9-2 > 10-1

By Rahul Patil

Is there anything worse than going through heartbreak? Yes, it’s suffering two heartbreaks within four days. First the blackcaps on Wednesday and then India on Sunday. Next week when I return to Wellington if you see me roaming around aimlessly on Lambton Quay or Willis Street, be kind, check on me, and give me a hug.

The good thing about India losing the toss was that all the toss conspiracy theories were put to bed and both captains got what they wanted. I am a huge fan of runs on the board in a big game as scoreboard pressure is real. The only problem with that plan is if you don’t get a par total, it puts a lot of pressure on the bowling unit who then start trying too hard to get wickets instead of just bowling good lines and lengths.

In the T20 World Cup in Australia last year India played a new brand of aggressive cricket in the group stage. But in the semifinal against England, they for some strange reason froze and went back into their shell. The result was a 10-wicket drubbing by England. This time around captain Rohit Sharma made sure that he led from the front and stayed true to his word even in the knockouts. He will probably get criticized for the manner of his dismissal, but I have no issues with it. The intent was right. The execution wasn’t. But he made sure that India got off to a flier which is very important in big games.

If you wake up Virat Kohli at 2 am in the morning and ask him to run the ball down to third man for a single, he probably wouldn’t even need to get out of bed to do it. But today that same nonchalant dab down to third man cost him his wicket just after he got to 50. Virat’s had a special tournament. 765 runs in 11 innings at an average of 95.62 and strike rate of 90.31 with 6 fifties and 3 hundreds is legendary. But having followed Virat since his debut I know that he would happily trade in all those stats for the World Cup trophy.

Wickets at regular intervals were India’s biggest roadblocks. It meant they had to consolidate regularly and just when it looked like they would step on the accelerator they lost another wicket. The Aussie’s read the pitch and conditions brilliantly. They boldly chose to bowl first, executed their plans to perfection and made scoring difficult for the Indian middle and lower order.

240 was about 20-30 runs short of par but they were runs on the board and Australia still had to get them. India’s bowling has been astonishing in this World Cup and in the innings break they must re have felt confident of defending the target. But a combination of nerves and some poor decisions played right into Australia’s hands.

At the pmatch press conference Rohit Sharma promised that India would treat this game like any other and not change what has worked for them in the previous 10 matches. Yet at various stages of the game India panicked and failed to practice what they preached. Jadeja’s promotion over Suryakumar Yadav didn’t work. The logic behind it was to keep a right left combination at the crease but they hadn’t tried to do this all tournament so why now?

All tournament India has opened the bowling with Bumrah and Siraj but in the final they gave the new ball to Shami. It was a desperate move. One that said “We feel we don’t have enough on the board and need quick wickets. Shami picked up 7 in the last game so he’s our best bet.” The more you try to grasp fine sand in your hand it keeps slipping through the gaps between your fingers. Desperation for quick wickets is a bit like that. You must put the ball in the right areas and be patient.

Shami struggled to control the new ball and although he picked up a wicket it was due to the horrendous shot played by Warner. People might say what’s the difference between opening the bowling with a new ball and bowling first change after a couple a of overs. I agree it’s a subtle change, but international cricket is a game of fine margins after all. By introducing Jadeja as first change and Kuldeep as a second change India effectively reduced Siraj to a non-starter and he bowled only 3 of the first 36 overs. Siraj is a big game performer like we saw with his 6-wicket haul in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka. It was yet another decision that seemed a bit muddled when the pressure was on.

Its not the first time Travis Head has proven to be India’s nemesis. Earlier this year in the WTC final Head was the man of the match for his counter attacking 163 in Australia’s first innings. Head reminds me a lot of Virender Sehwag because of his technique. He likes staying inside the line of the ball, the feet don’t move much, he’s got brilliant hand eye coordination and he’s got the gift of timing. If you don’t get him early, he will hurt you as long as he stays at the crease which is exactly what happened in Ahmedabad.

When you are defending a small total the only way you can win is by dismissing the opposition. At 47 for 3 India had Australia on the mat and needed to keep them there with attacking fielders but as soon as the spinners came on easy singles were on offer and there were no slips to catch the edges that Jadeja and Kuldeep found.

Australia won because they made the bold decision at the toss, read the pitch and the conditions well, stuck to their bowling plans as a unit, fielded like their life depended on it, and when they were under pressure with the bat Travis Head put his hand up and played and absolute blinder of an innings. Love them or not but you cannot deny the fact that when it comes to the business end of big tournaments, they are the most dangerous side in the world, and they now have six ODI World Cups to prove it.

The Indians were visibly dejected. It’s a hard pill to swallow when you play so well all tournament but have nothing to show for it. Virat Kohli’s player of the tournament the only positive of the final’s day. This could well be the last World Cup for the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin. Thankfully India’s solid bench strength ensures a smooth handover, but the loss of a golden opportunity will take a long time to heal.

Since the 5^th of October I have travelled to 7 cities and passed through 8 states while following the blackcaps. It’s been a once in lifetime experience for me and I have learnt so much through the process. It would have been nice to see either New Zealand or India lifting the trophy but as Magic Johnson famously said “In life, winning and losing will both happen. What is never acceptable is quitting.” I hope you have enjoyed my write up’s as much as I have loved bringing them to you. Until next time – Arohanui.

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