M.S. Dhoni’s three-second sprint to glory in Bengaluru could well turn out to be a defining moment for Indian cricket. It has the spark to spur the host to get its act together in the remainder of the World Twenty20.
A heart-stopping win like the one against Bangladesh the other night does not come every now and then. It must have added years to a 22-year-old Jasprit Bumrah or a 22-year-old Hardik Pandya but also hardened them as professionals for the bigger battles on cricket fields.
Indeed, sterner tests, starting with Sunday’s must-win contest against Australia in search of a place in the semifinals, are awaiting India in the mega event and the home team must be ready to rise to the challenges.
Tired journeySo far in the World T20, India has not appeared being in the “auto-pilot mode” that took the side on a smooth ride to Asia Cup victory. Instead, it had experienced a hackneyed journey — stumbling, recovering and regaining balance to be on course for a berth in the last four.
If the loss to New Zealand was a rude awakening, the toiling victory against Pakistan was far from comforting. The jailbreak against Bangladesh for a one-run win was even more humbling. It must have taught India to value every run, every catch, every chance and every moment as several lapses had almost let the side down in that engrossing encounter.
India’s batting, considered to be its strength is yet to make an impact in the tournament. That is the primary reason behind the team’s scrappy progress till now. The over-dependence on Virat Kohli is apparent. It is high time the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina performed more consistently.
Top class bowlingIndia’s bowling has been top class. Be it R. Ashwin’s skills or Ravindra Jadeja’s control or Bumrah’s accuracy or ‘bowling guide’ Nehra’s expertise or Pandya’s aggression — the Indian attack has the wherewithal to check the best of batting orders.
Notwithstanding a rare sloppy session in Bengaluru, the host is not far behind in fielding.
India achieving a 3-0 whitewash against Australia down under in January must be fresh in the memories of the two opponents. But they are smart enough to forget the past and focus on the task in hand.
The stakes will be high though considering the level of professionalism of both the sides.
The Aussies shrugged off a shaky start, a defeat to New Zealand and a narrow win against Bangladesh, to give a far more clinical performance to outgun Pakistan. With its top order batsmen — including Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith and Shane Watson — firing and the bowlers — such as James Faulkner, Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood — delivering, Australia looks to be the team on ascendancy.
The PCA Stadium pitch here has favoured the batsmen, while India, coincidentally, has played on spinner-friendly tracks so far. The surface in the middle will invite as much attention as the action on it involving two top contenders for the title.
