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So, the super eights are done, the semi finalists decided and the speculations over. What the world was waiting for is now out; Sri Lanka, West Indies, Australia and Pakistan go through.
India and South Africa are two names of note which were expected to make the cut but failed. So, for the third straight time, India has failed to make it to the semis after winning the inaugural edition.
We couldn’t have had a more fascinating finish to the super eights. It was good to see India at least managing a win in the end after failing to restrict the Proteas to 121, which could have seen them making the cut in place of their arch rivals Pakistan. There was a huge cheer from the Pakistani fans once South Africa crossed the 121 run mark, ensuring Pakistan go through. India’s performance cannot be termed as bad. In fact, it was pretty good, winning 4 out of 5 games. But it is disappointing to see such a team not making it to the semis.
There are certain flaws in the format of the tournament. How else would you explain a team that has won 4 out of 5 games being out of the tournament? One thing that could be done is bringing the points from the group stages into the super eights. But, given the format and the rules, you are supposed to do your bit and try to win it.
India committed certain mistakes in the course of the tournament as well as even before it started which led to the downfall. Here, we look at some point of note:
Team Selection
India never got their 11 right. Even though they won 4, they had a flawed 11 every time they were out there. Not playing Sehwag against the Aussies is of utmost note and also playing 3 spinners at a venue where there was always a danger of rain. A spinner will always find it hard to grip a wet ball, especially a leg spinner. Hence, Chawla’s inclusion raised eyebrows, if there was any left, with his inclusion in the 15. India went in with 5 bowlers on 2 occasions, but the wrong person made way. Rohit Sharma has been given immense chances and for all the talent he has, he needs to perform and take things a little seriously. He seems to be a little casual which is not acceptable. May be he should have made way for the 5th bowler and India should have fielded Bhajji. India showed the confidence to open the batting with Pathan, but, not at No.7, which leaves me flabbergasted. To be honest, Pathan can give you 2 or maximum 3 overs up front but isn’t good enough at this level coming later on in the innings. Hence, a 4 bowler theory out of which 1 is Pathan is a little surprising. My ideal line-up would be:
Sehwag, Gauti, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Raina, Pathan, Harbhajan, Ashwin, Balaji, Zaheer.
Batting Order
India haven’t made full use of their batting order. There are no doubts Yuvraj has been bowling really well, but his batting has been suspect. Hence, Dhoni should have batted higher up at No.4. His game is such that he could have got his eye in and then flourished in the death overs, playing a finisher’s role. We saw him come up in the batting order in the ODI World Cup 2011 final ahead of Yuvraj when he was in prime form. So, when now he isn’t, why not is the big question.
Poor Captaincy
From team selection to the batting order to the on-field decisions, Dhoni made some elementary mistakes. Firstly, against the Aussies he didn’t open the bowling with Pathan who could have made best use of it. Instead, he went in with Ashwin for 3 overs who was finding it hard to grip and was trying too much. Against South Africa, India were looking to defend a meager 121 and should have gone in with his premier bowlers up front trying to take wickets. Instead, he brought Rohit Sharma on to bowl ahead of Ashwin. Then in the middle, he saved overs from Zak and Ashwin and then looked to defend 153. He should have gone in and attacked with them. Also, the fielding positions are to be questioned. There weren’t many saving singles and you won’t defend 121 if that is not the case.
Forgetting the bigger cause against Pakistan
Ignorance is bliss in certain cases, but not here. Not many people are talking about it but India did not look at the big picture. India were in the ascendency and had secured the match against Pakistan, yet slowed down with eight wickets in hand. India were looking to get a win, but lost focus of the bigger picture. India should have upped the ante and tried getting to the total as quickly as possible with eight wickets in hand. It would have done no harm to the NRR and may have changed the equation, since, the teams involved were India and Pakistan.
Failure to click as a unit
India never really clicked well as a team in the tournament. India never really had a good outing as a batting unit or a bowling unit or even a fielding unit. It was one batsman one day, one another, one bowler one day, one another, never really clicking together and hence, not to much avail.
Too reliant on a single batsman
The much talked about Indian batting line-up consisting of big stars, failed to deliver. India were always reliant on Kohli to score big runs, while other chipped in a few runs but not contributing significantly. Even Yuvraj was good with the ball, but failed as batsman, when much was expected of him.
Poor Bowling
India were never known for their bowling, but to win a big tournament or even a game, you need to bowl decently if not well. But, India failed miserably on this front. Ashwin was good in the initial matches, losing a bit of spark as the tournament progressed. Zak came good later on in the tournament and Yuvraj was good throughout, but you are not going to win games with only 2 bowlers bowling well. The pressure needs to be maintained throughout, else the batsman would be waiting to hit you out of the ground. For all the good work Balaji has done, to be honest, he needs batsman going after him to get a wicket. He doesn’t have a trick up his sleeve and relies too heavily on his slow balls, which batsmen are prepared for and read.
These may be the possible reasons, but unfortunately, in life there are no ifs and buts. One has to accept what has happened and be honest about the fact that the two best teams from the Group made it to the semi finals.
