Image Source- AP
2 for 3. Fans of India may have experienced memories
to 6 for 2 and 5 for 3 on Sunday as they witnessed Mitchell Starc and Josh
Hazlewood destroy your top order.
that’s possible that you begged whatever power you
believe controls the daily course of the cosmos, “Please, don’t do it
again.” No more, please.
This wasn’t a World Cup semifinal or Champions Trophy
championship game. In a World Cup with a format that permits teams to recover
from early defeats, this was India’s first game. However, you had no desire to
see this or to relive the anguish of a not too distant past.
The significant differences between this match and
those other matches became more apparent as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul guided
India out of trouble with a fourth-wicket stand of 165. Kohli had survived a
tense early period that included a loose drive at a 13th-stump delivery and a
missed opportunity from a top-edged hook.
Two aspects of this India side are fundamentally
different from those of 2017 and 2019.
One was that India had the ideal attack for the
circumstances. They lacked outright wicket-taking prowess in the middle overs
at the 2017 Champions Trophy, but this was most definitely not the case then.
They paid the price for playing on flatter fields when Sri Lanka chased down
322 against them in the group stage, and Pakistan easily reached 338 for 4 when
assigned to bat in the championship game.
The bowling was less of an issue in 2019, but at the
Old Trafford semi-final, where it was seaming and overcast, their speed attack
may have struggled in comparison to New Zealand’s.
India now possessed three seamers, including Hardik
Pandya, who was a much better bowler than he was four years ago, and three
spinners, each with a completely different style that combines accurate control
with the ability to rip the ball. R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav
are all competent Test spinners; the majority of other spin assaults at this
World Cup are made up of white-ball experts. This was a turning field that
rewarded Test-match attributes. Given that they only have two frontline
spinners in their lineup, if you count Glenn Maxwell, Australia has a serious
problem. Adam Zampa’s lack of control in this game was a crucial factor in
India’s eventual victory.
India restricted Australia to a total that was
significantly lower than what may have been a testing total because to the
calibre and experience of this assault. India knew that even at 2 for 3, two
strong partnerships would get them back on track.
This brings up the second significant distinction
between the India of today and the India of 2017 and 2019. The early
retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in 2017 pushed an older and far
past his prime Yuvraj Singh to the crease. The next three hitters were MS
Dhoni, who was beginning to slow down, Kedar Jadhav, who had only played in 12
ODIs prior, and Hardik Pandya, who had played in just seven.
In 2019, Dhoni was playing in what would be his final
ODI and was two years older. Their middle order also contained reserve keeper
Dinesh Karthik, who entered the lineup as a specialist batter after missing the
majority of the league phase, and Rishabh Pant, who wasn’t on their original
roster and was their fourth No. 4 of the competition. Their starting lineup for
the semifinal was completely different from the lineup they used to start the
competition.
India had Rahul at No. 5 on Sunday at Chepauk, where
he has consistently played throughout the tournament and where he averaged
50.43 prior to this World Cup, Hardik at No. 6, who has significantly improved
his ability to build innings over the past few years, and Jadeja and Ashwin at
Nos. 7 and 8. This World Cup middle and lower middle order may not be the most
powerful, but it is unquestionably one with talent, experience, and batters
playing roles they feel comfortable in.
India in 2023 will be better prepared to bounce back
from such an incident. Their batting has significantly fewer gaps, and their
bowling, particularly on moving pitches, won’t likely concede much more than
par. They are the favourite to win this World Cup because of this.
Of course, there is no assurance that it will be
carried out. India might still advance to the semifinals or championship game
before falling to a strong foe. To do that, however, the adversary may have to
exert all of their physical and mental strength, as this India team has an
inherent resilience that distinguishes it from its recent predecessors in the
world competition.