Nothing succeeds like success and the way it was achieved against arch-rivals Pakistan by India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener gives Rohit Sharma’s outfit the confidence that they can go all the way in the event.
Down in the dumps at one stage and then overcoming all the odds, several tense moments and crossing the finish line off the last ball must have been nerve-wracking for all the team members.
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And to come to this city and take on minnows Netherlands tomorrow at the Sydney Cricket Ground in their second Super 12 Group 2 match gives them just the sort of breather to recover from the high and play some normal, but equally effective, cricket and keep the winning momentum running.
On paper Netherlands look like easy fodder for a team that is as strong as Rohit’s, but complacency is the last thing the team will indulge in as they go into the second round robin match at the SCG tomorrow.
The first game of the day features two other Group 2 teams, South Africa against Bangladesh, which provides a great chance for the Indians to not only identify the two outfits’ strengths and weaknesses, but also look at how the track behaves.
South Africa are up next for India, at Perth a good distance away to the west on October 30, which will be followed by the match against India’s South Asian neighbours on November 2 at Adelaide.
While Bangladesh defeated Netherlands by 9 runs in Hobart one day after India had stunned Pakistan, another group game between South Africa and Zimbabwe at Hobart could not be completed because of rains and the two teams shared two points equally.
Presently Bangladesh stand atop the group 2 standings with 2 points and a superior net run rate of +0.450 as against second-placed India’s 2 points and NRR of +0.050.
A big win over Netherlands will help India go to the top of the group league table with a superior net run rate.
Skipper Rohit Sharma said at the post match press conference at the MCG that each and every member of the Indian squad got a big confidence-boost from the manner in which the team fought back and won against Pakistan.
“From the situation in which we won, our confidence will go up pretty high. We know that we can from any situation. When we win such a game in the World Cup the confidence of every team member goes up. We will get a lot of confidence boost going ahead,” Rohit said.
It was a big relief to win the opener because of the way the group table has been structured, said Rohit.
“Once you win the first match in the World Cup you get a lot of relief because the way the group table is formed you cannot afford to lose many matches.”
Will there be any change in the playing eleven against Netherlands tomorrow such as Yuzvendra Chahal replacing Ravichandran Ashwin or even going in with the third spinner.
Team’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey was non-committal in his pre-game press conference at the SCG today, but said the team combination was dictated by factors such as the pitch condition and the type of players in the opposition ranks.
“We are looking at the balance of the team. There will be tracks that will have little bit of turn and we are playing second (on the same day and pitch) in some of these games. So, going forward there will be a lot of wear and tear on the wicket. Where we have an opportunity to have an additional spinner, we will go with him (Chahal),” the former India pacer said.
Ashwin bowled tidily for the large part of his three-over spell in which he conceded 23 runs without success. He could have sent back Shan Masood who remained unbeaten on 52 but for the spider camera coming in the way of a popped up catch off his bowling.
Later Ashwin, India’s second-highest wicket taker in Tests, showed calm nerves when he came in to bat to face the last ball of the innings with India requiring two runs to win.
The 36-year-old senior off spinner just ignored the first ball bowled to him by rival left arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz that spun away down the leg side to secure a wide run for the team.
Ashwin, playing in his 60th T20 International, then coolly scooped the next legal delivery straight over the infield for the winning run.
Quite a few questions may crop up if Ashwin is kept out of the eleven in the next game.
Another change that could happen is Dinesh Karthik giving way to left-handed batsman Rishabh Pant to keep wickets and bat in the lower middle order.
In Pant’s absence Axar Patel, who went for 21 runs in one over when Iftikhar Ahmed carted him for three sixes, was promoted up the order as he bats left handed. But the move didn’t succeed as he got run out cheaply. EOM
