Bengaluru: Going in as heavyweight contenders if not outrageously formidable before the World T20, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s India, after two matches are yet to touch the 150-mark. In the shortest format, anything below that is considered sacrilege given the nature of the beast; yet the twists and turns, on and off the field has seen the Men in Blue weave dangerously in the two matches.
If Nagpur defeat against New Zealand will be a nightmare that will take time to recede, then the Eden win spearheaded by Virat Kohli, no longer the prince charming but the monarch himself, assuaged the feelings, tempers and fears, not necessarily in that order.
In one fell swoop, Kohli’s obeisance to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar at the hallowed turf in Kolkata reflected the humility in the cricketer more known for his aggressive approach. Then again, Kohli’s tryst with destiny has been an ongoing one for some time and he seems firmly entrenched on the path to greatness.
Yet, one victory over Pakistan is not the be-all and end-all of the team, at the World Cup in particular.
Having been rolled over for a shocking 79 by the Kiwis, Dhoni’s men, their confidence somewhere at the shoe strings, will have been boosted hugely by the Kolkata victory and as they run into their talented but struggling neighbours in Bangladesh at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday, another win will push their stocks higher before the Aussie shootout in Mohali on Sunday which could well decide the issue.
With the World Cup throwing up contrasting games — 200+ scores in Mumbai but low scores elsewhere, the Chinnaswamy, having hosted two matches, inexplicably seems to be going down the latter route. If slow turn is the nature of the game, then Dhoni, whose bowlers have done immaculately, may well go in with an unchanged squad from the Pakistan game.
Left-arm tweaker and all-rounder Pawan Negi could be handy on the turf if it behaves in the same manner but will continue to sit out for the simple reason that there are two others of his ilk in Ravindra Jadeja and Yuvraj Singh.
It means Hardik Pandya will keep his place but Dhoni’s problem is more with his batters with the top order, who save for the exception of Kohli, are going through the horrors. If the Kiwi spinners stunningly pulled wool over their eyes, the Indian top-order was like a cat on hot, tin roof unable to handle Pakistan’s express pace in Mohammad Amir and Md Sami.
Mashrafe Mortaza’s Bangladesh, though not in the same fiery league are not short of talent but it’s their mental make-up that will come into question especially after the suspensions of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny coupled with their defeat to Australia on Tuesday.
Credit to the Tigers that they pushed the Aussies to the 19th over in chase of 157 and the visitors, having gauged the wicket and playing for the second time in three days, will be hoping against hope that Tamim Iqbal recovers in time.
Bangladesh, winless and at the bottom of Group-2 will be knocked out with another loss but given the passion they bring to the field, especially against their sub-continent rivals, Dhoni will be wary of the backlash stemming from Tigers’ Asia Cup final defeat in their backyard some two weeks ago.
