The T20 World Cup is exactly two weeks away, and as defending champions you want every base covered. You want the skipper back among the runs and the entire batting line-up firing. What you don’t want is over-dependence on any one player. For a while, it looked as if India were getting a tad over-reliant on Abhishek Sharma. You seemed to need the young gun to fire for the team to take off – and that’s precisely what you don’t want going into a title defence.
Last night, India aced it. And in doing so, they found answers to every unanswered question. Every box was ticked, and the team is starting to look unstoppable.’
New Zealand had scored a very respectable 209. On most days, it is a winning score. Yes, there was dew, but even then 210 is excellent in any condition and any situation – more so when the opposition are reduced to 6 for 2, with both openers back in the hut, one of them being Abhishek.
India, however, did not bother. The third over yielded more than 25 runs and Ishan Kishan took the fight to New Zealand. He showed no signs of stopping, and some of his shots were screamers that even Glenn Phillips couldn’t manage to stop or lay a hand on. Ishan took on every bowler and, in doing so, allowed Suryakumar Yadav to settle down. The skipper played himself in and got the few balls he needed in the middle to feel assured.
Once Ishan got out and was hugged by Surya on his way back, the skipper took over. Within seconds, he had changed gears. From a strike-rate of just over 100, he pushed it to 250 by the end of the game. Surya was back – and how – and with him every Indian cricket fan must have felt elated and relieved at the same time. Shivam Dube chipped in nicely and, given that he is bowling as well, he is starting to look like a decent back-up for Hardik Pandya.
Two hundred and nine was chased down in 15 overs at a scoring rate of 13 an over. Even 260 could have been chased down by India at the rate they were going. Hardik and Rinku Singh, two of the best finishers in the business, were still in the hut, and India just looked a side that are way too good.
What this victory will do is make a statement to every opponent. Ask India to bat first and they score 240. Bowl first and they chase down 209 in 15 overs. People are in awe of this team, and already the talk is about whether the title defence is very much on.
Let me say what I have been saying for months: India play this format the best at the moment and are serious contenders for the title. With knockouts, you can’t really predict outcomes. But if anyone asks me to pick a winner in a bilateral series between India and any other team, my answer would be India. They are that good and clearly have a major chance at the World Cup.
Finally, with Sanju Samson not firing and Ishan doing what he did, do we see something interesting developing here? Tilak is expected to be back by the fifth game – does it make sense to open with Ishan and Abhishek, with Tilak at three? Gautam Gambhir will clearly be thinking about it as the think tank celebrates Surya’s return to form. These runs will rub off on his captaincy as well and will set up the World Cup really nicely for India.
For more updates on the India vs New Zealand series, follow RevSportz
