There is something really cool about Team India these days. No, we are not talking about the weather in Dharamsala, where fog stopped play for a brief phase on Sunday. Nor are we talking about the cold weather up North, where a 2pm start may have been poor planning for a World Cup match of this magnitude against New Zealand.
New-generation fans and old-timers are getting used to phrases like “cool dude” and “bro”, watching the Indian team win match after match. Five wins in a row, getting past the Black Caps without Hardik Pandya in the XI – that is really cool. Frankly speaking, Mohammed Shami, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the troika which plotted the win against the Kiwis, are not youngsters. They are in their 30s, past the stage of being addressed as ‘dude’ or ‘bro’.
But then, if you are part of this generation which has grown up on Twenty20 white-ball cricket, the whole approach to the game is so different. T20 is instant cricket, like taking in a movie at a mall. All over in a few hours, as you munch popcorn, drink Coke, burp and head home. ODIs are still more traditional, longer and a bigger spread is served. There is much more to it than flashes of brilliance.
Yet, what has caught the eye of millions of fans the world over in the last two weeks is how Rohit, Rahul Dravid, the coach, and the gang have plotted the run chase like modern-day cops in action with GPS aids. There is a method to it, backed by great confidence and unflappable temperament.
Till now, touch wood, there has been no sign of anyone hitting the panic button. For a man who was in cold storage till Sunday, Shami came out smoking. At 33, with the hairline receding and a mild bulge in the midriff, he looks “unfit” to be a fast bowler.
But the magic which Shami produced was something else. Bowling over the wicket and round the wicket, depending on the batter, Shami was cunning. He showed heart and tremendous skill to hit the perfect length. These days, when the bails come off and they light up, you feel glee. So, you can well imagine how cool it was for Shami to throttle the Kiwis and take five wickets.
The way he handled the pressure-cooker situation of bowling was a reflection of his maturity, mental state and how he has processed a few things which had affected his personal life. Minus peace, to be at work is very hard. On Sunday afternoon, Shami the replacement bowler showed he has been working hard at the nets. To stay out for four matches and then hit the vroom mode is not easy.
Gloss over the results of Team India in those five matches, and you discern a trend. They were not always on the ascendant. For example, against Australia, with three wickets down and only two runs on the board, there was stress. How the boys handled it was a sign of how they are playing a brand of cricket which is pleasing.
Against Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand, what caught the eye was players willing to step up. The template is simple. If Rohit wins the toss, he will bowl first. Why? Because he trusts his own batting so much, and the chase has been mastered. In addition, in the Power play, Rohit himself goes hammer and tongs. His batting is now a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of Terminator. Destroy, attack, plunder.
Rohit has opened up like never before. The pace at which he scores and demoralises the bowlers is crazy. He has almost patented that leg-side big hit, four or six, which reduces the rival team to tears. All this has been practiced in drills. Shubman Gill has already raced to 2,000 runs in ODIs at Ferrari or Red-Bull pace. Then you have Virat Kohli, the chase master who knows he has to be around till the end. KL Rahul has done more than enough with the gloves and his own batting.
Yet, where there is more energy lower down the lower. It’s reassuring how Shreyas Iyer has been firing on all cylinders, and on Sunday, Ravindra Jadeja also showed a method to his batting which fans are not alien to.
Perhaps, the biggest test was against the Black Caps. Not having beaten them for over two decades in the World Cup had rankled. And despite being pushed all the way, India never let the pressure get to them.
Mind you, almost all the other teams have panicked at various stages. England, the defending champions, stuttered and spluttered, Australia have run into rough weather, and Pakistan have been a disaster. In comparison, Team India has, till now, come out smelling like a bunch of roses, fresh from the garden. The fragrance lingers, while the thorns have pricked rival teams.
They now get a deserved break before heading to Lucknow with the added incentive of sending England home early.