P.S - Detailed post to follow when I come back from cloud nine :)
The detailed post - October 18
Well, the euphoria has almost died down now with Australia winning the one-day series quite comfortably and the focus shifting to other things. But that couple of weeks of T20 WC would forever stay in my memory for a lot of reasons. When I tried to analyze what had happened to our team suddenly to become such a good side, the following came to my mind.
1) The fielding - The very absence of senior players (which was considered to be a major weakness) turned out to be a strength. Hitting the stumps directly did make a difference as the South Africans found out from the hands of Rohit Sharma and Robin Uthappa. In over a decade of watching Indian cricket, never have I seen an Indian team field so brilliantly throughout a tournament. There have always been occasional brilliant performances but none like this one which was consistent over 4-5 matches.
2) Winning from nowhere - It was not as if the entire tournament was a bed of roses. We had to struggle in almost every single match and the ability to come back from losing positions was what the difference was between this team and those of the past. Whether it was the league game against Pakistan or the match against South Africa, we came back from bad positions to ultimately turn the tables on the opponent. The lack of expectations from the public and the fearlessness of the younger brigade were chief reasons for this.
3) Smart captaincy - When Dhoni was handed over the captaincy, I had my share of doubts as to how he would perform. But he rose admirably well to the occasion and going by initial signs, I believe he can go on to become one of the smarter captains India has had. Whether it was keeping the extra fielder inside the circle in the game against Aus (which provided the crucial breakthrough) or making ur inexperienced bowler bowl the last over of the game (reasoning that the pressure would be equally high on the batsman), he promises a refreshing approach to captaincy.
4) A team effort - This is probably the most overused word in cricket and least followed action in Indian cricket. But for once, every time there was a mini-collapse in batting, couple of guys stood up and steadied the boat. Every time we needed a breakthrough, the bowlers provided it. And as already mentioned, unlike so many other times, when there was a chance to be taken, the fielders grabbed it. Dinesh karthik, who otherwise had a limited role cricket in the tournament, pulled off a splendid catch which I would rate amongst the top five catches of all times. At the end, we were left wondering why we can't replicate the same team effort in every match.
Its so easy to analyze now and say why we won. But the excitement each victory generated in every fan's heart at that moment is truly incomprehensible. So how much ever I write now, I can never truly explain how great it felt at that moment. Well done India! At last, a cricket crazy nation got its due! A T20 WC is a good start - Lets go for better things now. Go on guys!
Well, the euphoria has almost died down now with Australia winning the one-day series quite comfortably and the focus shifting to other things. But that couple of weeks of T20 WC would forever stay in my memory for a lot of reasons. When I tried to analyze what had happened to our team suddenly to become such a good side, the following came to my mind.
1) The fielding - The very absence of senior players (which was considered to be a major weakness) turned out to be a strength. Hitting the stumps directly did make a difference as the South Africans found out from the hands of Rohit Sharma and Robin Uthappa. In over a decade of watching Indian cricket, never have I seen an Indian team field so brilliantly throughout a tournament. There have always been occasional brilliant performances but none like this one which was consistent over 4-5 matches.
2) Winning from nowhere - It was not as if the entire tournament was a bed of roses. We had to struggle in almost every single match and the ability to come back from losing positions was what the difference was between this team and those of the past. Whether it was the league game against Pakistan or the match against South Africa, we came back from bad positions to ultimately turn the tables on the opponent. The lack of expectations from the public and the fearlessness of the younger brigade were chief reasons for this.
3) Smart captaincy - When Dhoni was handed over the captaincy, I had my share of doubts as to how he would perform. But he rose admirably well to the occasion and going by initial signs, I believe he can go on to become one of the smarter captains India has had. Whether it was keeping the extra fielder inside the circle in the game against Aus (which provided the crucial breakthrough) or making ur inexperienced bowler bowl the last over of the game (reasoning that the pressure would be equally high on the batsman), he promises a refreshing approach to captaincy.
4) A team effort - This is probably the most overused word in cricket and least followed action in Indian cricket. But for once, every time there was a mini-collapse in batting, couple of guys stood up and steadied the boat. Every time we needed a breakthrough, the bowlers provided it. And as already mentioned, unlike so many other times, when there was a chance to be taken, the fielders grabbed it. Dinesh karthik, who otherwise had a limited role cricket in the tournament, pulled off a splendid catch which I would rate amongst the top five catches of all times. At the end, we were left wondering why we can't replicate the same team effort in every match.
Its so easy to analyze now and say why we won. But the excitement each victory generated in every fan's heart at that moment is truly incomprehensible. So how much ever I write now, I can never truly explain how great it felt at that moment. Well done India! At last, a cricket crazy nation got its due! A T20 WC is a good start - Lets go for better things now. Go on guys!
