With the start West Indies got, the highest partnership against India in this World Cup, a total well in excess of 230 was probable. But up against the six-hitting might of the West Indies, at a venue where totals in excess of 200 are the norm, India showed their braver side with the ball. Of course, giving away 195 runs after electing to bowl first will not entirely paint a colourful picture for India, but still this was a game where it could have ended up far worse, especially with the West Indies’ game plan.
A side that is blessed with power-hitters all the way till No 8, the Windies gameplan on the night was simple. Having lost their way against South Africa while trying to play in top gear, here their intention was to be in the game for as long as possible. So their openers Shai Hope and Roston Chase – not the most explosive – walked with the plan of ensuring they laid a foundation from which they could explode as and when they desired. Their measured approach meant, India didn’t get early breakthroughs, but one could see the hosts weren’t fretting over it. Instead, they played their bowling cards smartly.
and Varun Chakaravarthy delivered only one over each in the first 10 overs as West Indies went at a run-rate of 8. In that phase, neither side seemed totally bothered, as the actual battle was yet to begin. India could have been tempted to go for wickets as they usually prefer, but it was a night where they had to be absolutely spot-on with their bowling plans. So much so that, for a team that has preferred depth in bowling options, they used only the five specialists on the night. Given the minimum margin of error, it was a safe option.
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It meant, skipper had to be on his toes when it comes to mixing his two trump cards – Bumrah and Varun. Having seen Varun struggle early when unleashed in the powerplay, the mystery spinner arrived only in the ninth over, where he removed captain Shai Hope. But as he conceded 17 runs in his second over and showing ominous signs, Suryakumar turned to who else but Bumrah.
It is a luxury that very few captains can dream of. If India were willing to compromise on the team balance, in particular the batting depth, it would open up the chance to play as well, another player with an X-factor. But India’s think-tank see 8 overs of Bumrah and Varun can get the job done, and batting is where they will win the tournament.
That 12th over by Bumrah was what sort of stopped West Indies from running away with an imposing total. Off the first two he delivered sub-120 slower deliveries. With Hetmyer’s compulsive habit of swinging across the line to hard lengths, Bumrah found the right angle that the southpaw under-edged to Sanju Samson. And two deliveries later, he would get rid of Roston Chase with that ‘door knob’ slower ball.
That over, though, was the only fruitful one for India even though quickly saw the back of Sherfane Rutherford. In those middle-overs (7-16), Varun sent three of his four overs, Bumrah sent in two, as Suryakumar mixed Axar, Hardik and Arshdeep from the other end. Yet, West Indies despite losing four wickets, managed 104 in the next 10 overs as their strong game of finding boundaries and sixes came to forefront once again. That Axar happened to be India’s most economical bowler showed how the Windies batsmen came prepared to go on the offence against Varun and Bumrah and succeeded to a large extent. The mystery spinner, once again had a tough night, going for 40 off his four overs while Bumrah conceded 36.
When the two teams met 10 years ago at the Wankhede in the semi-finals, the 11 sixes to West Indies’ name is where India had lost the tie. On that night West Indies had 48 dot deliveries to India’s 26. On Sunday, India delivered 40 dot deliveries, and yet ended up conceding 195 off 13.2 overs as West Indies’ six-hitting might proved too hard to decode for India once again.
