bad? Not really.

It's the month of July, and it's needless for me to introduce you to the pain we Indian cricket fans associate with this month. 

Still, for those who don't remember, let me help you recall Martin Guptill hitting the Bull's eye from the deep square leg to get rid of a well-set MS Dhoni and hence handing India a painful 18-run defeat in the 2019 world cup semi-final. 

I am seeking forgiveness from my fellow Indian fans for reopening the old wounds. But think once about that match and the 2017 Champions Trophy final as well. 

If I ask you to name what's responsible for all our agonies on these two ill-fated days, you'll most probably answer 'a top order collapse'. 

Now let's ask ourselves, how many times have we, the Indian fans, cursed the batting collapse for our team's failure on the biggest of the big occasions? If collapse were a person, we probably would've wished the worst for it. 

But, are batting collapses entirely bad? 

To find a reasonable answer to this query, let's make our way back to 2022. 

We witnessed India's most recent top-order collapse in the third ODI against England. The target of 260, which we expected to be a cakewalk for the men in blue, seemed unachievable within the wink of an eye as India were reduced to 72 for four, falling to Reece Topley's bowling masterclass for the umpteenth time in the tour. 

The pitch was assisting hit-the-deck bowling to the core, and England had their tails up with three top-quality pacers breathing fire. 

What we saw next not only thrilled us Indian fans but also rolled the clock back to the days when our middle order was studded with the likes of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni.  

We witnessed a certain Rishabh Pant rising to the occasion and guiding India home with a smile on his face inside 43 overs. Hardik Pandya also got his fair share of credit for a counter attacking 55-ball 71. 

Now let's analyze the scenario from Rishabh and Hardik's perspectives. 

Had the Indian top order not collapsed, these two wouldn't have had the opportunity to face the crunch situation. 

By digging a bit deeper, we can understand the role of batting collapses in preparing clutch players. Every player is advised to play the situation in cricket. So, it's pretty simple to understand that if he's not exposed to an on-field crisis, he won't ever learn how to deal with it. 

So, going this way, we can reason our world cup failure in another manner, like the astounding success of our top three in the bilaterals forbade us from preparing a set of clutch players who could win matches for us in case the top-order failed to fire. 

Hardik and Rishabh were in the playing XI based on their extraordinary skillsets, but they didn't have ample prior experience as chief rescuers.  

So, the collapse that day was meant to help India in the long run, letting them prepare a formidable middle order that could bail them out of troublesome situations.        

ALSO READ: ‘It would’ve become too much for him’, McCullum backs Ben Stokes' ODI retirement

If we now look at our stalwarts, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, all are on the wrong side of the thirties and marred with inconsistencies in ODIs in recent times.  

But are they droppable from the world cup squad next year? I bet they aren't, considering their glorious past and colossal stature. 

If they somehow fail to rejuvenate themselves, India will literally depend on their middle order to bring the decorated trophy back home. 

So, in that context, the collapse of our top order in bilaterals holds significant importance. I'm not against our top three getting their mojo back. Instead, I am labelling collapses as a crucial part of the game, as they will not only make our middle-order players skilled in dealing with challenging situations but also make them familiar with them.  

Collapses are just like mock tests preparing players for the world cup's biggest examination. It's a collapse that creates Yuvraj Singhs. It's a collapse that instils nerves of steel in MS Dhonis to stand and fight it out for their teams in a world cup final. A warrior finetunes his warfare skills only by fighting a mini battle. So, in short, the top-order collapses are those little battles that make the middle-order well-equipped to succeed in the world cup war.  

ALSO READ: IND vs WI | 1st ODI | Who could be India's game changer?