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Indian players have often spoken about the need for fearless cricket, especially when it comes to batting in this format. But, walking the talk has not been as simple. Despite having all the skills they needed, some of India’s finest simply couldn’t break the shackles of years of conditioning. They put too much of a price on their wickets and this meant that the safe route was almost always favoured. Not this time.
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Rohit Sharma hasn’t just demanded his batsmen take a high-risk approach, he has assured them if they played with the right mindset they wouldn’t be penalised even if the returns weren’t up to the high standards they were used to. Consider Virat Kohli, who has scored 75 runs at an average of under 11 and a strike rate of 100. When seen in isolation, this is a string of failures. But, truth be told, Kohli has attempted to do everything right and set the tone from the word go. Kohli may not have the runs, but he is showing this team that the captain’s message has been well and truly received. And, he still has one innings to make a difference.
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Rohit has defied conventional wisdom. He doesn’t play the cute laps and the dinky scoops, but boy can he pull off the most authentic shots in audacious fashion against the best bowlers in the world.
India’s success has been built on having the right mindset, being brave, and leaving nothing behind. They have all the bases covered in the batting line-up with left- and righthanded batsmen, depth through allrounders and players who can range hit against pace and spin.
India’s bowling attack is a varied and multif a c e t e d one, with Jasprit Bumrah being the biggest differentiator. Every opposition knows that even when they have 20 overs to set or chase a target , four of those will be bowled by Bumrah. This is an automatic handicap. You might survive Bumrah, if you choose to play it safe and see him off, but if you attack him, he’s going to get you nine times out of 10.
What has helped is Rohit’s tactical nous and calmness. It’s fascinating to watch how well he reads situations and always stays an over or two ahead of the game. His rotation of bowlers, changes in field to apply pressure and make the game seem more difficult than it is for opposition batsmen has ensured that India have the advantage.
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A key factor in this has been assessing conditions. This tournament has been played on pitches that haven’t been ideal for T20 cricket in that the bounce has been variable or low and seam movement has been excessive at times. India have played on a range of surfaces and each time they’ve managed to adapt quicker than the opposition.
Rohit may not sport a six-pack but he has been agile with his thinking and led from the front.
South Africa have reached the final on the back of coming through in tight situations. This is something that they haven’t always managed to do in global tournaments. The tag of chokers has sat with them for a while and, admittedly, there have been enough instances when they have earned it. But not now, not here.
When these two teams meet in the final, all that cricket fans can ask for is that the rain stays away and the pitch provides a level playing field. India haven’t won a senior men’s ICC event since 2011 and South Africa are in their first final. Both teams will believe this is their time.
On paper, India look stronger and there’s a feel about their playing eleven that they have enough match winners to take on all conditions and situations. South Africa have the hunger of looking to make history and erase a painful sporting past. In sport, you may not always get what you deserve, but when you play as these two teams have, you might end up getting what you need.
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Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.