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India will take on Australia in the World Cup final on
Sunday in Ahmedabad and are undefeated. Their collective mindset shift, which
started in Adelaide last year after they were thrashed by England by ten
wickets in the T20 World Cup semi-final, is what has led to their excellent
performances.
They addressed the issues head on.
Rohit the battering ram
Rohit paved the path. He’s switched up his powerplay
strategy and taken a riskier tack, and it’s worked out beautifully. Immediately
after, Rohit charged at Trent Boult and smacked him through the line and into
the air, negating his swing. He was flipping length balls over midwicket in the
next minute. In just six overs, India amassed 58 runs, with Rohit reaching 45
off 22 balls. It was a crushing blow to New Zealand.
India had the greatest powerplay strike rate in the
competition, scoring 109 runs in the first ten overs. At a strike rate of 133,
Rohit has amassed more than half of India’s powerplay runs (354), during this
tournament.
Kohli’s dream run
The middle order, notably Kohli, who has played in
accordance with the team’s demands, has felt a great deal less strain thanks to
Rohit’s strong approach. He has already overtaken Sachin Tendulkar’s record of
49 in Mumbai two nights ago to take the top spot in the ODI hundreds list.
Having surpassed Tendulkar’s record of 673 from 20 years ago, Kohli now holds
the record for most runs in a single World Cup.
Kohli’s new techniques are straightforward and
robotically precise, and they work incredibly well in a batting line that
features the fire of Rohit Sharma, the consistency of Shubman Gill, the scary
ball-striking of Shreyas Iyer (who has already scored back-to-back hundreds),
and the ingenuity of KL Rahul. He has played the conditions and situations,
while Rohit and the middle order have punched attacks.
The comeback kings
Rahul had feared the worst when he suffered a
hamstring injury in Lucknow during the May IPL. But in August, he was deemed
fit. Iyer was also forced to travel to the UK for back surgery, which left him
essentially immobile for six weeks. After being included in the Asia Cup, he
spent some time in rehab but eventually recovered.
Iyer and Rahul both finally had their spots restored,
but Iyer’s mild dismissal at the start of the World Cup caused public distress,
as Yuvraj Singh, India’s 2011 hero, expressed. According to Yuvraj, he needs to
be more responsible. And ever since, Iyer has been accountable.
He got off to a poor start, but he picked up speed to
record four straight scores of 75 or above. This includes the century in the
semifinal match against New Zealand and later the Netherlands. Iyer’s style of
play against spin has a boldness to it, a measured aggression derived from his
self-assurance in his skills, even with his shortcomings when it comes to short
balls.
Then there’s Gill, who had to immediately call up Plan
B, Ishan Kishan, after missing the first two World Cup games due to a dengue
fever. Luckily for India, Gill was only absent for two matches.
Even though his illness’s side effects haven’t
completely disappeared, he has been an extremely soothing presence. Among the
top five players in India, Gill is the only one without a century to his
credit, yet all four of his half-centuries bore the hallmark of a century.
It all feels like a scene out of a fantasy script as
India gets ready for the final. Gill enjoys hitting there; so far this year, he
has hit three hundreds in various forms. And that included a matchup with the
squad he will play against on Sunday.