Men in Blue in World Cup: Great performances, greater expectations

The underdog has shocked its fancied rival in the ongoing edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup more than once. Afghanistan beat England by a huge margin of 69 runs. The Netherlands defeated South Africa by 38 runs in a rain-shortened match. Afghanistan beat Pakistan by eight wickets, an outcome the latter will not forget in a hurry. Halfway through the Group stage, cricket lovers are prepared for more unexpected news before the knockout phase begins. In a tournament with such surprise stories, the Men in Blue have been a portrait of consistency. True, India is hosting the World Cup. Every stadium turns into a sea of blue in any home team’s match. That said, India have performed superbly to thrash Pakistan and Afghanistan in much less than 40 overs; beaten Australia and Bangladesh in slightly more than 40 overs; and defeated New Zealand in a suspense thriller. Before the World Cup began, millions of fans of Indian cricket, kind of, believed that their favourite team will win the tournament this time. After five consecutive wins, these fans are completely sure that India will, indeed, become the world champions. The Men in Blue are looking forward to four more matches: those against England, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Netherlands. In spite of the shocking defeat against the Netherlands, South Africa have emerged as a strong contender for the title. The second-placed team on the points table behind India, they have scored more than 300 runs whenever they have set the target. Hurt by three losses, Sri Lanka beat England by eight wickets in 25.4 overs for their second successive win yesterday. England, on the other hand, suffered their third consecutive defeat. The Netherlands have nothing to show, apart from their famous win against South Africa. While India may not win all their remaining Group stage matches, the opposition must be consistently brilliant to go past them in the coming days. The team has several match-winners capable of turning the tables on any given day. The first match against Australia threatened to slip out of control after the fall of three Indian wickets with two runs on the board while chasing the target of 200 runs. Kohli scored a fine 85 and KL Rahul an unbeaten 97 as their 165-run fourth wicket partnership helped India achieve their objective with six wickets in hand in 41.2 overs. Ravindra Jadeja was the star bowler, finishing with 3 for 28. The quick and deceptive Jasprit Bumrah and the in-form Kuldeep Yadav picked up two wickets each while giving away 35 and 42 runs, respectively. What distinguished the opening match was the possibility of a collapse soon after India started their innings. A victory after the worrisome start would have brought some sunshine into the dressing room. As is the case with every first-rate team that ascends the peak of good form, Team India’s performance as a unit has been the key to their success so far. Rohit Sharma’s captaincy has been brilliant. His on-field calmness, appropriate field placements, excellent bowling changes and good performances with the bat reveal his hunger for winning the tournament. Sharma’s presence as the level-headed leader has been crucial. Virat Kohli has proved — once again — why he is arguably the best finisher of all time, while KL Rahul has testified to his reliability in the middle order. Bumrah has been predictably outstanding, Yadav almost equally dangerous, and Jadeja has made an impact with the bat and ball. Mohammed Siraj has been expensive, and Shardul Thakur has been a disappointment. But, when veteran Mohammed Shami replaced Thakur in the India-New Zealand tie, he picked up five wickets for 54 runs. Shami’s performance was a blessing in disguise, suggesting the possibility of significant contributions from him in the days to come. Against Afghanistan, India sailed to a win in 35 overs. The team went past Pakistan with seven wickets in hand in 30.3 overs. Bangladesh, too, lost by seven wickets in 41.3 overs. Easy? True. The Men in Blue did face predictably strong resistance from New Zealand in the much-hyped encounter between the two unbeaten teams until then. Shami’s excellent bowling display was the highlight of India’s performance when New Zealand batting first put up 273 runs for the loss of six wickets. Responding to the target of 274, India lost their fifth wicket at 191 before Jadeja, at No. 7, joined Kohli at the crease. Kohli scored a brilliant 95, and Jadeja remained unbeaten on 39 to ensure a six-wicket win with 12 balls to spare. The outcome revealed the team’s ability to fight hard in challenging situations without taking unnecessary risks, with an unruffled master like Kohli showing the way. More tough battles lie ahead in India’s journey towards the knockout stage. At this point, one thing is for sure. If the Men in Blue reach the finals, nobody will be surprised. The writer, a journalist for three decades, writes on literature and pop culture. Among his books are ‘MSD: The Man, The Leader’, the bestselling biography of former Indian captain MS Dhoni, and the ‘Hall of Fame’ series of film star biographies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views. Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.