It’s not easy being an Indian cricket fan today. On the one hand, you’re struggling to keep faith in the Indian Premier League. On the other, you’re given undeniable evidence pointing to how it has done the nation’s favourite sport a world of good.
India’s clinical 54-run victory over Zimbabwe on Friday provided several such reasons. It was the team’s most comprehensive performance on the tour. It is no surprise that it was achieved in a Twenty20 contest, even when almost half the starting XI (five players) was composed of debutants.
The current squad of players may be an inexperienced one when it comes to international cricket but it does not lack any expertise at the highest level of the sport’s shortest format. For players who are used to handling intense pressure in the IPL, it is only logical that a T20 international against a weak opponent shouldn’t prove to be much of a hurdle.
From start to finish, skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s men appeared to be relaxed and in total control. While they did stutter for a bit in the middle overs during batting, Zimbabwe never looked like causing an upset.
The debutant and the veteran
At the forefront of this win on a slow wicket were two clever spinners Axar Patel (3/17) and Harbhajan Singh (2/29), both of whom could thank the IPL for where they find themselves today. Sure, a dearth of outstanding spinners in the domestic circuit played its part but Axar’s entry into the national setup was fast-tracked due to his success in the IPL.
An eyeball-grabbing 2014 season with Kings XI Punjab, in which Axar took 17 wickets at an economy of 6.13, earned him a maiden call-up for the tour of Bangladesh last year. The Gujarat-born spinner (and aspiring all-rounder) was expensive on his debut but his knack of picking up wickets has shone through in India colours too. Axar has been wicketless only once in 18 One Day Internationals thus far. This was his first T20I match.
Against Zimbabwe, he outfoxed two of the opposition’s best players en route a well-deserved Man of the Match award on debut. Elton Chigumbura was castled with a well-disguised arm ball before Sikandar Raza’s hop down the wicket was greeted with a flatter delivery that crashed into his stumps. It was yet more proof of the 21-year-old’s ability to think on his feet, a characteristic that has helped earmark him as long-term prospect for Indian cricket.
Harbhajan’s career, on the other hand, is in revival mode. The 35-year-old’s performances in Mumbai Indians’ title-winning 2015 IPL season earned him an unlikely return to the national team. The tour of Zimbabwe marked his first ODI in over four years and now a first T20I since 2012.
Although he hasn’t lit up proceedings, he has proven to be a worthy selection. Bhajji was a key member of India’s landmark 2007 World T20 triumph. Another chance to feature in the tournament seemed impossible a few months ago, but now it seems entirely plausible.
Earlier, a patchy performance
Not for the first time on this tour, the groundwork for a comfortable win was done early on by openers Rahane and Murali Vijay. The duo effortlessly put on 64 for the first wicket in seven overs. Vijay, in particular, looked to be in sublime touch and a man who appeared to be playing with a sense of freedom missing from his ODI displays.
His fluent 34, cut short by a lazy run out, was stroked at a strike rate (SR) of 178.94 and was by far the best innings of the match. In the ODI clean-sweep, he scored at a SR of 68.80 and looked tentative rather than fearless. What a difference a format can make to your mindset.
Overall, the batting line-up produced mixed performances, with India failing to make the most of a fantastic start. It was only Zimbabwe’s extreme ill-discipline in the field, conceding 25 extras including 13 wides, which allowed the visitors to reach a total of 178. Without those extras, India’s total would have been a par score at the Harare Sports Club.
Robin Uthappa remained unbeaten but his relatively timid approach resulted in only two boundaries in 35 balls. It was evident that the pressure on him to deliver was weighing him down. Uthappa’s 39 runs on the day though were just five short of his grand total from the ODI series.
First-timers’ triumph
There were seven T20 international debutants in the match: Five (Axar, Manish Pandey, Stuart Binny, Kedar Jadhav and Sandeep Sharma) from India and two (Taurai Muzarbani and Neville Madziva) from Zimbabwe.
Only two of these, namely Sandeep and Muzarbani, hadn’t represented their respective countries in the past. It showed too in their nervous three-over spells of 0/34 and 0/36 respectively. Sandeep’s first ball in Indian colours was greeted with utter disdain by Chamu Chibhabha, launching him over long on for six. Three balls later, Hamilton Masakadza scooped him behind the wicket for another maximum. Let’s hope this doesn’t set the tone for Sandeep’s entire career.
It’s now four down; one to go. The final match on Sunday should ideally see Sanju Samson make his India debut and he promises to be an exciting prospect. But who will make way for him? Is Uthappa’s time up? Or does one of Pandey and Jadhav sit out? Answers to these questions lie with Rahane and is governed by his willingness to risk losing a match in favour of Indian cricket’s bigger picture.
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India’s clinical 54-run victory over Zimbabwe on Friday provided several such reasons. It was the team’s most comprehensive performance on the tour. It is no surprise that it was achieved in a Twenty20 contest, even when almost half the starting XI (five players) was composed of debutants.
The current squad of players may be an inexperienced one when it comes to international cricket but it does not lack any expertise at the highest level of the sport’s shortest format. For players who are used to handling intense pressure in the IPL, it is only logical that a T20 international against a weak opponent shouldn’t prove to be much of a hurdle.
From start to finish, skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s men appeared to be relaxed and in total control. While they did stutter for a bit in the middle overs during batting, Zimbabwe never looked like causing an upset.
The debutant and the veteran
At the forefront of this win on a slow wicket were two clever spinners Axar Patel (3/17) and Harbhajan Singh (2/29), both of whom could thank the IPL for where they find themselves today. Sure, a dearth of outstanding spinners in the domestic circuit played its part but Axar’s entry into the national setup was fast-tracked due to his success in the IPL.
An eyeball-grabbing 2014 season with Kings XI Punjab, in which Axar took 17 wickets at an economy of 6.13, earned him a maiden call-up for the tour of Bangladesh last year. The Gujarat-born spinner (and aspiring all-rounder) was expensive on his debut but his knack of picking up wickets has shone through in India colours too. Axar has been wicketless only once in 18 One Day Internationals thus far. This was his first T20I match.
Against Zimbabwe, he outfoxed two of the opposition’s best players en route a well-deserved Man of the Match award on debut. Elton Chigumbura was castled with a well-disguised arm ball before Sikandar Raza’s hop down the wicket was greeted with a flatter delivery that crashed into his stumps. It was yet more proof of the 21-year-old’s ability to think on his feet, a characteristic that has helped earmark him as long-term prospect for Indian cricket.
Harbhajan’s career, on the other hand, is in revival mode. The 35-year-old’s performances in Mumbai Indians’ title-winning 2015 IPL season earned him an unlikely return to the national team. The tour of Zimbabwe marked his first ODI in over four years and now a first T20I since 2012.
Although he hasn’t lit up proceedings, he has proven to be a worthy selection. Bhajji was a key member of India’s landmark 2007 World T20 triumph. Another chance to feature in the tournament seemed impossible a few months ago, but now it seems entirely plausible.
Earlier, a patchy performance
Not for the first time on this tour, the groundwork for a comfortable win was done early on by openers Rahane and Murali Vijay. The duo effortlessly put on 64 for the first wicket in seven overs. Vijay, in particular, looked to be in sublime touch and a man who appeared to be playing with a sense of freedom missing from his ODI displays.
His fluent 34, cut short by a lazy run out, was stroked at a strike rate (SR) of 178.94 and was by far the best innings of the match. In the ODI clean-sweep, he scored at a SR of 68.80 and looked tentative rather than fearless. What a difference a format can make to your mindset.
Overall, the batting line-up produced mixed performances, with India failing to make the most of a fantastic start. It was only Zimbabwe’s extreme ill-discipline in the field, conceding 25 extras including 13 wides, which allowed the visitors to reach a total of 178. Without those extras, India’s total would have been a par score at the Harare Sports Club.
Robin Uthappa remained unbeaten but his relatively timid approach resulted in only two boundaries in 35 balls. It was evident that the pressure on him to deliver was weighing him down. Uthappa’s 39 runs on the day though were just five short of his grand total from the ODI series.
First-timers’ triumph
There were seven T20 international debutants in the match: Five (Axar, Manish Pandey, Stuart Binny, Kedar Jadhav and Sandeep Sharma) from India and two (Taurai Muzarbani and Neville Madziva) from Zimbabwe.
Only two of these, namely Sandeep and Muzarbani, hadn’t represented their respective countries in the past. It showed too in their nervous three-over spells of 0/34 and 0/36 respectively. Sandeep’s first ball in Indian colours was greeted with utter disdain by Chamu Chibhabha, launching him over long on for six. Three balls later, Hamilton Masakadza scooped him behind the wicket for another maximum. Let’s hope this doesn’t set the tone for Sandeep’s entire career.
It’s now four down; one to go. The final match on Sunday should ideally see Sanju Samson make his India debut and he promises to be an exciting prospect. But who will make way for him? Is Uthappa’s time up? Or does one of Pandey and Jadhav sit out? Answers to these questions lie with Rahane and is governed by his willingness to risk losing a match in favour of Indian cricket’s bigger picture.
