It’s not often that one sees Indian skipper MS Dhoni do the T-sign, unless we’re playing against Pakistan. And, when it’s a World Cup encounter all aversion to using the Decision Review System goes out the window!
India used every trick in the book as they comprehensively beat Pakistan in their opening match of the International Cricket Council’s World Cup 2015. From using the short ball well to asking for a referral – considering their well-known reluctance to use DRS - each available tactic was employed to win the premier Battle of South Asia.
The fact that Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup (India lead 6-0 after the Adelaide win) may be a mere statistic, but the Pakistan players’ body language showed that they were carrying that thought throughout their encounter against the Cup holders.
No room for weakness
An Indo-Pak encounter, in all forms of the game, is a real test of skill and has no place for nervous starters. Every aspect of a player, technical or otherwise, is analysed and the opposition will pounce on any hint of weakness in a jiffy. Body language, in a scenario such as this, matters a lot and the Pakistan outfit lacked in this department.
Apart from outstanding batting efforts by Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, what worked in India’s favour was the defensive approach by the Pakistan batsman. After restricting India to 300 runs, thanks to a superb death-spell by Sohail Khan who started the slide in the 46th over, the Pakistan batsmen got defensive while chasing, what can be considered a par score on a dead pitch.
The real reasons
The Pakistan team management erred in sending veteran Younis Khan to open the innings. Khan has been struggling for runs and his demise to a nasty short ball, bowled by Mohammed Shami, justified the strategy employed by Indian skipper Dhoni. The Pakistan batsmen were subjected to short-pitch bowling by the three Indian seamers which never allowed them to get on the front foot and play on-the-rise shots that clear the infield and fetch runs.
It does look like the break taken by the team after their Tri-series loss has worked with both the bowlers and the batsmen finding their footing. Any win is a good for the confidence of the team but a win against a the eternal rival is a big morale booster and tastes sweeter.
What Dhoni did right
Captain Cool’s marshalling of resources was brilliant to say in the least. He was backed by superb bowing by the Indian speedsters, who kept Pakistan completely on the back-foot throughout their run chase. While Umesh Yadav played the role of the hit man, peppering the batsmen with well-aimed, short pitch deliveries, Shami’s constant pegging away earned him four wickets in his World Cup debut game.
Dhoni used his spinners at the right time and against batsmen who are better off facing speedier bowlers. The positioning of the slips and the short-leg fielders was near perfect, which enabled the Indian spinners to attack and keep up the pressure.
The twenty-fourth over, bowled by Umesh Yadav, turned the game on its head. The loss of three quick wickets made a big gash in Pakistan’s performance, and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq’s counter-offensive could not heal the wound.
There is a old story where an Indian fan says it does not matter if we do not win the World Cup but we must beat Pakistan. Now the India team must play with the same intensity and aggression through the tournament if they have to prove their detractors wrong.
The Chief Coach of the Indian team, Ravi Shastri, went on record to say that his team “must” celebrate this win. It is fine as long as the hangover does not last till next Sunday when India play their next opponents, South Africa, whom they yet have to beat in a World Cup encounter.r
India used every trick in the book as they comprehensively beat Pakistan in their opening match of the International Cricket Council’s World Cup 2015. From using the short ball well to asking for a referral – considering their well-known reluctance to use DRS - each available tactic was employed to win the premier Battle of South Asia.
The fact that Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup (India lead 6-0 after the Adelaide win) may be a mere statistic, but the Pakistan players’ body language showed that they were carrying that thought throughout their encounter against the Cup holders.
No room for weakness
An Indo-Pak encounter, in all forms of the game, is a real test of skill and has no place for nervous starters. Every aspect of a player, technical or otherwise, is analysed and the opposition will pounce on any hint of weakness in a jiffy. Body language, in a scenario such as this, matters a lot and the Pakistan outfit lacked in this department.
Apart from outstanding batting efforts by Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, what worked in India’s favour was the defensive approach by the Pakistan batsman. After restricting India to 300 runs, thanks to a superb death-spell by Sohail Khan who started the slide in the 46th over, the Pakistan batsmen got defensive while chasing, what can be considered a par score on a dead pitch.
The real reasons
The Pakistan team management erred in sending veteran Younis Khan to open the innings. Khan has been struggling for runs and his demise to a nasty short ball, bowled by Mohammed Shami, justified the strategy employed by Indian skipper Dhoni. The Pakistan batsmen were subjected to short-pitch bowling by the three Indian seamers which never allowed them to get on the front foot and play on-the-rise shots that clear the infield and fetch runs.
It does look like the break taken by the team after their Tri-series loss has worked with both the bowlers and the batsmen finding their footing. Any win is a good for the confidence of the team but a win against a the eternal rival is a big morale booster and tastes sweeter.
What Dhoni did right
Captain Cool’s marshalling of resources was brilliant to say in the least. He was backed by superb bowing by the Indian speedsters, who kept Pakistan completely on the back-foot throughout their run chase. While Umesh Yadav played the role of the hit man, peppering the batsmen with well-aimed, short pitch deliveries, Shami’s constant pegging away earned him four wickets in his World Cup debut game.
Dhoni used his spinners at the right time and against batsmen who are better off facing speedier bowlers. The positioning of the slips and the short-leg fielders was near perfect, which enabled the Indian spinners to attack and keep up the pressure.
The twenty-fourth over, bowled by Umesh Yadav, turned the game on its head. The loss of three quick wickets made a big gash in Pakistan’s performance, and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq’s counter-offensive could not heal the wound.
There is a old story where an Indian fan says it does not matter if we do not win the World Cup but we must beat Pakistan. Now the India team must play with the same intensity and aggression through the tournament if they have to prove their detractors wrong.
The Chief Coach of the Indian team, Ravi Shastri, went on record to say that his team “must” celebrate this win. It is fine as long as the hangover does not last till next Sunday when India play their next opponents, South Africa, whom they yet have to beat in a World Cup encounter.r
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