It was the first over of India’s innings, and Jofra Archer was steaming in. The first delivery went past Abhishek Sharma’s edge, and it was evident he was flirting with danger. Had it been cricket from another era, Sharma would have chosen caution. He would have tried to play a couple of balls to get himself in. But then, this is a new Indian T20 outfit, and they live and die by the sword. Off the very second ball, Sharma put Archer away for a four over cover. The intent had been made known. And when Archer tried to tuck him up on leg stump, he made room and just dismissed him over extra-cover. The last ball of the over was also stroked for four, and Sharma was off.
While he got out in the very next over, India continued in the same vein. It is the new template, and there will be days when it might not work. But for as long as it does, it will get bums on seats. Encourage fans to come to the ground and enjoy the spectacle. Soon after Sanju Samson was dismissed, the skipper literally ran in. It was as if he was waiting to come out and take charge.
After a fantastic on-the-up drive to get going, Suryakumar Yadav played a deft cut to third man for a four off the third ball he faced to make his intentions known. Even when they lost wickets, India were never bogged down. Never was there scoreboard pressure, and that was what helped Tilak Varma, the player of the match, to bat the way he did at the end. To play out Adil Rashid, for example, was a very smart move and Tilak was able to do it because there were plenty of balls left. It showed game awareness, and also how India are always a step ahead in this format.
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In T20 cricket, India are much like an in-form football team. The coach/manager is in charge, and the captain and manager are in sync. This is Gautam Gambhir’s team, unlike the red-ball set-up or even the 50-overs one. Surya has played under Gambhir for years, and the strength of the pairing shows.
While it is too early to say much, from whatever we have seen in recent times, India have found a template to mount a strong title defence next year when the T20 World Cup comes around. With Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh all waiting in the wings, the bench looks very strong, and it seems to be a team that enjoys doing what they do. In Gambhir’s words, “A happy dressing room is a winning dressing room.”
Tilak, with a coming-of-age innings at Chepauk, made sure that the happiness quotient stayed strong on the eve of Republic Day. And you know what? There is no better time than Republic Day to celebrate a win against England.
Also Read: Tilak Varma plays like senior pro to put India 2-0 up against England