For the last couple of years, cricket fans have watched with fascination a four-horse race that has emerged among the people tagged as the “future of cricket”. Intensely gifted and passionate cricketers in the form of Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Virat Kohli have already set the cricketing world ablaze with stellar performances at a mind-boggling consistency.
Though distinctly different with their own styles, the big four of the next generation have one point of similarity between them. None of them are the mindless sloggers who were initially expected to dominate T20 cricket.
All four are in fact classical batsmen more fond of manoeuvring the ball into gaps; playing and improvising upon textbook cricketing shots. Yet they have managed to accumulate incredible strike-rates and have shown the world that it is the best batsmen who dominate T20 cricket.
All four of them are consistent across all three formats of the game and have their respective teams heavily relying on them already. So, were they able to fulfil the expectations on them and how did they fare in the all-important T20 World Cup? Let us have a look.
Steve Smith
Australia led by Steve Smith had come into the tournament hoping to win a trophy that they have never won. Yet it was not to be. The hurdle remains unconquered for Australia as they faltered yet again and crashed out of the tournament after losing to India in their final group match.
One of the reasons why Australia failed to progress was because some of their key batsmen did not do enough. Vice-captain David Warner was in horrendous form while Glenn Maxwell failed to produce the fireworks.
Not least among these disappointing causes was the form of their captain Steve Smith. Smith seemed to be in good knick and striking the ball well but failed to produce the goods when it was most required.
Against Pakistan, Smith was the architect-in-chief as he scored a splendid 43-ball 61 to power Australia to an imposing 193. But he did precious little in the other three matches coming away with scores of 6, 14 and 2. Smith scored 83 runs from his 4 matches at an average of 27.66. Clearly not what you expect from a player like him.
Verdict: His lowest points in the tournament came when he was foxed by Mustafizur Rahman to be bowled round his legs followed by another failure against India as he fell cheaply to Yuvraj Singh. For Australia to do better, a more sound contribution was needed from their skipper. Smith failed to inspire his team unlike what Kohli or Root did in the tournament.
Rating: 4.5/10
Kane Williamson
Williamson is arguable of the best players in the world right now who had an unreal year in 2015 in which he kept scoring runs for fun. The Kiwis were heavily reliant upon Williamson in the tournament to give them a solid start.
Thus, there was a lot on his plate as he was leading his team in a major ICC tournament for the first time after the retirement of their maverick veteran skipper Brendon McCullum.
Williamson was spot on with his captaincy in the tournament. From making changes for suitable conditions (going with the third spinner on spin-friendly pitches) to rotating his bowlers well, Williamson stepped in well into the big shoes of McCullum and led the team with great finesse. New Zealand in fact, looked like the team to beat until they were upset by England in the semi-final.
Williamson, however, would have dearly loved to have scored more runs with the bat. He kept getting starts and looked in good nick in every game with his drives and flicks demonstrating the importance of class batsmanship even in the T20 format. The Kiwi skipper, however, failed to kick on and get any big score.
Williamson ended the tournament with scores of 8, 24, 17, 42 and 32 from his five outings. He ended up scoring 123 runs in his five matches at an average of 24.60. The fans had expected a lot more from him. Maybe the added pressure of captaining the side at the big stage ultimately got to him.
Verdict: Williamson will be bitterly disappointed that he did not convert his starts into big ones. Some more runs in the semi-final could have especially had a crucial role to play. The Kiwi batsmen failed to score big runs in the tournament but it was their bowlers led by Santner and Sodhi who did remarkably well. Williamson needs to have the plaudits for his captaincy.
Rating: 5/10
Joe Root
Having grown from strength to strength, Joe Root is very much at the heart of the new England team now. The England team look like a much revamped and classy outfit now having undergone a radical makeover after their disappointing performance in the world cup last year.
A bunch of young players who play fearless, exciting cricket, Root is very much the spine of this batting order and adds composed flair to the side. Fans were looking up to him coming into the tournament and he did not disappoint. His display batsmanship skills left everyone mesmerized.
He was consistent throughout the tournament and got runs whenever it mattered. The English opener was the architect of the masterful run-chase against South Africa at the Wankhede when England overhauled an apparently impossible total of 229.
Root was at the centre of it all; playing incredible shots including nonchalant scoops that sailed for sixes. He scored a brilliant 44-ball 83 which was a match-winning effort.
Against New Zealand in the semi-final, he calmed the nerves after a stutter and scored a crucial unbeaten 27 to take his team to the final. While the entire batting order collapsed in the final, Root stood tall scoring a brilliant 54 to ensure that the there was a total of substance on the board.
He seemed to be the surprise package with the ball as in his first over he sent back Charles and Gayle to put the Windies on the backfoot. He did everything he could have done for his team and was unlucky to end up on the losing side. He finished with 249 runs from his 6 matches at an average of 49.80 and a strike-rate of 146.47.
Verdict: Root put in a good shift during the tournament and did everything that was asked of him. From scoring runs continuously and even picking wickets when required, Root showed why he is one of the best players in the world right now. He was also a serious contender for the Player of the Tournament award but lost out to Virat Kohli.
Rating: 9/10
Virat Kohli
Going into the tournament, a billion Indian hopes rested on Virat Kohli and he certainly did not disappoint them. In fact, it can be said that he ended up doing more than anyone could have wished for. But unfortunately, he got very little support from his teammates at the other end.
The much vaunted Indian batting line-up failed to fire throughout the tournament. Whilst India’s opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan flopped time and again the middle order comprising of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh did very little to help. Amidst all the mayhem, it took a Herculean effort from Kohli as he stood tall to take India till the semi-final stage.
He missed out in the opening game against the Kiwis that saw India succumb to an embarrassing defeat in an easy run-chase. After that, Kohli seemed to be a man on a mission. Against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens, India had lost some early wickets when Kohli took on the mantle. He played masterfully against Amir and Irfan to score a match-winning unbeaten 55.
Against Australia in the virtual quarter-final, he revved it up a notch to score an incredible 82 off 51 balls. India looked down and out at one stage but Kohli launched a rare onslaught in the final three overs to leave the Aussies shell-shocked. He continued the good work against the Windies in the semi-final as he scored a blistering 47-ball 89 to take India to 192 for 2.
The Indian bowlers, however, let the team down as the West Indies romped home quite easily in the end. In an unlikely move, Kohli bowled the 14th over and removed the well-set Johnson Charles off his first ball conceding only 4 runs in that over.
He also surprisingly was handed the last over but could not repeat the unlikely heroics again. But he has carried India on his shoulders in the tournament.
Verdict: Kohli showed how gifted he was as a batsman as he played normal cricketing strokes to find the gaps and yet managed a strike-rate of 146.77 in the tournament. He finished with 273 runs from 5 matches at an average of 136.50 and was adjudged the Player of the Tournament.
Many early and perhaps unfair comparisons with Tendulkar have begun to surface already. Kohli would, however, hope that he gets more support from the other batsmen around him and does not have to win matches single-handedly for India.
Rating: 9.5/10
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