By the halfway stage of Zimbabwe’s improbable pursuit of 256, the tense air that pervaded before the start of the game had melted to one of merriment. The crowd’s attention drifted; some were busy clicking selfies with the ground in the backdrop. India’s focus wavered, lapses crept in, a catch was dropped and Suryakumar Yadav was livid with Shivam Dube for not running hard enough to stop a boundary from Sikander Raza.
If the batting performance was near-perfect, the bowling was ridden with imperfections. Surya admitted as much in his chat with broadcasters. “We could have been more clinical with the ball but a win is a win. We need to tighten screws ahead of the West Indies game. From the bowling point of view, we could have been smarter. When we are in such situations, we need to be courageous,” he said.
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Indeed, any error in line and length will be ruthlessly punished by the seemingly unending sequence of West Indian power-hitters in on Sunday.
The Indian seam trio’s Powerplay spells were stifling, shutting out the stroke-making avenues and making Zimbabwe’s batsmen grope the thin air. produced a spell where he swung the ball both ways. The last ball off his first over curled back deviously late into the right-handed Brian Bennett, who somehow managed to stab away. , who shared the new ball, bled a six first ball, but came back to concede only six more runs in his next 11 balls. Any prospect of a wild and unlikely chase ended after the first four overs, wherein Zimbabwe could muster only 25 runs, requiring nearly 13 an over.
AS IT HAPPENED |
Then, the script flipped a bit in the sixth over, delivered by Varun Chakaravarthy. Rinku Singh shelled a straightforward catch of Tadiwanashe Marumani. Varun, on his home soil and after enduring a horrid night in , covered his face in frustration. Hardik gestured wildly. Perhaps the victory was so certain that India’s intensity dropped a trifle. The huddle during the drinks break was quite animated, with Surya exhorting them to get their act together. Against sides better than Zimbabwe, his team could get punished. A lone stutter might be all it takes to crash out, as a series of knockout hurdles stand between India and a successful World Cup defence.
It would worry them that Zimbabwe, in spite of the slow start, still managed to reach 184 for 6. The seamers kept a lid on the scoring, their 10 overs seeing only 66 runs for three wickets. But the spinners were looted for 70 in eight overs. ’s fragility was exposed, as his two overs leaked 46 runs. How they bowled would further infuriate the support staff.
It is India’s paradox in this tournament. When one aspect brightens, the other turns bleak. ’s return was perceived to inject control. But his mastery of length deserted him. When Brian Bennett, who finished unbeaten on 97, took him on in the ninth over, he began to bowl flatter and faster, and in the process ended up fluffing the wide line twice.
Varun enjoyed a happier night than he had in Ahmedabad. But he didn’t exude the threat he usually does. Perhaps, he is still recovering from the David Miller belting. Spinners take time to recover from such beatings. He too bowled a trifle faster, and hence did not purchase any bite. Raza would line him up and slog for sixes. The catch Rinku dropped didn’t help him in rediscovering the belief.
The most damning sign, ahead of the West Indies game, was the utter ease with which Bennett swung him for sixes. His 12 balls featured four sixes and three fours. Of late, Suryakumar could trust him with a couple of relatively tight overs at any stage of the game. But the two-over burst, even though Zimbabwe were swinging for the fences, would cast doubts in Surya’s mind about trusting him. The West Indies, shoved to a must-win corner like India, have muscle till deep down the order to punish such middle-order trembles. Zimbabwe would wonder, if only they had one more batsman as good as Bennett, the game could have been closer.
