Before I begin Champions Trophy from India perspective, I want to dwell on a statistic that beggars belief. Is this really India that we are talking about? 23 wins in 24 completed matches. That is India’s record in the last three ICC limited-overs tournaments. The only loss albeit a painful one, came in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup against Australia. If only India had managed to defeat Australia in that 2023 final, we will be holding onto all the three prestigious ICC trophies at the sametime. It is something no other team has managed to accomplish. Ofcourse, we will get one more chance next year to defend the T20 title and regain the ODI in 2027. With the players at the disposal, it is not hard to envisage India holding all the trophies by the end of 2027.
However, I do not want to dwell on whether this Indian team is the greatest white-ball team. Well, they are far away from that position. I do know about the West Indies team of 70s and 80s. Yes, they were excellent but they played far too less games as compared to the modern day cricketers but this team cannot be compared to the Australian teams under Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. The records speak for themselves. Australia won not one, not two but three ODI World Cup in succession.
I doubt whether this record will be broken by any team. In two of those, they remained unbeaten. A run of more than 30 undefeated games is a mindboggling record.
However, the Indian team must not only strive to achieve that feat but to better it. The board and the players must consider this as the benchmark and strive to cross it by many miles.
The trophy
That is for the future. For now though, let me analyse the performance of every individual player during the tournament. It is hard to pick the standout performer because of the overall contribution.
The openers
While Rohit Sharma stuck to his method of batting aggressively at the top of the order, Gill stuck to his own method. Rohit’s method did not come off all the time. Eversince he began this approach, his scores have dwindled down to the quick 20s and 30s though the strike rate remains extremely healthy. However, the vital contribution came in the final in which he made the task of chasing a tricky score on a turning surface a little bit easier for the batsmen to follow. The initial assault was magnificent. One always had the thought on the back of his or her mind that Rohit will throwaway his wicket at any point but he went onto post his only significant score of the tournament.
Though I do not want Rohit to go back to his pre-World T20 of 2021, I want him to be a bit careful in his shot selection. His dismissal in the final is a case in point. He felt compelled to go for an almighty swing following two consecutive maiden overs. The asking rate was still in control and he could have afforded to place the ball in the gaps instead of that ill-advised shot. If he could temper such angst, it will serve the team a lot more. Bat aggressively by all means but at the sametime, pick and choose the deliveries. I am reminded of the final in the 2023 World-Cup where a brilliant start was given away rather tamely.
Ashwin all-praise for Rohit, “Rohit’s biggest legacy is not about winning the tournaments. He has won five IPL titles with Mumbai Indians. He has now led India to back-to-back ICC titles. That’s not his legacy. Rohit Sharma has changed the batting frontier of Indian white-ball cricket. That is his biggest legacy,” he said.
Gill is a conundrum
As for Gill, I am not sure what to make of his returns. He is averaging close to 60. That is an extraordinary average but he is often found wanting against the better teams. Even in the 2023 ODI Final, though Rohit fell first, Gill followed him soon enough. He just could not stamp his authority in an important game. Even in this tournament, his number are propped up by that unbeaten hundred against Bangladesh. Though he got a start in the final, he just could not go on and compile a score which could have put doubters to rest. I sometimes wonder whether this average is inflated because of performances against the minnows.
His Test spot is already under the microscope. He cannot force himself into the T20 squad. ODI is the only format he is being considered. If this is his performance in crucial games, I doubt whether he has the gumption for the highest level. Now, if he is made the captan of the ODI squad, I don’t know what to say.
Part two of Champions Trophy from India perspective in the next blog
Other blogs about Champions Trophy
https://icricketcritique.com/indian-champions-trophy-squad/
https://icricketcritique.com/a-fabulous-win/
https://icricketcritique.com/news-from-the-champions-trophy/
https://icricketcritique.com/more-from-champions-trophy/
https://icricketcritique.com/news-from-champions-trophy-2/
https://icricketcritique.com/rahuls-defence-and-ashwins-support/
https://icricketcritique.com/a-brilliant-victory/
