One feels sorry for the eternally optimistic Indian cricket fan, who saw his team bow out of the International Cricket Council’s World Cup 2015 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The two semi-finalists were almost matched and the hosts, Australia, were a bit ahead of the title-holders in terms of their mental preparation for the crunch game. Though the home team did show some nervousness, it all vanished when India ran into Steve Smith once again.
The New South Welshman, who was not a certainty in the team a year and a half ago, had feasted on the Indian bowling all through the summer, scoring runs at will in the Gavaskar-Border Test series. Not only did he carve up the Indian attack for a responsible century but also sent Ajinkya Rahane to the dugout by insisting on a decision review when the others were dithering, right when India looked like coming back to the game.
Deluge of blue
The semi-final saw a deluge of Indian fans descending into Sydney from all corners of the world and was labeled as a clash of equals by experts and fans alike. It eventually turned out to be a “one-team phoney war”, as an Australian scribe noted in his pre-game write up.
Australia looked like squandering a superb start given by Smith and Aaron Finch when India dealt a triple blow with Glen Maxwell, Finch and Clarke sent back by an adrenalin-induced act by the bowlers. India, at that stage, did look like having its foot slightly in the door and looked like they would restrict the Aussies to a par score.
The short-ball strategy employed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni did cause a bit of a scare but eventually proved to be destructive as the 30+ runs given by India at the death took the game away from them. What had worked for India in previous crunch games became their death knell in the semi-final.
It was always going to be a tough ask for India to chase 329 runs and though they got a solid start, the middle order caved in under pressure from the Australian bowlers. Skipper Clarke used his trump cards – the two Mitchells – very wisely not allowing any batsman to settle down.
We would have seen a different Indian team had they batted first and may probably have put up a big total but dame luck had decided to discard the blues and go for gold. Skipper Dhoni knows that this a part of the game, seems taken the blow on his chin and has moved on with his lads who were nowhere in the lists of those who predicted winners before the start of the tournament.
A relaxed Dhoni
The Indian cricket fan, however disappointed he may be, must doff his hat to this bunch who came back from nowhere to reach the penultimate stage of the most important tournament of the cricketing world. One saw a different team after Valentine’s Day, playing with aggression, preparation and an intent to win.
One also saw a different, more relaxed side of Dhoni, who continued to remain cool but seems to be enjoying himself on the field of play. The reactions of the two losing captains said it all; while one looked forlorn and devastated after losing a close game, the other was laughing away cracking jokes with the media at the post-match press conference.
Going by their overall performance in this tournament, Indian cricket just may have turned the corner (while playing in foreign conditions) dispelling the ghosts of the recent past. The Indian fan may see team India becoming a “bullet side in 12 months” as predicted by team director Ravi Shastri. Fingers crossed.
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The two semi-finalists were almost matched and the hosts, Australia, were a bit ahead of the title-holders in terms of their mental preparation for the crunch game. Though the home team did show some nervousness, it all vanished when India ran into Steve Smith once again.
The New South Welshman, who was not a certainty in the team a year and a half ago, had feasted on the Indian bowling all through the summer, scoring runs at will in the Gavaskar-Border Test series. Not only did he carve up the Indian attack for a responsible century but also sent Ajinkya Rahane to the dugout by insisting on a decision review when the others were dithering, right when India looked like coming back to the game.
Deluge of blue
The semi-final saw a deluge of Indian fans descending into Sydney from all corners of the world and was labeled as a clash of equals by experts and fans alike. It eventually turned out to be a “one-team phoney war”, as an Australian scribe noted in his pre-game write up.
Australia looked like squandering a superb start given by Smith and Aaron Finch when India dealt a triple blow with Glen Maxwell, Finch and Clarke sent back by an adrenalin-induced act by the bowlers. India, at that stage, did look like having its foot slightly in the door and looked like they would restrict the Aussies to a par score.
The short-ball strategy employed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni did cause a bit of a scare but eventually proved to be destructive as the 30+ runs given by India at the death took the game away from them. What had worked for India in previous crunch games became their death knell in the semi-final.
It was always going to be a tough ask for India to chase 329 runs and though they got a solid start, the middle order caved in under pressure from the Australian bowlers. Skipper Clarke used his trump cards – the two Mitchells – very wisely not allowing any batsman to settle down.
We would have seen a different Indian team had they batted first and may probably have put up a big total but dame luck had decided to discard the blues and go for gold. Skipper Dhoni knows that this a part of the game, seems taken the blow on his chin and has moved on with his lads who were nowhere in the lists of those who predicted winners before the start of the tournament.
A relaxed Dhoni
The Indian cricket fan, however disappointed he may be, must doff his hat to this bunch who came back from nowhere to reach the penultimate stage of the most important tournament of the cricketing world. One saw a different team after Valentine’s Day, playing with aggression, preparation and an intent to win.
One also saw a different, more relaxed side of Dhoni, who continued to remain cool but seems to be enjoying himself on the field of play. The reactions of the two losing captains said it all; while one looked forlorn and devastated after losing a close game, the other was laughing away cracking jokes with the media at the post-match press conference.
Going by their overall performance in this tournament, Indian cricket just may have turned the corner (while playing in foreign conditions) dispelling the ghosts of the recent past. The Indian fan may see team India becoming a “bullet side in 12 months” as predicted by team director Ravi Shastri. Fingers crossed.