With that out of the way, here’s looking back at the almost flawless performance of the Indian team in the tournament:
The Dream Run…
India began their campaign with a rather easy win over arch rivals Pakistan in the opening match of this edition of the T20 World Cup. It was made ‘easy’ by some immaculate bowling, generally by the spinners and particularly by leggie Amit Mishra, with brilliant captaincy by MS Dhoni, which restricted Pakistan to 130/7. In such a game of pressure, it is always the team that keeps its cool that wins the game, and with Captain Cool Dhoni being around, this was taken care of too.
Next, we were up against the unpredictable West Indies. Here, it was good to see India bowling to a plan and all the homework done paid off as the Windies were restricted to 129, a target which our young, but mature top order achieved with utmost caution and precision, playing each ball to its merit. Amit Mishra bagged consecutive Man of the Match awards for his genius with the ball.
The next match against hosts Bangladesh was overshadowed by the developments back home regarding the IPL. But the players showed utter professionalism as they continued their form as a team to beat Bangladesh and become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals.
As is seen in these three matches, a sort of pattern was formed where India would bowl first, restrict the opposition cheaply, and bat sensibly to win the match. Thus, it was important for the team to break the jinx and the game against Australia helped in doing the same. It was the first time in the tournament that India was put into bat first and the Indian middle order was put to test. Unlike the previous matches, it wasn’t Kohli or Rohit or Raina, but the experienced duo of MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh that stitched a century stand to get India to a respectable total of 159/7. Later, it was some irresponsible batting by the explosive Aussies and some brilliant bowling by R Ashwin that helped India bowl Australia out for a partly 86, as India carried their winning momentum into the semis. R Ashwin found his rhythm back as he too, like Mishra, bagged consecutive Man of the Match awards against Bangladesh and Australia.
A Final to Forget…
6TH April, 2014 was a day full of excitement and expectations for both, the Indian team as well as its fans. Unfortunately, the team as a whole had a bad day at the office. Nothing went India’s way from the outset as India lost the toss and were put into bat.
Despite the early loss of opener Rahane, Rohit and Virat mixed caution with aggression to build up a fighting stand as India looked good for at least 150, but it was not to be. After Rohit’s soft dismissal, Yuvraj came to bat at number 4, ahead of Raina and Dhoni. This move backfired for India’s captain, as Yuvraj struggled to connect bat to ball, as he eventually got out for 11 from 21 balls, as pressure mounted on the batsmen to follow.
With only a few overs left, Dhoni himself came to bat, but some excellent death bowling by the Sri Lankans, led by Captain Lasith Malinga from the front, with wide Yorkers to both Dhoni and Virat, restricted India to 130/4. Kohli batted beautifully for his 77.
Even when everyone knew it was a very low score, comparisons were drawn between this match and the famous victory for India in the Champions Trophy finals, where the team had defended exactly the same score.
Although the Indian bowlers in general and R Ashwin in particular, kept picking up wickets, at the end of the day it was the experience of Kumara Sangakkara that got Sri Lanka over the line. It was the last T20 International for Sri Lankan legends Sangakkara and Jayawardane and the team had given them the best possible farewell gift.
Who were the stars?
Except for the finals, the Indian team had a lot to cheer about. To start with, MS Dhoni was excellent as captain, as he almost won a 4th ICC Tournament for India. In the batting department, young Virat Kohli continued the dream form that he was in, in the Asia Cup as he finished with the most runs in the tournament. Also, it was good to see Suresh Raina back in form as he played vital cameos for the team. Rohit Sharma too played a pivotal role at the top of the order to take India to victory. As for bowling, R Ashwin was the star, as he rediscovered himself and came good for the team with his off spin and carom balls.
Who lost the plot?
Poor death bowling…
India is one of the very few teams that have to rely on its spinners even in the death overs of the game. While many would blame Yuvraj for the loss in the finals, I think it was the lack of a reliable pacer that cost us the match. Even when Amit Mishra was taken for many runs in his third over by Perera and Sangakkara, Dhoni had to give him an extra over due to lack of a reliable pace attack which eventually cost team India the match.
Sloppy fielding…
Since the Champions Trophy in England last year, team India boasts of being a very agile fielding side. However, throughout the T20 World Cup there have been many instances of sloppy fielding. Drop catches and misfields have been a feature of India’s performance. These are the small reasons that are the difference between victory and defeat for a team when a match goes down to the wire.
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That brings an end to the international cricketing season for team India. Next up, we have the much talked about Indian Premier League coming up. There is always scope for improvement in the performance of a team. I do hope to see an improved performance by the Indian team in the tours and tournaments to follow later this year. Till then…
-DVS