CAN LISTLESS ENGLAND UPSET HITMAN AND CO?

At the halfway stage of the ODI World Cup, Team India stands pretty at the top of the points table with a berth in the semis all but assured. Having won all their 5 matches, India now requires just 2 wins out of the next 4 games to ensure an outright qualification in the top 4. But even one more win might be sufficient to take them through. Of course, given the team’s terrific form and dominance till now, any blip will be a big surprise.

After a comprehensive victory over New Zealand last Sunday, the team has got a well-deserved break and now faces defending champions England who are struggling so badly that they may well be ousted from the tournament if they lose one more game. But India will be looking to continue their momentum and stay as clinical as they have been in the past few weeks.

The New Zealand side were expected to present a strong challenge to the Indian team but that wasn’t so! Kiwi batters laid a strong foundation for a big score, with Rachin Ravindra and Devon Mitchell stringing a 150 plus third wicket stand. But Indian bowlers were up to the task and ultimately restricted the total to 273. Then Indian batsmen, led by Kohli, finished another run chase easily, ensuring that the 20-year unbeaten Kiwi streak against India in ICC events had ended!

It was also the 5th consecutive successful run chase in this competition by India. They haven’t been tested yet batting first and going ahead will likely put themselves in a batfirst situation if they win the toss. Rohit has been in great hitting form, justifying his ‘hitman’ tag. His early assault on the opposition lays the perfect foundation for virat Kohli and company.

India’s batting maestro, ‘King’ Kohli, is now just one hundred short of equalling Tendulkar’s 49 ODI centuries. He lost out on the opportunity in the previous game as he fell just 5 short trying to go for the three-figure mark. But Kohli needs to be slightly cautious of the weak lower order which doesn’t wag. On the night, India were already 5 down and had 4 bowlers following the Kohli-Jadeja pair at the crease. Previously there have been many examples where India’s tail has been shot off in a jiffy.

Moreover, there’s the Malinga record from the 2007 World Cup where he picked up 4 wickets in 4 balls when South Africa needed just a couple of runs and had 5 wickets in hand. While such scenarios are far flung but cricket is a funny game and the Indian batters need to be slightly cautious in a world event!

One of the prime reasons for Indian batters shining is the great effort being put in by the bowlers to restrict opposition totals. Bumrah has been exceptional at the start and then later in the innings. He is a strong candidate to top the wicket takers list this World Cup and has been economical as well. Shami, brought into the eleven against the Kiwis, showed why he is a musthave in every game. He picked up a 5-wicket haul and bowled lethal yorkers in the death overs.

It’s not just the pacers but spinners have found their groove as well - though, a lot of credit must be given to Rohit’s captaincy too. His field placements for Kuldeep have been precise and attacking. Rohit boosted Kuldeep’s confidence even when he was getting hit in the last match and wasn’t shy of keeping a slip when necessary. The result was that despite an initial onslaught, Kuldeep came back to pick up 2 key wickets to finish strongly in an otherwise lacklustre spell.

In contrast to India’s superb performances, their next opponent, England’s campaign has been in shambles! They desperately need a win to stay alive in the competition. Until now, they have been listless and haven’t played like world champs. Interestingly, most English experts have felt that the team was underprepared coming into the tournament. With many ageing superstars in the side, England needs a miracle to now reach the semis. They need to revisit their ‘Bazzball’ style and see if it is at all conducive in Indian conditions!

On current form, India starts firm favourites but as comprehensive victories can bring complacency, Hitman’s Heroes need to be careful. They were excellent in league stages in the 2015 and the 2019 World Cup too. It’s knockout matches that have been the Achilles heel for India. For the moment, Team India needs to concentrate on the 3 matches that they play next week and continue their quest to stay on top of the points table!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Siddhaarth Mahan The writer is a specialist on Sports and Cinema who works as an actor in the Hindi film industry