For me, the way Rohit Sharma started for India was the most telling statement, and one that had a huge bearing on the game. He got 40 off 24 balls, but the manner in which he got those runs broke South Africa’s rhythm and shredded any plans that they had in place. Virat Kohli was brilliant as always, scoring 61 runs more than Rohit in 97 more balls. In this World Cup, Rohit has taken it upon himself to up the ante right at the top. There are two reasons for that.
On the subcontinent, with two new balls, the start of an innings is the best time for the counter-attack. Secondly, Rohit has a young opening partner, Shubman Gill, and he does not want him to take any risks and lose his wicket. That is the reason why Rohit does not have the big scores that he had in the 2019 World Cup. He has taken it upon himself to do the most difficult job, so that everyone else can enjoy the benefits. Against South Africa, India were 50 for no loss in five overs, and that opened the floodgates.
I think South Africa missed a trick by not starting with Kagiso Rabada because everyone was aware what Rohit was going to do. In that scenario, you needed your most accurate, experienced and best fast bowler at his throat right away. Lungi Ngidi was slowly taken apart, and Marco Jansen succumbed to the pressure of the occasion. He has been exceptional for South Africa in this World Cup, but the class of Rohit and what he could do threw Jansen completely off his rhythm.
Rohit has sacrificed his personal numbers by taking a more aggressive and risky approach. He has done the hardest job for the batting unit, and while his statistics are not as eye-catching as they were four years ago, the impact could well be much more, if India go on to lift the trophy for the third time on November 19.
Kohli came in at an ideal time. Great start, bowling plans haywire, and South Africa half on the mat. And he just made sure that things went further south. It was a masterclass in how to construct an innings. The deck at the Eden Gardens was a sticky one. Kohli played out Keshav Maharaj – 10 overs for 30 runs in a World Cup game against India is a story he will tell his grandchildren, especially after he sent back Gill with a peach. It was the greatness and cricket smarts of Kohli that saw him play out Maharaj, and feast on the others.
He made batting look like a buffet, picking his favourite dishes and just about tasting the others. Shreyas Iyer was also superb. He has taken a bit of flak of late for his shot selection, but on Sunday, his innings oozed class. On a tough pitch, he made batting look easy and matched Kohli shot for shot, something easier said than done. Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja played a couple of gems to put the icing on the cake, as King Kohli got his 49th hundred. The cream always rises to the top, doesn’t it? In 2011, he carried Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders. On Sunday, he stood shoulder to shoulder with his idol. That is what dreams are made of.
This wicket suited India more than South African, for sure. That said, it was India’s pace attack that stifled the South African batters. Any attempt to replicate Rohit’s innings just did not happen. Quinton de Kock, in the form of his life, got nothing, no freebies. For me, it’s this aspect of this Indian team that gives me the most hope that they will go all the way. Jasprit Bumrah was mean, Mohammed Siraj venomous, and Mohammed Shami a smiling assassin. Gosh, how good are those three together?
That brings me to the question I keep asking myself in such situations. How much would India’s batters get against the bowling attack on this pitch? I reckon about 240, which, as it panned out, would have been enough. Now, if South Africa’s bowlers had bowled to their batters, I reckon they would have got around 270. This is all hypothetical. But we keep harping on about India’s batting, but the bowling has been rock-solid. That makes the job of the batters so much easier.
When you have a strong bowling attack and bat first, you know that anything that is par or slightly below it might be enough. So there’s no added pressure. But when you don’t have the bowling, then the batters know they need to get 40 more than par. In the pursuit of those runs, they often succumb and fall flat.
India have bowled out the opposition in six of their eight games so far. That is an outstanding stat considering the bat-friendly conditions on the subcontinent. It’s the bowling that has been the bedrock of this team and its success. Kudos to the management, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and everyone involved with Indian cricket for making sure that all these players, so vital to India’s campaign, are all on the park, fit and in full flow. Several of them were injured in the 12 months leading up to the World Cup, and there were doubts over some of them making it back in time. Often, the NCA stays in the background and never gets the credit it deserves. Well done to VVS Laxman, the boss there, and his entire team for silently doing their job and making a vital contribution.
Kohli deservedly got the player of the match. But if there was ever an award for the best supporting player, my vote would go to Rohit. He was at the heart of making sure that things spiralled out of control for South Africa. He started the movement, and history often teaches us that those who light the torch don’t stay till journey’s end, whether that be an invention, a revolution or even a war. Many may think Jadeja a more deserving candidate, but 327 on that pitch was like 500.
The knockout games will have their own challenges, but for now, every Indian cricket fan will sleep easy.