A series loss in England, with all of India's problems ( batting. bowling and fielding) coming to the fore was not the best prelude to the World Twenty20 tournament for India.
The washout against Scotland did not help matters either.
For the average Indian supporter, the portends were not good.
And then the match against Pakistan. 1 run to get with 2 balls to go. For all money, India was on its way out of the tournament unless they beat New Zealand and did so handsomely.
And then, magic!
| 19.5 | Sreesanth to Misbah-ul-Haq, no run, short of a length outside off stump, Misbah tries to cut but gets beaten |
| The field comes in, tension writ on Sreesanth's face. | |
| 19.6 | Sreesanth to Misbah-ul-Haq, OUT, it's a tie! Misbah can't get it away and hits it towards cover, Yuvraj runs in, picks up the ball and throws it to the non-strikers end, Sreesanth whips off the bails with Misbah well short of his crease, delirious scenes at Kingsmead |
Which may have been a flash in the pan or Pakistan being Pakistan. And the bowl-out was frankly ridiculous.
And then the old Indian failings came to the fore in the game against New Zealand. 5-91 was allowed to become 190 all out. And 76-1 became 163 - 9.
Normal order was restored. Or so it seemed.
Against England, Yuvraj Singh turned it on ( or should we thank Freddie Flintoff?). 6 sixes in the 19th over was just sufficient to get India over the line ( India 218 England 200).
Things were looking up but the bowling had yet to come to the party. And India had not shown anything substantial for India's supporters ( me!) that they were the real deal.
The clash against South Africa changed that perception. India batted to a plan, did not panic when the going got tough, Rohit Sharma put his hand up with the bat and India reached a fighting score of 154.
Inspite of helpful conditions, there was always the fear that the Indian bowlers would cock this up. They did not.
And the most heartening thing was that the guys displayed big game temperament. They sensed the ebbs and flows of the game better, they played the big moments better.
The fielding was electric, ditto the bowling.
But there was still Australia.
Its been 3 days since the Australia game and I have watched the match ( and its re runs) about a dozen times now and I still cannot fathom how India stared down Australia.
And now this.
| 19.3 | Joginder Sharma to Misbah-ul-Haq, OUT, India! It's all over here! Full and on the stumps. Misbah goes for the scoop shot over short fine-leg. That is a risky shot to play with only 6 needed from 4 balls. Straight up in the air and Sreesanth takes the catch. India have won by 5 runs in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq c Sreesanth b Joginder Sharma 43 (51m 38b 0x4 4x6) SR: 113.15 | |
| 6 needed from 4 balls now | |
| 19.2 | Joginder Sharma to Misbah-ul-Haq, SIX, full-toss outside the off, that's not the place to bowl at this time. Misbah is cool as ice, lines this up and pounds the ball straight back down the ground. This is a baseball style home run. Such incredible hitting under pressure. You have to give it to Misbah |
| 12 from 5 needed | |
More thoughts on the game and India's performance later.. For now, its time for the bubbly !
I've paid my dues -
Time after time -
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime -
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -
But I've come through
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world -
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls -
You brought me fame and fortuen and everything that goes with it
-
I thank you all -
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise -
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race -
And I ain't gonna lose -
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world -
PS :- At the end of it all, somebody needs to teach the Indians how to dance.. They are horrid :).
6 comments:
Congratulations India! Congratulations Homer! Yes, let's raise a toast and bubble ourselves up with some fizz.
So? Malcolm Speed was also prnacing around on the ground.. BCCI has always been the villain for u mate.. I agree taht they havn't done anything significant in life.. But remember one thing, which Board has????? We dont need australians like Ray Bright, we have enough of YOU guys
and the same guys said in the odi wc that we were the worst team ever and we didn't deserve to be in the WC next round.. its the rub of the green that went our way.. maybe it didnt 5 months back.. So does Dhoni become a better captain than RD? I don't really know
namya,
Thanks much for your comments.
Malcolm Speed is the head of the organization under whose aegis this tournament was organized.
And why should his prancing around concern me in any ways?
As regards Ray Bright, at least he has left arm orthodox and an Australia cap in his resume. I can boast of neither :)
And as regards captaincy, from what little I have seen of Dhoni in this Twenty 20 tourney, he has a better grasp of the flow of the game and is more in tune with what is required than Dravid ever was.
Rahul was a good Test captain bordering on the great, the same cannot be said of his ODI captaincy.
Cheers
the game against australia was near perfection. i think the formula for india should be to rile up yuvraj. all those insinuations from shastri and co when he missed the game against south africa made life difficult for the aussies - 70 in 30 balls! and yes, zaheer's the other guy who needs fingering - like with jelly beans.
lol Sumit :)
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