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Indian Team's Journey in 2019 Cricket World Cup.. The Semis...India Vs New Zealand –The Sudden Death Stage

After winning 7 out of 9 league matches, India catapulted to the coveted no. 1 position in the points table & was designated to face the Kiwis in the First Semis of the WC 2019 at Old Trafford.

 According to me it was advantage for India to face NZ rather than England as England was a much better side out of the two.Moreover, our match against NZ in the league phase was a wash out too.


A fresh pitch at Old Trafford was set to witness the competition between the two Nations. The conditions were Off & On overcast with forecast of rain intermittently through the Game.
With fingers crossed & excitement galour the two captains went out for the toss.NZ won the toss & choose to BAT FIRST. The toss was vital because the stats were heavily in favour of team batting first (16/4) at this venue. India played two games at this venue & won both batting first.
Now the Indians fans were in dilemma as to whether India will play an extra Batsman or an extra Bowler today.Virat made the all important decision with only one change from the previous match by playing Chahal in place of Kuldeep .
 In my opinion seeing the overcast conditions only 2 pacers were a bit too tight, India should have played Mohd.Shami as well. With 14 wickets in 4 league matches he has performed exceedingly well & deserved a spot in the playing eleven. Neverthless, Kohli & Team Management thought otherwise & went in with 3 specialist bowlers (Bhuvi, Bumrah, and Chahal) & 2 all rounders (pandaya & Jadeja).
Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened the bowling attack for India & almost got Martin Guptil LBW out the very first ball he faced. To me the ball was missing stumps but in excitement Virat took the review & eventually lost it.Guptil survived.
NZ start was a tentative & over cautious one, as first 2 overs were played maiden by them. It was surprising to see such a subdued start from the Kiwis in the all important Semis.
Bumrah took Guptil’s 1(14) wicket in the very next over when he got him caught in the slips by virat. Guptil’s dreaded form in this WC continued.
This brought Captain & ever dependable Kane Williamson into the crease; together he & Henry Nicholls steadied the ship after the early fall of wicket. They both contributed a vital 50 runs+ partnership before Nicholls 28(51) was clean bowled by Jadeja.
NZ 69/2 in 19TH Over.
After this the NZ scoring was so slow that 1st boundary came after 14 overs (14th over & 28th over) .Literally they played the match like a test match during this phase.
Meanwhile, Williamson completed his 50 (79) in the 30th over with just 4 fours in that inning.
NZ 113/2 in 30 overs..
The scoring was very slow inspite of the NZ’s two most dependable & experienced  batsman on the crease( Ross Taylor & Williamson).There was a partnership of again 50 runs between both of them in the 31st over.
Virat brought back his spearhead Bumrah again in the 32nd over in search of a wicket. He almost did what his captain desired when Taylor nicked one to Dhoni who dropped  an easy chance.
Ultimately Chahal proved his inclusion in the team right when he got the dangerous Williamson 67(95) caught by Jadeja in Gully in the 36th over.
NZ155/3 in 40 overs with a run rate of less than 4.
Hardik pandaya cleaned up Jimmy Neesham 12(18) caught by Dinesh Kartik in the 41st over & completed his quota of 10 over for 55/1 .He did fairly well for a batting all-rounder.
Ross Taylor completed his 50 (73) & also hit the first & only six of the NZ innings in the 44th over.
Taylor survived LBW appeal of Bhuvi, but Grandhomme 16(10) was not so lucky & succumbed.
NZ 202/5 in 45 overs.
They scored at a brisk pace of almost 10 runs between 40-45 overs, prior to 40th over NZ were scoring less then4 runs per over.
It was in 47.1 overs when NZ was 211/5, heavens opened up & it started pouring heavily. The match could not be started later in the day & eventually it was decided to resume the match next day which was a reserve day.  
 Taylor & Latham resumed the match the next day on a bright shining morning. Jadeja sent Taylor 74(90) back to pavilion by a superb direct hit of Bumrah.
NZ 225/6 in 48 over.
You can’t keep Jadeja out of the action for long when he again caught Latham 10(11) the very next over of Bhuvi.  It was a spectacular catch to watch.Virat too caught Henry 1(1) at the boundary of Bhuvi again in the same over.
NZ ended their innings with 239/8 in 50 overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the Most Successful Bowler for India with figures of-
10-1-43-3
Rest of the bowlers shared 1 wicket each between them.
India started the run chase; suddenly the pitch started behaving differently. The same pitch which was offering no lateral movement what so ever the previous day was full of life & bore teeth.
Rohit Sharma 1(4)- the most successful Indian Batsman in the current WC with 5 centuries under his belt already, could barely open his account & was sent back by newbie Henry in the very 2nd over.
Kohli 1(6)-the best Batsman in the world came & went back as he was LBW of Boult.
The NZ bowlers sensing the opportunity pressed the pedal.
Rahul 1(7) –the Centurian of the last match became the 2nd victim of Henry when he was caught behind by Latham.
India 5/3 already!!
The stadium was in complete silence as the crowd sensed the inevitable. The Formidable Top 3 for India were already back in the pavilion & the middle order was exposed at the worst possible time.
Rishabh pant who came after the fall of Kohli’s wicket, tried to stabilise the situation with his natural attacking batting.
Dinesh Kartik 6(25) came & perished too, unable to sustain the situation giving Henry his 3rd wicket.
India 24/4 in 10 overs.
I was expecting Dhoni to come up the order just like in the WC 2011 Finals (may be even before Rishabh pant considering this was the WC Semi-finals).
India lost only 4 wickets in all power plays until this match in current WC & in this match India lost top 4 in first 10 overs.
Ferguson came in first change & almost got Pant caught at short mid wicket by Neesham in the 13 th over.
Pant & Hardik tried to resussect the Indian Innings with a close to 50 runs Partnership before Pant 32(56) was caught of Santner at mid wicket boundary who was Put into the attack only after the 20th over.
India 71/5 in 23rd over.
Dhoni finally came in (too late according to me).
India needed 169 runs in 162 balls (almost run a ball) which by Dhoni’s standard is a cake walk according to me. With Pandaya Playing alongside Dhoni & Jadeja still to come in, there should not have been any Problem.
Pandaya finally gave in on 32(62) when he was caught by Williamson at mid wicket of Santner in the 31st over.
India 92/6needing 148 of 114 balls (about 8 runs Per over-still gettable).
This brought the warrior Jadeja into the middle. He immediately swung into action & hit Neesham for a mammoth six. 
Next 9 overs Produced 58 runs for India (almost 7 runs Per over-thanks to Jadeja’s swashbuckling Innings) All these overs Dhoni only nudged & Pushed along playing the second fiddle to Jadeja when he could have contributed more in the Jadeja’s lone attempt to bring India closer & closer to victory. 
India 150/6 in 40 overs….90 runs of 60 balls needed (still gettable with dhoni’s standard)
Meanwhile Jadeja completed his well made 50(of just 39 balls)
India 188/6 in 45 overs52 needed of 30 balls (still gettable with experienced dhoni still in along with jadeja firing on all cylinders)
42 needed in 24 balls
37 needed in 18 balls(only 5 runs came in 6 balls- Dhoni still didn’t tried any big hit)
Ultimately Jadeja succumbed to the enormous pressure of run chase & finally lost his wicket trying to up the ante caught by Kane Williamson of Bolt in the 48th over..He made superb 77(59) with 4 fours & 4 sixes.
India 208/7 in 48th over….32 needed in 13 balls.
With Jadeja back into the Pavillion, all eyes were now on Dhoni but he disappointed as is the norm in this WC .He could only add 8 more runs to the team’s total & misjudged a double & was found short of his crease of a brilliant direct hit from Guptill.
India 216/8 in 49th over…
Now, when was the last time we saw dhoni misjudge a run & getting run out..Have a look at Dhoni’s score –50 of whooping 72 balls with a single four & a six.
The game was over for India by now who eventually made 221 all out in their quota of 50 overs.Well short of 18 runs from victory.
With this loss India’s hope to win the 2019 WC came to rest.  




MY ANALYSIS-
·        The Indian Team’s dream run in the 2019 WC came to an abrupt halt with a loss in the Semis .The story of a near perfect journey through the League stages was too good to be true considering there middle order wasn’t tested & law of averages finally caught  with them in the worst possible time.

·        At the outset, losing the crucial toss was one of the factors in India’s loss in the Semis. India had won all their matches in the league stages when they had batted first.

·        India gave away crucial runs between 40-45TH over(at a rate of 10 runs per over) during the NZ innings & a total of 84 runs in the last 10 overs.It is where I believe India loosened their grip of the match & gave away vital runs which ultimately proved  costly. Prior to 40th over NZ were scoring below 4 runs per over.


·        The top 3 in the line-up Rohit (5 Centuries & a Fifty), Rahul (1 Century & 2 Fifties & a 48) & Virat (5 consecutive Fifties) together took India through in all the League matches. It’s unfortunate they all fell at the same time when India needed them most. In hindsight all the 3 were victims of superb deliveries ably supported by overcast conditions & lively pitch.



·        Rishabh pant is a new kid just out of blocks in the ODI’s, expecting him to take India past the finishing line was too much to ask for. He is work in progress & India needs to play this fearless talent on a regular basis. I see a “vintage Dhoni” in him .He did not shied away from playing his natural game trying to take the attack to the opposition inspite of  India being in a precarious position at that time  . I strongly believe that the time has come to blood him in the Indian Team in place of Dhoni as a regular wicketkeeper batsman. He should bat at no.6 or 7 and can solve India’s problem of “Finisher” when Dhoni makes way for him.



·          Dinesh Kartik, to me is a misfit in this whole lineup, barring his superb fielding in the outfield he was unable to contribute much of the limited opportunities he got in this WC. Expecting him to finish the job is too much actually, he can be a support in a run chase rather than be a finisher. I doubt he will be given a chance again as Rishabh pant is all set to take Dhoni’s place. India could have played Mohd.Shami in place of Kartik who was in prime form all throughout this WC. Overcast Conditions & Fresh pitch would have been God sent opportunity for Shami and India would have stopped the Kiwis for much less. 

·        Hardik pandaya’s intent was correct but he still has to learn a lot about how to pace an innings & put a price on his wicket. He is a newbie with tremendous potential both with the Bat & Ball & will learn as the time goes. He needs to take the blame partially today as he along with Chahal gave away 118 runs between them while bowling  which is almost half the total of NZ Score.

·        Ravinder Jadeja is somebody who impressed one and all today. Infact he is the only silver lining in an otherwise gloomy day for India. This man can Field brilliantly, Bowl in a jiffy & Bat like a Warrior. He showed just that today. Jadeja singlehandedly almost snatched the victory from the Kiwis mouth. Till the time he was in the crease, the Kiwis were in 2 minds about their victory. He succumbed to mounting pressure ultimately as Dhoni was unable to accelerate the run chase from the other end. I wish Jadeja should have played more matches in this WC. Jadeja should be a certainty in the playing eleven from now on come what may as players like him contribute in all the 3 departments of the game & are a big asset to the team. He brings something extra to the table every time he is in their & I believe Team India badly needs his presence in the team at all time.

·          Bumrah & Bhuvi did their bit with Bhuvi picking 3 vital scalps to Bumrah’s 1 & justified their role in the team.

·         India missed one specialist bowler as both HARDIK & CHAHAL went for lot of runs .Had there been Shami in the team, these vital runs could have been saved. I believe India let NZ score 20-25 runs more which eventually were decisive in the end.  

·        This brings me to Dhoni a veteran of 350 ODI’s who by all means is a Legend & the greatest Finisher of all time the game has ever produced. He has contributed enormously in all these years & taken India out of the rut numerous times.

But today I’m going to concentrate on his current WC performances & will present to you some facts –

1.     He batted in all the games he played at no.5 or 6.What happened in the semis??

2.     He was unable to rotate strike with the ease he is known for. We saw him succumbing to mounting pressure & getting stumped(against Afghanistan & then almost against WI)  as well as almost getting his batting partner run out (against Afghanistan)

3.     More often than not Dhoni was found unable to finish the games (against SA & then against NZ).

4.     Dhoni was found to lack the ability to up the scoring rate even when India batted first (against WI).

5.     Dhoni’s big hitting abilities have also gone for a toss in this WC. He woke up late (in the last over)even in league game too (against WI & then against NZ in the Semis), leaving things way too late when it is difficult to cover the lost ground.

6.     His keeping skills were also found to be wanting, dropping catches at important junctures (against NZ in the Semis).

7.     Dhoni’s guiding abilities (especially to Kulcha duo) was also nowhere to be seen as in the past when they both where hammered away for record runs (against England & again in the semis against NZ when pandaya & chahal were being hammered around).

8.     His ability to judge whether to go for DRS or not is also not that sharp ,India on more than one occasion lost the all important DRS due to wrong judgement of Dhoni(latest being against NZ in the Semis).

9.     Dhoni in his last 3 innings (against WI, England & then NZ) was NOT OUT in the end with India loosing 2 out of 3 encounters.


I’m not against Dhoni & don’t deny his greatness & contribution to the Indian cricket but for me every player in the team has a specific role in the game & Dhoni’s role was of a “Finisher”- a role which he has performed to the tee all this time enroute to the WC but he is found wanting when it mattered most in this WC.

He being the experienced campaigner could have guided India to go all the way lifting the coveted Cup.

In the semis as well, when the top 3 (Rohit,Rahul & Virat) fell cheaply, Dhoni should have taken the onus & could have come even ahead of pant( I don’t buy this reasoning that batting lineup & changes are done without taking Dhoni’s opinion)  .With coming up the order ,Dhoni would have got ample opportunity to play his game of nudging & pushing & keeping one end safe which is now the style he pursues more often with hard hitting  pant, pandaya & Jadeja to do the job of finishers for the team later on. But he chose to delay his coming in the ground & eventually when he came there was no urgency on his part to take team India across the line instead he preferred to play second fiddle & saw India loosing in front of his eyes.

A lot of learning for Team India & time to think about the future “Finisher” to take the country ahead. As for Dhoni, it’s high time he thinks about his future.

Good bye friends!! Till we meet again ….


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