An excellent show, but for the team’s fielding

For a brief period, India appeared to be losing the plot. That it recovered in time speaks for its collective strength. The bowlers delivered. The batsmen backed them too. If only the fielding had not faltered, I would have termed it an all-round excellent show.

During the preceding Test series, the bowlers sprayed the ball. Against the West Indies at Perth, I was glad they came up with a performance that augurs well. The line that the Indians pursued was a huge gain from this match.

R. Ashwin looked the bowler that he is — a wicket-taking spinner with the heart to explore even in one-day cricket. He was not afraid to flight the ball.

The fast bowlers did well but Ashwin was outstanding. He used the over-spin and the bounce to great effect. He employed the side-spin now and then. Then there was the seam-up ball. I had learnt this from watching Bishan Bedi Sir and Maninder (Singh). It can fox the best of batsmen.

The fast bowlers made a big impression. The speed and bounce they generated showed that Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav can be relied upon against stiffer opponents, with Mohit Sharma backing them up well. We have been relying on the batsmen for long and it is good to see the bowlers going for the jugular.

It must be an area of concern that India let West Indies off the hook in the second half of the innings. I expected resistance when the ball got old but I would have preferred the fast bowlers to clean up the other end when Jason Holder was putting up a fight.

We saw a happy end to this tale with Mahendra Singh Dhoni being a part of it at a critical stage. Good that he hung in and finished the job as is his wont. He looked in control right through, leading soundly and carrying India to its fourth victory. The team is looking settled, and winning has become a habit. A welcome trend indeed for the defending champion!