Indian Team's Journey in 2019 Cricket World Cup...Game 6...India Vs West Indies

The 2^nd oldest cricketing venue in London the Old Trafford, Manchester   hosting its 50^th match was ready to witness Men in blue battle it out with the mighty Windies in their 6^th outing of the World Cup. The Caribbeans although featuring well below in the points tally could never be taken lightly with self-proclaimed Universal Boss-Chris Gayle in the lineup and few exciting young bowlers as well.

India came into the match with an unchanged side from the last encounter .Virat won the toss for India once again and elected to Bat first. The conditions were absolutely fabulous for Batting with bright sunshine beating on the ground. Early overs from Windies revealed that the used pitch (India played Pakistan on the same pitch) for this game offered no carry or swing.

Initially the West Indian bowlers bowled way too short although Sheldon Cottrell bowled with lot of sting .He is a nippy customer with a unique slinging action. He generates nice pace with steep bounce. Indian Openers Rohit & Rahul started the Indian innings cautiously as is the norm in this WC. India were 17 for no loss after 5 overs.

After the initial slow & steady start, Rohit started playing his shots. The first being a ferocious pull to mid wicket for six of Kemar Roch in his 3^rd over.Rahul also joined the party when he straight drove one in the same over for four.

In the 6^th over of the Indian Innings, Rohit was wrongly given out when a ball from Roch caressed his pad on the way to the Keeper. The replay showed that the ball missed the edge of the bat and took only the pad on the way to the keeper but the third umpire thought otherwise &Rohit had to walk. He made 18 of 23 balls. India 29 for 1 in 6 overs.

Virat replaced Rohit & started where he left in the last match with a crisp square cut for four of Thomas. India 47 for 1 in 10 overs. Men in Blue then collected 50 more runs in the next 10 overs without any more loss of wicket.

Rahul was cruising well when he was bowled on 48(64 Ball) by Holder to a ball which was pitched up and went through his defence.He & Virat together had an impressive partnership of 50 runs.

This brought Vijay Shankar in who immediately went down to business when he drove one through extra covers of Holder for four.

 Meanwhile Virat completed his 37^th run of his inning and broke another record when he became the fastest to reach 20,000 runs in International Cricket beating Sachin Tendulkar & Brian Lara .

India 118 for 2 in 25 overs.

Shankar couldn’t stay for long when he was out on 14(19 balls) caught behind of Roch, giving him his 2^nd wicket of the day. The ball hit the deck and nipped away taking the edge to the keeper Hope. India 126 for 3 in 27^th over.

Virat in the meantime accumulated his 4^th consecutive half century in the current WC & became the first Indian Captain to do so in WC history.

Kedar Jadhav came in after the fall of Shankar’s wicket but was sent back immediately on 7(10balls) by Roch when he nicked one to the keeper, giving Roch his 3^rd wicket. India 140 for 4 in 29^th over.

This brought Dhoni in. All the eyes were on him, after he faced lot of criticism due to the slow batting in the game against Afghanistan. He again tried a big heave of Allen when he was only on 8(15balls), missed it completely but survived as the keeper was unable to break the stumps even in two attempts. India were just not able to up the run rate  all this while & were going on a slow pace with about 4 runs per overs & wickets were tumbling way too quickly.

In the 39^th over, Kohli 72(82balls) tried to pull one from Holder which came in quick & resulted in a catch at short mid wicket.  India 180 for 5 in 39^th over.

Kohli’s dismissal brought Pandaya in and he got off the mark with a spectacular pull of Jason Holder for four to the squarish fine leg boundary. India reached 200 mark in 42^nd over.

The scoring run rate started going up, as Pandaya started playing his shots. Both he & Dhoni together added 32 runs in 5 overs since Pandaya stepped on the pitch.Pandaya 46(38 balls) was eventually caught in deep of Cottrell’s slower ball. India 250 for 6 in the penultimate over of the innings.Pandaya & Dhoni added 70 runs together.

Dhoni then completed his 72^nd ODI fifty in 59 balls & remained unbeaten in the end on 56 runs including two sixes & a four of the last over. India 268 for 7 in their stipulated quota of 50 overs.  

   

West Indies came out to chase the Indian score but Chris Gayle was tied down right from the first ball by both Shami & Bumrah.Both the Indian Bowlers bowled well within the stumps and never gave Gayle any width to free his arms. In order to successfully save the mediocre total, India needed to send Gayle back into the pavilion early. Shami, the hero of the last game against Afghanistan provided just that breakthrough when Chris Gayle tried to pull one from outside the off stump & was caught by Jadhav at Long On. So Gayle storm back into the pavilion with only 6 runs of 19 balls to his credit & WI 10 for 1 in 5 overs.

Shami again struck to claim his 2^nd wicket of the match, when he clean bowled Hope who had come in place of Gayle early on .WI 16 for 2 in 7 overs. Pandaya came in and joined the party when he LBWed newbie Ambris for 31(40) in the 18^th over.WI 71 for 3.

In the 20^th over,Kohli gave the ball to Kedar Jadhav for the first time in this WC. He although bowled just the one over as his fellow bowlers kept cleaning up the Windies wickets. At the end of 20^th over Windies were a paltry 80 for 3 with the required run rate mounting to 6.3

Kuldeep Yadav then took his only wicket of the match in the very next over when he cleaned Pooran by getting him caught by Shami on 28(50). This brought Captain Jason Holder in to the crease, meanwhile WI were 101 for 4 in 25 overs with the required RR now touching 7.

Holder didn’t stayed for long & was cleaned by Chahal for his 1^st wicket of the match. He then took his 2^nd wicket of the match as well when he claimed Cottrell’s wicket. Boom boom Bumrah then came back to bowl a magnificent over where he scalped 2 wickets( Braithwaite & Allen) in 2 balls .These were maiden wickets as well as Bumrah didn’t conceded a single run in the over.

Hetmyer tried to provide some resistance in the fag end but was claimed by Shami for 18(28),giving the bowler his 3^rd wicket of the match.Shami further exceeded his tally by adding 1 more wicket to his kitty when he got the wicket of Thomas. Thus making his tally of 4 wickets in the match.

The collapse resulted in curtains for Windies in the match as well as the tournament. They finally managed to make only 143 & lost to the formidable team India by 125 runs.

MY ANALYSIS-

1. India came into this match riding high on an unbeaten tag & the good news of becoming the ODI world no.1 ranked team. The match against the West Indies was a tricky affair as they could not afford to drop their guard against the unpredictable side like Windies.A team with exciting new ball bowlers & Chris Gayle in the side who on his day can destroy any side single handedly needed to be given their due respect.

2. And respect is what the Indian Openers-Rohit & Rahul gave them initially when Virat won the toss for them & chose to Bat first.Rohit was beginning to loosen up & start playing his shorts when a doubtful decision by the third umpire Michael Gough sent him packing. In my opinion the decision should had been in the favor of the batsman, as the TV Replay was inconclusive and the third umpire was in a hurry to give his decision of out. Wonder how on earth does the third umpire ,inspite of so much technology on hand nowadays can falter with his decision which can change the entire scenario of the match.Inspite of all the technology even if the Umpire is not sure, then the decision should go in favor of the batsman. India could barely recover from this setback during their innings, resulting in a score much less than expected.

3. The pace with which Virat is pilling on runs & breaking records after records, the day is not far off when he will end up being cut above the rest –past & present legends of the game not only of India but across the cricket playing nations of the world. And he is just 30 years of age as of now. Kudos to his fastest 20,000 Intl runs & 4^th consecutive fifty. Talking of consistency!! This is it! He is leading by example and with a leader like him team India is sure to fly higher & higher.

4.K.L.Rahul played well and has very well taken over the mantle of the 2^nd opener after the exit of Shikhar Dhwan.Although not equally flamboyant like Dhawan, but Rahul has the skill to provide a sound start to team India .In a way he is complimenting Rohit at the top of the order considering Rohit is in the purple patch of his career right now. Rahul is getting the starts ,only thing he needs to now convert them into big score & beware of throwing his wicket when he is set(as in previous matches) .He has the technique to face the new ball early on & is just what the doctor ordered for India at the opening slot. Against WI also he & virat had a valuable 50 runs partnership after early exit of Rohit Sharma.

5. Number 4 is still the weak link in the Indian lineup at present as Vijay Shankar has been unable to fill that spot .In the 3 outings till now, he too is getting the starts but is unable to carry on .There will be no surprise if Indian Think Tank feel compelled to bring in Rishabh pant in his place in the remaining league stage matches just to have a look at him before the semis sets in.

6. Kedar Jadhav failed in this match but I believe he has an ability of surprise with a unique bowling action although he has bowled just one over till now in the WC that too in this very match against the Windies.He also has a gritty 50 against Afghanistan coming in at no.6.

7.  Dhoni hit his 72^nd fifty in this match but his strike rate is way below his own standards. Dhoni again misjudged the ball & came out of his crease to hoist one of the park, missed it completely but was lucky to have survived all thanks to WI keeper. His ability to churn quick runs when needed has diminished quite a bit of late. He woke up only in the last over when he hit 2 sixes and a four to culminate the Indian Innings. In my opinion they were 20-25 runs short in the end.

8. Pandaya played his part in the team to perfection & after his arrival on the crease only the Indian run rate picked up which was hovering around 4 close to the 40 th over. He had an invaluable 70 runs partnership with Dhoni in the end & missed his own well deserved 50 by a meager 2 runs. He also contributed with a wicket of his bowling in the 2^nd half of the match.

9.Md.Shami is a changed man after his comeback. He is bowling with lot of accuracy & consistent high 140+ pace. It was heartening to see the windies batsman hopping to his pace. He picked up where he left in the last match against Afghanistan & scalped 4 more victims of his bowling against WI including the big wicket of Chris Gayle.

10 Bumrah kept the Yorkers and the pressure intact from the other end resulting in his total tally increasing by 2 more wickets.

11. Spinners “kulcha” combination bagged 3 wickets between them.

12. On the West Indian side they have a transitional team at their disposal as of now. Barring Chris Gayle, there is no experienced player in the team who can single handedly win matches for them. Gayle also is very inconsistent .He more often than not fails to deliver  when it matters most. They do have their captain Jason holder,Kemar Roch & Carlos Brathwaite in their side but they are still far from playing as a unit to win.

13. Cottrell & Hetmyer are the future prospects for the Windies, they should keep investing in them come what may. Cottrell in particular impressed me a lot with his Bowling.

14. As a whole, Indian Team played as a unit. Although the batters were about 20-25 runs short in the end, bowlers again brought the winning laurels for the team.

Great going Team India. Keep up the winning streak.

Bye for now till we meet again on Sunday 30^th June for the encounter against the home favorites England.

HAPPY READING…    

Indian Team's Journey in 2019 Cricket World Cup.. Game 5..India Vs Afghanistan

Riding high on a splendid win over arch rival Pakistan, India came into this match against Afghanistan thinking it as a cake walk at Southampton.Little, did they knew what is in store for them.

Virat won the toss and chose to Bat on a pitch which he described as hard & conducive to bat; even his Afghan counterpart said he wanted to bat first. India made one change in the playing eleven with Mohd.Shami taking the place of injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Afghanistan opened their bowling attack with the lanky finger spinner Mujeeb –the youngest player of the tournament at 18 years. He proved the Skipper’s decision right when he clean bowled the Indian opener run machine Rohit Sharma in just his 3^rd Over .Hit Man Rohit played inside the line of the ball which pitched and turned just a bit to miss Rohit’s bat and clip the off stump.Rohit barely managed to opened his account this time. India 7 for 1.

Rahul too was scratchy during his stay in the middle .He managed to edge one pass the keeper & 1^st slip of Aftab when he was on 15.India immediately understood that they read the pitch wrong as this pitch had spongy bounce and stroke making would not have been easy on it as the ball was gripping the surface right from the start and Afghanistan had an army of Spinners in their lineup.

Kohli ,who came in to replace Rohit made a statement with an exquisite Cover Drive for 4 of Gulbadin .India 41 for 1 in 10 overs.Rahul could not handle the pressure Afghanistan were building up and tried to reverse sweep Nabi only to be caught by Zazai in the 15^th over. He was on 15.India 64 for 2.

Meanwhile Virat Kohli was going great guns on the other end. He even welcomed the star bowler Rashid Khan with a crisp extra cover drive for 4 when the latter came into bowl for the first time in this match in the 20^th over after the trauma English team has endured on him. India 86 for 2 in 20 overs.

Vijay Shankar recovering quickly of a toe crusher Yorker from Bumrah in the practice nets, came in after the fall of Rahul’s wicket. He survived a leg before decision of Rashid Khan’s wrong one in the bowler’s very first over.

Virat went on to make his 3^rd consecutive fifty in this tournament of 48 balls in the 22 nd over. India 94 for 2. In the 27^th over, Vijay Shankar got out LBW on 29(41 balls) by part time spinner Rehmat.This lead Dhoni to the middle.

Kohli was on 67(63balls) in the 31^st over, when he was caught by Rehmat of the bowling of  Nabi.India 135 for 4.This lead Kedar Jadhav in, who proved once again why at no 6 his place in the team is so vital. 

Jadhav went on to make his 6th fifty in ODI Cricket in just 66 balls.

The ever cool Dhoni looked flustered today and was unable to rotate strike. He even almost got Jadhav run out  in the quest of ever elusive single .Eventually, 2 balls later the pressure of scoring quick runs got to him and he tried an expensive heave over the bowler’s head and found his stumps castled by the keeper Ikram of Rashid Khan. India 192 for 5 in 45^th over. Dhoni scored just 28 of 52 balls.

Afghanistan bowling and catching was good but their outfield fielding was pathetic with lots of fumble and dirty gathering.

Pandaya came in next and went for a meager score of 7 of 9 balls in the 49^th over.Kedar Jadhav got out in the 50^th over just after adding 2 runs to his fifty.

At the end India managed to score just 224 for 8 in their stipulated 50 overs.  

Afghanistan came out to reply had to face the vindictive Mohd.Shami who as if was trying to prove a point , bowled with lot of  venom .He was playing his very first match of the tournament & was constantly clocking 90 mph or above. Who knew he had a big surprise at the end.

Bumrah, Chahal and Pandaya bowled well and took 2 wickets a piece. From the Afghan side only experienced Nabi could present some spine with 52 runs of 55 balls. He stood like a lone warrior between India and win until Shami cleaned him up. Others too got start but could not carry on against the experienced Indian bowling lineup. They surely gave a scare to the much experienced Indian team who mistakenly took the match easy. At the end ,Afghanistan could manage only 213 but won lots of heart by giving India a much needed scare.

Indians cannot take this win with their head high and need to take home few learning from this match. The only highlight of the match was a brilliant Hat trick of Mohd.Shami at the fag end of Afghan inning.

MY ANALYSIS:     

1. What ever they said in the media on the eve of the match against Afghanistan, the Indians never took Afghanistan seriously which was proved during the match. They lacked the intensity and the application they showed against other bigger countries. Whereas Afghanistan on the other hand played much above their standards and managed to scare India .Their strength lies in their bowling and with purchase from the track, they were lethal.

2.Captain Kohli and the Indian think tank read the pitch absolutely wrong when they won the toss and elected to bat ,knowing well that Afghan side has a battery of spinners to milk the condition, which they conveyed well by opening their bowling attack with Mujib.

3. Both the openers, Rohit & Rahul quickly sensed that the pitch is not what they have thought of but were unable to adjust and were found indecisive – a point proved by the way Rohit got out of mujib.

4. Rahul needs to learn fast that after you get your eye in, one need to show restrain under difficult condition and not attempt a foolish shot to throw away your precious wicket. Or is it the relaxation of knowing that his place at the top is secure now after Dhawan ruled out of the WC??

5. Dhoni is a big player and an asset to the team, his forte is quick running between the wicket and keeping the score board ticking (As for finisher tag-he is well past that prime now!). He was found wanting on both today. Never ever in the past we saw Dhoni flustered and unable to rotate strike even in more trying conditions and against better attack. His succumbing to pressure and trying a big heave over the bowler’s head and getting stumped as a result is too astonishing as well, considering it was just the 2^nd time when he got stumped.

6. Kedar Jadhav’s utility in the team is proved in such crunch situations .He plays with a cool head and has a range of street smart strokes in his kitty. He should be retained in the team for long, not forgetting he is a utility bowler with a strange bowling action as well!!When “Kulcha” is thriving on wickets, he can maintain the pressure from the other end making life difficult for the batsman. He can also play the role of the 5th bowler when Pandaya has an off day or any of the lead bowler is getting the stick. He is the type of player in the team who can make Virat’s life a bit easier by providing a superb option.

7. Keeping a lead bowler out of action for so long was in a way a big blessing for Team india.It resulted in, Mohd.Shami coming out firing on all cylinders. He really bowled with lot of venom today clocking over 140kph constantly .He is a brilliant seam up bowler and with Bumrah into the team, I believe the competition is up as to who will bowl the most accurate Yorkers.Shami’s 2 brilliantly accurate toe crushers earned him a memorable Hat Trick today in the final over of the Afghan Innings.

Shami became only the 2^nd Indian Bowler after Chetan Sharma to take a WC Hat Trick.

8. Bumrah continued to prove that he is the Go-to Bowler for India whenever the team is in trouble. Today also he was brought back by Kohli when Afghan Batsman were swiftly taking the game out of India. He proved the captain’s decision right by scalping two quick successive wickets in 3 consecutive balls to bring the match back into the Indian fold.     

          

 9.All in all, not at all a comfortable win for Team India. Lots and lots of take homes from this match. You will not get a belter of a wicket everytime.Where ever the pitch is doing a bit, our batsman need to quickly adjust and play accordingly rather than getting frustrated and throwing their wicket. India were lucky this time as Afghan Batting was not that strong (still they were able to scare India) and Indian Bowlers picked up crucial wickets at important intervals but with bigger and better teams things will be different.

Bye for now!! Till we meet again, after the India-West Indies match on 27^th June…HAPPY READING!!

Indian Team's Journey in 2019 Cricket World Cup.. Game 4...India Vs Pakistan

    After beating S.Africa & Australia handsomely, India were looking forward to face the  Kiwis in their 3^rd outing in this World Cup but rain God played spoilsport and the match washed out without even a single ball bowled & points shared.

This lead India to the most anticipated match of this World Cup – The INDO- PAK clash.

As always, the Media & the fans hyped the match and the palpable excitement was at its crescendo on the eve of the match. The weather forecast was of intermittent rains during the match. With fingers crossed and prayers on the lips for rain God to stay away for most part of the match, the Indian fans from all over the globe started flooding the Old Trafford Stadium much before the start which with 24000 audience capacity seemed smaller then usual. In no time the stadium bathed in complete Blue color with pittance of Green here and there.

With rains staying away for the moment, both the Team Captains went out to toss. Sarfaraz-the Pakistan captain called in correct and opted to bowl first that lead Virat’s Indian Team to come out and Bat in overcast conditions once again. As expected, Indian think tank replaced injured Dhawan with Vijay Shankar who would make his World Cup debut. He was slated to Bat at no. 4, position vacated by K.L.Rahul who would partner Rohit Sharma as an opener.

Both the openers came out and provided a shaky start against quality pace bowling of Mohd.Amir whose first 5 overs fetched only 14 runs. Amir looked way ahead of other bowlers and continued to trouble the likes of both Rohit & Rahul.There was apparently no understanding between the two Indian openers initially as their calling & running between the wickets was all over the place, which almost lead to a horrible mix up in the 10 th over with both the batsman almost stranded on one end. It was with good luck for India that the throw from Fakhar Zaman went to the wrong end and Rohit could scramble to his end safely. Rohit again got reprieve when Shadab Khan’s throw went wide on the batting end in the very next over. It seemed that Hit Man needed just the right amount of luck to go on and post his 2^nd century of this World Cup (100runs of just 84 balls) in the 30^th over and then converted it into a BIG HUNDRED as he always does.

With this century,Rohit became the 1^st Indian Batsman to score back to back ODI 100s against arch rival Pakistan. Earlier Rohit also reached his fastest fifty ever in just 34 balls.

Rohit even gave the fans a nostalgic moment when he hit a six of an upper cut of Hassan Ali’s wide bouncer ala Sachin Tendulkar’s upper cut six of Shoaib Akhtar in 2003 WC.

On the other end, Rahul too didn’t let the absence of Shikhar Dhawan felt as he quickly came into his own to score his well deserved maiden World Cup Fifty.

Together he and Rohit formed a brilliant partnership for the first wicket of 136 runs-India’s highest against Pakistan in World Cup.Rahul quickly fell on 57 of 78 balls of the bowling of Wahab Riaz caught by Baber.

Virat was next in .He too started on a scratchy note. Meanwhile India reached 200 in the 35^th over .Then Rohit attempted a foolish scope shot of Hassan Ali which went straight to Wahab Riaz at short fine leg. He was out for 140 runs of 113 balls in the 39^th over & missed another opportunity of a double century here.

Hardik Pandaya riding on hard hitting form, came in before Vijay Shankar to take the place of centurian Rohit Sharma next. During all this mayhem, Pakistan also didn’t disappoint when they continued with their pathetic fielding performance all throughout.Virat quickly adjusted and scored his 51st fifty of 51 balls in 44 th over. India 276 for 2. Pandaya was not in his elements today and fell for 26 of 19 balls of Amir caught by Baber.

Dhoni came in next and immediately was sent back by Amir on 1 when he was caught behind by Sarfaraz. India’s 300 came in 46^th over with the loss of 4 wickets. Stage was set for debutant Vijay Shankar to come and slog when the sky opened up and rain stopped the game in the 47^th over, India on 305 for 4 and Kohli on 71 of 62 balls.

It was another milestone achieved by Virat Kohli when he became the fastest Batsman to score 11000 runs.

As the game started again after a brief rain break, Captain Kohli did an “Adam Gilchrist act” when he walked to what seemed like an edge caught by the keeper of Amir. The replay showed that the ball neither touched his bat nor kissed his glove enroute to the keeper. It was later found that a loose bat handle might have creaked which made Kohli belief that he edged one to the keeper. He went for 77 of 65 balls in 48^th over.India317 for the loss of 5 wickets.

Kedar Jadhav then joined Vijay Shankar and together they took India to a final score of 336 in their stipulated 50 overs for the loss of 5 wickets. Thereby giving Pakistan a handsome target of 337 runs of 50 overs. Only silver lining for Pakistan, was ace bowler Mohd Amir’s impressive figures of 10-1-47-3.

Pakistan came into bat with a mighty task of chasing 337 runs with an asking rate of almost 7 runs per over. India came into a rude shock when strappy Bhuvneshwar Kumar pulled a hamstring in the 5 th over of the Pakistan run chase and had to go off. It actually turned out to be blessing for India as debutant VijayShanker who came into complete B.Kumar’s over got the wicket of opener Imam, the very first ball he bowled. Imam found himself stranded plumb in front of his wicket and was out leg before for 7.Pak 13 for 1 in 5 overs.

Baber came in next and he and Fakhar showed some resistance as together they added 104 runs for their team, until Kuldeep Yadav cleaned up both Baber(48) and opener Fakhar (62) in quick succession. Pakistan 126 for 3 in 26th over. Then Pakistan’s most experienced due of Hafeez and Malik both went without a flutter of Pandaya again in quick succession. Malik in particular played one on to his stumps the very first ball he faced (might not have liked annoying his wife Sania…Pun intended)

Captain Sarfaraz tried to steady the ship but ever increasing asking rate and a collapse of 4 wickets in the span of 12 runs broke the back of Pakistan. No sooner than Shankar bowled out Sarfaraz for 12, the rains came back again when Pakistan score board read 166 for 6 after 35 overs.

When match resumed, Pakistan needed a steep 136 of 30 balls as per revised run chase (D/L) equation .They finally ended at 212 for the loss of 6 wickets at the end of play and India’s clean sweep continued against Pakistan in World Cup.

MY ANALYSIS:

1.                 In my opinion the Pakistan team in this World Cup is the weakest till date. They lack strength in all the department –be it Batting, Bowling or Fielding. Barring Mohd.Amir, their so called senior players be it Shoaib Malik , Hafeez (Both looked Disinterested) or Wahab Riaz (Where is the spell which shocked Watson in 2015 World Cup??)  Or even Sarfaraz (Who was continuously Yawning and seemed bored…like seriously??) no one is ready to raise their hand and take the onus of pulling the team up. Therefore even the new bees look clueless and lost as there is no one to handhold them. Their fielding pulls the team down, there is no implementation of basics and even the mutual collaboration is missing.

2.                 India on the other hand is a much rounded team and had clear tasks cut out for each player in the team. The Openers know their role well of giving a good start for the team when they bat. They are willing to spend time in the middle and seeing off the new ball and main opposition bowlers. Once they have their eyes in, they can go all out. This leads to Batsman coming after them play with fearless approach, proof of which we saw in Hardik Pandaya’s innings in earlier matches although he had a bit of an off day today.

3.                 Rohit started where he left in the last match .With 2 hundreds and a fifty already in the kitty now, Hitman Rohit Sharma with a bit of luck is looking formidable and dangerous for the opposition teams. What he needs to do is quickly get accustomed to opening with Rahul as Dhawan is out for a considerable time. The uncertainty of today’s running between the wickets should clear off by the next match against Afghanistan on 22^nd.

4.                 Rahul for the meantime is filling the shoes of Dhawan quite well .His technique although is far better than Dhawan which is again a bonus for team India. He needs to collaborate well with Rohit in running between the wickets.

5.                 Virat needs to only curb his “Walking” instincts… Let there be only one Gilly in cricketing history!!

6.                 Pandaya needs to understand that every ball can never be hit out of the park. In this match it became quite obvious that he was just trying to smack every ball out of the boundary line which becomes predictable for the opposition. On bowling front he is a big asset for the team, chipping up with two quick wickets that too of Pakistan’s supposedly batting mainstays.

7.                 Dhoni had one rare off day today; I’m not worried a bit for him.

8.                 It was a memorable debut for VijayShanker, He impressed both with ball (first ball wicket) and bat (run a ball 15*). I’m sure he will prove many people wrong in matches to come, who felt that he is not the right choice and a weak link in the team.

9.                 It was quite heartening to see Kuldeep Yadav back amongst wicket when he cleaned up two quick wickets which turned the game back into India’s favor. Welcome sign for India for future matches.

All in all a stupendous all round performance by Team India. These emphatic wins over 3 big teams will surely put India in driving seat and accelerate them for the semis berth.

HAPPY READING…till the next match…

Indian Team's Journey in 2019 Cricket World Cup.. Game 2...India Vs Australia

So, India came into this match with an emphatic win under their belt thrashing the Proteas in their tournament opener.But they were slated to play against the mighty Aussies in their second game, which can never be taken for granted. With Smith and Warner back into the side the Aussies are a formidable side once again.

Virat won the toss and elected to Bat first.India, understandably came into this match with an unchanged team from the last game.Only doubtful starter in the Indian line-up was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who was a bit off colour in the last game against S.Africa but Virat showed confidence in his spearhead bowler and what a game he had.

The  Oval wicket was slow and low, both the openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan made a cautious start. It was a big game notwithstanding the preliminary phase of the tournament, so they took no chances initially. Although Hit Man Rohit Sharma was lucky to be dropped by Coulter-Nile early on in the innings of M.Starc. There was no swing whatsoever on offer for the Aussie Pacers and they were found clueless and braced for a big score by the Indian Batsman.

India sailed cautiously for about 40 runs in first 10 overs and then 110 runs in 20 overs without any loss of wicket. The stage was getting set for forthcoming batsmen and Aussies dreaded the same as they knew India bats deep. Just then Rohit nicked one to Wicket Keeper Carey of C-Nile .He scored 57 of 70 balls(3 fours and 1 six) and India lost their first wicket at 127.Before getting out Hit Man Rohit Sharma become 4^th Batsman in the World Cricket to hit 2000 runs against the Aussies.

170 runs in 30 overs for the loss of 1 wicket, India was set for something big and were eyeing somewhere 350+ score at the end of 50 overs.Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan for a change played cautiously and well within himself initially and ultimately completed his century of 95 balls when Indian total was 188 for the loss of just one wicket in 33^rd Over.Dhawan and Virat had a solid close to century partnership before Dhawan was finally caught in the deep by substitute Nathan Lyon of Starc for 117 runs(16 fours),India 220 for the loss of 2 wickets in 37^th over . Dhawan became only the 2^nd Indian Batsman after Ajay Jadeja to score a  World Cup Century against Australia.

Meanwhile Virat was going great guns on the other end.Hardik Pandaya came in after the fall of Dhawan’s wicket. He was very lucky to be dropped first ball he faced of C-Nile by Wicket Keeper Carey.The platform was set for promoted Pandaya to go berserk as he did in the last game against the Africans. Before getting out of Cummins, as expected he played a cameo of 48 of 27 balls (including 4 fours and 3 sixes) and a substantial 81 runs partnership with Virat when India crossed the 300 mark in the 46^th over.

In the Meantime, Virat also achieved a personal milestone when he got to his 50^th ODI fifty of 55 balls.Dhoni came into bat after the fall of Pandaya’s wicket and was accumulating runs fast as his nature but was caught and bowled by Stoinis on 27 of 14 balls (3 fours and 1 six)who held a blinder in his follow through in the 50^th over of the Indian Innings. Stoinis also cleaned up Indian Captain Kohli when he got him caught by Cummins when the skipper was on 82 of 77 balls(4 fours and 2 sixes) in the final over.

The Aussies fielded well, but Indians managed a handsome score of 352 for the loss of 5 wickets of their stipulated 50 overs.It was not going to be easy to chase this score considering the pitch was getting slower and lower and Indians  had a good bowling line up to defend the total.

The stage was set for the Aussie’s chase .Warner and Finch came out to open for Australia .Warner got lucky immediately in the 2^nd over of the innings, as he got played on of Bumrah but as it happened on so many occasions in the past too, the bails refused to drop down. Finch got run out by Jadhav of Pandaya on 36.Warner on 56 was scalped by Chahal.

The asking rate was climbing up steadily for Aussies as Smith(69) and Khwaja(42)tried to pull back the game from going into India’s lap. The turning point came when Khwaja tried a vicious pedal sweep of Bumrah  but found his timber dismantled. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then removed both Smith and Stoinis in his one over thereby proving the skipper’s decision to play him in the eleven, correct. Maxwell(28) and Carey(a feisty 55*) tried to steady the sinking ship but could not stem the rising asking rate. Eventually Maxwell perished to Chahal virtually sealing the fate for the Aussies.

It was two in two for the Men in Blue at the end, as India ended up on an inevitable winning note and stands tall with the Kiwis on the points table ,who is the only other team with wins in all 3 of its outing.Aussies fell short of 36 runs in the end.

My Analysis:      

1.       The Indians openers have found a formula ultimately to score big runs by taking their time initially and seeing off the main bowlers of the opposition thereby ensuring they don’t lose quick wicket early on which lead to undue pressure on their middle order(considering their arguably weak middle order is still to be tested in trying conditions)

2.       It was very heartening to see Shikhar Dhawan taking his time and playing well within himself rather than pushing at the ball during the initial phase of his innings. It’s quite ok to play and miss rather then play and get out. This also puts undue pressure on Rohit who likes to take his time before going bonkers.Dhawan is too dangerous when he gets his eye in as it is then when his bat does the talking. If he carries on with this approach forward, India is in with a big chance of playing and scooping up the Cup on 14^th July.

3.       Two  in two for Rohit Sharma!! First a century then a half century, that too against two formidable One Day sides. The Hit Man is surely coming back into his own.   

4.       Virat Kohli got a very good knock of 82 and found himself amongst runs in the 2^nd game itself. You can’t keep a player like Kohli down for too long. Also a skipper among runs is always a good sign for the team.

5.       Pandaya again played a brilliant cameo and is fast understanding what his team wants from him as he walks in .The brilliant performances of the top three literally gives him the license to go out and do what he does best- destroy the opposition.He and Rahul can be swapped of their batting positions as per the need and situation of the game.Rahul a better batsman when it comes to the technique, can grind it out at no 4 when things are not going well for the team.

6.       Dhoni at no.5 is the best thing happening to India right now. The calm, composed and experienced Dhoni can change his game as per the situation of the match and can take the team virtually to the podium finish. Anyhow he is having the last shy at the coveted World Cup Trophy and I’m sure he will give whatever he has.

7.       Bhuvneshwar Kumar coming back strongly is a tremendous sign for both him and the team.

8.       Bumrah is hitting the purple patch of his career, hope it stays with him for long.

9.       The “Kulcha” combo of kuldeep and chahal were a bit expensive but are fast learning to be impactful.

10.  All in all, a brilliant all-round performance by team Blue! They need to take this momentum forward and perform the same way in future games.

11.  For the Aussies, they lost the vital toss, they fielded well but dropped couple of crucial catches when it mattered most. Unfortunately the conditions didn’t helped their bowlers either.

12.  Aussies spin department is quite weak and on these slow and low English pitches, things will be difficult for them from here on.

13.  Aussies Batsmen are top class but they were rendered useless with the ever rising required rate. Not every day you can successfully chase 350+ target that too against a formidable all round bowling attack like Indians.

Next up is the game against the Kiwis who too are unbeaten till now in the tournament. India needs to keep up the good work and stay clear of any complacency whatsoever.

Will meet you all after the next game.

Till then….HAPPY READING!!!