That the Indians are by now used to watching our team lose in a knockout game is a given. This has been going on for several decades with a small window between 2007 and 2013, when India won not one, not two but three ICC trophies. It was unprecedented but ever since, the heartbreaks have been quite frequent, mainly because of the increased number of ICC tournaments with the Champions Trophy chipping inbetween T20 and ODI World Cups. However, what transpired on the 19th of November at Ahmedabad, was something if not expected, atleast, unfathomable. It transpired into one more heartbreak for us.
Despair was written all over the face of every Indian player. The defeat would have hurt and severely at that. Tears were shed, both on the field and inside the dressing room. This is the cruel nature of the game. The runs and wickets during the early part of the tournament will feel hollow.
Having said that, this Indian team must also be commended for an unprecedented run of 10 consecutive wins. Quite rarely has any Indian team reached the final rounds without much drama. An overwhelming majority of those times, we always used to depend on someone beating someone else and someone winning against someone else with a lower margin and all that. This time, it was different and it was pleasant. India not only reached the semifinals at the first opportunity but went one better than 2015 and 2019 by qualifying for the final. However, this one more heartbreak for us will linger on in the memory. The 2003 loss in the final against a much better Australian side has still refused to get sober. This one will be the same.
The end of the road for Rohit and Kohli
Nevertheless, the comprehensive wins throughout the tournament, including our nemesis, New Zealand, twice, have given the supporters plenty to be satisfied. Rohit Sharma’s refreshing approach at the top was a welcome move. He persisted with such an approach even in the finals showing how confident was he of pulling off a match-defining innings. If not for a stunning Head catch, he may even have succeeded. It takes a lot of guts to play such a brand of cricket directly in the World Cup when leading upto the tournament, he was more comfortable playing the 1990s game.
Kohli’s extraordinary run throughout the tournament, he ended up as the highest run scorer, was another which gave the Indians a lot of reasons to smile. That he equalled and overtook Tendulkar in terms of the highest number of 100s in ODIs, gave added reason to reminiscence about. How he would have wished for a 150 of that had come in the finals? It would have put India in an impregnable position. Alas, it was not to be. Probably, it is destined for Kohli not to win another World Cup.
This will be Rohit’s and Kohli’s final World Cup. They are unlikely to be recalled into the T20 squad and the next ODI World Cup is 4 years away. I do not expect them to be part of the team in 4 years. Both will be nearing 40 and their reflex will have faded. Both had a good World Cup that they can remember for their batting.
The emergence of Shreyas Iyer and Rahul
The middle order looks quite good at the moment. Shreyas Iyer for all his faults against the short-ball has atleast in India found a way around it. All he needs to do is look at Travis Head who has a similar weakness but has now played a couple of stellar roles in World Cup finals. If he could somehow find a way around his weakness even outside of India, he could continue to serve the team for another couple of World Cups. As for Rahul, I have always advocated for him to come down the order and number 5 is the ideal position for him. He showed what he could do when he came in after a nice platform was built. He could be even more devastating if he could play a few more shots.
The bowling
Shami’s extraordinary run from the moment Pandya was injured was the stuff of legends. 3 5-fer is not an easy feat to achieve. He put India in the final after Daryl Mitchell threatened to hunt down the close to 400 runs target all by himself. He was a man in a hurry. As for Bumrah, he bowled well but in patches. He was threatening but not among the wickets all the time. Kuldeep and Jadeja did their part admirably.
The negatives
Was it all great? Most of it was but all of it, definitely not. Shubman Gill and Surya Yadav made a complete mess of their chances. Gill in particular. Prior to the tournament, a lot was expected of Gill but not only he failed to live upto the expectations but towards the end, he became more of a liability. In the semi-finals and the final, I would have played Ishan Kishan ahead of either Gill or Surya. Far too many chances were given to Gill and yet, he doesn’t seem to appreciate the fact that there maybe other deserving candidates and that he must make the chances count. His body language is so lethargic and languid. He may possess all the shots but if it doesn’t materialise into runs, what is the point of him playing?
Surya’s time must have definitely run out. He just does not seem to be a proper ODI cricketer. From here on, he must be strictly counted as a T20 specialist and nothing more. There is no point in continuing with a batsman who is just not international material. Age is also not on his side and he is not going to be around by the time of the next World Cup. It is better to invest in a youngster.
Wrapping up one more heartbreak for us
Now that we have lost another ICC tournament, things are back to normal. No one knows when India will ever win an ICC tournament. At the other end of the spectrum, you have another country with limited resources when compared to BCCI, who keep on winning World titles for fun.
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