The Importance of Disciplined Cricket
During the winter of 2009, when M.S.Dhoni was asked about some curious team selections that were made then, he replied, "We have the World Cup in one year, we want to have a squad of players who have an experience of 50-plus ODIs, so that we can pick a suitable playing eleven from them."
The fact that India has marched into the finals of World Cup is not surprising, it is no miracle or an overnight transformation. It is the result of some carefully planned strategies and team selection. It is great to see all that effort paying off and Indian team lifting the game (when it really mattered !) with some disciplined cricket.
Having the world's best batting line up, a score of 260 in a not-so-bad pitch in Mohali was not something an Indian fan would have expected. It is true that India finished 20-30 runs short of a competitive total, but then from 205 for 6 in 42 overs, it was Raina's cool head and uncomplicated cricket that made 260 possible.
The bowlers had a tough job in hand, esp. when questions were raised about Ashwin's exclusion. But then Dhoni's move worked once again, Nehra and Patel bowled wonderfully. In 20 overs, they gave away just 73 runs between them, kept the pressure on always and picked up 4 wickets. This enabled Dhoni to keep attacking and not allow Pakistan to build partnerships.
It is a sad truth that in the age of power hitting and Mongoose bats, a good bowling performance normally goes unnoticed. Indian bowling was totally disciplined today, the fact that the first extras were conceded in 38th over will vouch for that. Hope they maintain it for a long time.
It is going to be a tough job selecting the eleven for finals. With Mumbai's pitch being a spinning track, it will be good to include Ashwin instead of one fast bowler. Also, the fact that Lankan attack is laden with spinners, Pathan won’t be a bad choice either. I pity Dhoni, for whatever decision he makes, there will be at least half a billion people ready to criticize it. (Isn't it funny that we all think of ourselves as the selector, the coach or the captain of the Indian team ?!)
Kudos to all the effort, from selectors to the support staff, for bringing the Men in Blue this far. Just one more hurdle remains. As an Indian cricket fan, what can be more wonderful than hoping for Sachin's 100th century in Mumbai and India becoming the World champions ?!
Good luck guys. May the Force be with you.
The fact that India has marched into the finals of World Cup is not surprising, it is no miracle or an overnight transformation. It is the result of some carefully planned strategies and team selection. It is great to see all that effort paying off and Indian team lifting the game (when it really mattered !) with some disciplined cricket.
Having the world's best batting line up, a score of 260 in a not-so-bad pitch in Mohali was not something an Indian fan would have expected. It is true that India finished 20-30 runs short of a competitive total, but then from 205 for 6 in 42 overs, it was Raina's cool head and uncomplicated cricket that made 260 possible.
The bowlers had a tough job in hand, esp. when questions were raised about Ashwin's exclusion. But then Dhoni's move worked once again, Nehra and Patel bowled wonderfully. In 20 overs, they gave away just 73 runs between them, kept the pressure on always and picked up 4 wickets. This enabled Dhoni to keep attacking and not allow Pakistan to build partnerships.
It is a sad truth that in the age of power hitting and Mongoose bats, a good bowling performance normally goes unnoticed. Indian bowling was totally disciplined today, the fact that the first extras were conceded in 38th over will vouch for that. Hope they maintain it for a long time.
It is going to be a tough job selecting the eleven for finals. With Mumbai's pitch being a spinning track, it will be good to include Ashwin instead of one fast bowler. Also, the fact that Lankan attack is laden with spinners, Pathan won’t be a bad choice either. I pity Dhoni, for whatever decision he makes, there will be at least half a billion people ready to criticize it. (Isn't it funny that we all think of ourselves as the selector, the coach or the captain of the Indian team ?!)
Kudos to all the effort, from selectors to the support staff, for bringing the Men in Blue this far. Just one more hurdle remains. As an Indian cricket fan, what can be more wonderful than hoping for Sachin's 100th century in Mumbai and India becoming the World champions ?!
Good luck guys. May the Force be with you.
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