vs
The first week of the 2015 world cup has seen it all. A hattrick, an 'upset', a seven wicket haul, and the fastest half-century in world cup cricket. All of this just goes to show that no matter how one-sided a world cup may seem before it begins, it is a tournament in which anything can happen, except England doing well.
India's comprehensive victory against arch-rivals Pakistan led to a lot of celebrating and congratulating, which is all good, because getting back to winning ways is something the Indian team sorely needed, and a weakened, almost incompetent Pakistan team was the best opposition they could've asked for in their first game.
India's most important match in this world cup though, takes place on 22nd February, Sunday, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against the mighty Proteas. This match could very well decide how far India go in the tournament, as the result might determine whether they face Australia in the semi-finals or the final, should they make it that far.
As the new Star Sports advertisement has already told us, India have never beaten South Africa in world cups, but since there have been only three such encounters, one could say that the sampling is rather small. A larger sampling would reveal a head to head of 42-25 in favour of South Africa, which is also the lowest win percentage India has against any opposition. Out of these 25 wins, only 8 have come outside Asia, showing once again, how weak India is against good pace attacks in foreign conditions.
In the build up to the world cup, South Africa looked as good as India looked weak, but the beauty of cricket is that what's in the mind matters as much as what's on the field. India would've gotten a confidence boost after the win against Pakistan, Virat Kohli's return to form, Mohammad Shami's bowling performance, and Dhoni's positive captaincy.
South Africa on the other hand, would be wondering how they lost 4 wickets against Zimbabwe for less than 100 runs, and then let them bat for 48 overs and score 277. The fact that they recently lost an ODI to lowly West Indies after being ahead could be playing on their minds, as could the fact that they lost 4-1 to Australia in the bilateral series a few months ago.
South Africa is a team known for cracking under pressure in big tournaments, whereas India under Dhoni have won three world tournaments, showing their ability to withstand pressure. Dhoni, Kohli, and Raina have handled pressure very well in the past, whereas even the likes of de Villiers and Amla have often succumbed to it.
While all this may become moot if the match is played on a green top, in which case South Africa will be overwhelming favourites to win, the trend of the world cup so far, and indeed ODI cricket in the last few years has been flat pitches on which 300 is a par score. This will be a game where the toss could very well determine the result. If India win it, they have to bat first and get a score in excess of 300.
The innings will have to be paced very well, as any attempt on the part of the openers to score heavily at the top could lead to a collapse. On the other hand, India cannot afford to go too slowly in the middle overs, because unlike other teams, they cannot seem to score heavily in the last 10 outside the subcontinent, no matter how many wickets they keep in hand.
The Indian bowlers will need to go in with a well thought out plan, and in the case of de Villiers, several well thought out plans. He will be the key wicket, and the Indian bowlers need to do everything in their power to get him out, or at least stifle him. While India's poor death bowling has been the topic of many discussions among experts, I think a bigger problem is their bowling in the first 10 overs.
The likes of Shami and Yadav concede way too many runs in what should be the quietest period of the game in pacer friendly conditions. If the pacers fail to take wickets, they should at least ensure that they don't give away too many runs, and leave the spinners something to bowl at in the middle overs. Ashwin and Jadeja need to be much better than they were against Pakistan, and not concede more than 90 runs in their 20 overs.
This match will be about pressure, and just like the India-Pakistan match, will go a long way in determining how both of these teams do in the tournament. All eyes to the MCG!
First Week Round-up -
The first week of the world cup has indicated several things, some obvious, the others not so obvious. For one, New Zealand seem to be the team to watch out for after their huge win against Sri Lanka and an annihilation of England. The all important question is being asked now - have they replaced South Africa as second favourites in the tournament? Their excellent all-round performance has shown that they will not be wearing the underdog tag in their match against Australia on the 28th of February in Auckland, which could determine their fate in the tournament.
Secondly, West Indies, Pakistan, and England are in shambles. West Indies have already suffered a loss to Ireland in what is not really being called an upset. Pakistan's abysmal batting display against India and skipper Misbah's post-match interview seem to indicate that the team has reached its lowest point in years, and the captain has had enough of it. Both these teams now seem susceptible to losses against other minnows in their group, and we could have a situation where neither of them makes it past the group stage.
England are proving yet again that they might never get the hang of ODI cricket for more than a season or two, and certainly not in a world cup. Their bowling attack is potent on paper, but has conceded almost 8 runs an over in their two matches so far due to some incredibly stupid tactics. Their batting line-up has extremely capable players like Ian Bell, Joe Root, and Eoin Morgan, but they just cannot seem to get more than one of them to click at the same time.
Lastly, after beating a major team and chasing a 300 plus total for the third time in a world cup (the latter having been done only six times), Ireland are making a point on the world stage. Their comprehensive victory against West Indies, followed by celebrations that did not seem to suggest that the result was anything but expected, sends out a signal to the ICC and the other major teams that they're ready to be more than just an associate member.
No comments:
Post a Comment