Sunday’s highly anticipated clash between India and Australia completes another riveting week in the World Twenty20, replete with some outstanding individual performances, some major failures and quite a few topsy-turvy results: as is only to be expected in T20 cricket.
Suspense over who the other two semi-finalists will be — apart from New Zealand and West Indies — has reached a crescendo as I write this piece. Inevitably, the focus is on the match between India and Australia at Mohali.
Any poll before the tournament would have found most respondents ticking in these two teams as certain qualifiers for the semis. But now only one can go ahead.
Of course, these are not the only teams to have suffered setbacks to be precariously placed. South Africa, widely considered second favourites before the tournament, were rendered hapless after Friday’s defeat against the West Indies, unless there is a dramatic upheaval in their group which gives them a chance to sneak into the semi-finals.
It seems incredible that a team boasting such an array of match-winning players should be in this situation. But it is now almost a truism in cricket that South Africans will choke under pressure. No other major side have been as big a let-down as the Proteas. Sri Lanka are in the process of rebuilding. Pakistan have always been mercurial, and their form in the Asia Cup had frankly not suggested anything spectacular.
The best performing sides — in contrasting styles — have been New Zealand and the West Indies. The Kiwis in my opinion have been the most impressive: innovative in their strategies and meticulous in the execution of these to win all four matches in the league phase.
The West Indies, despite being a bit up and down, have shown energy and flair to make their place in the last four secure. As a Test team they are floundering. But in the shortest format the West Indies have the players who discover the ambition and passion to succeed. This brings us back to Sunday’s match between Australia and India. After losing their opening games, both teams have shown admirable resilience to win the next two and keep their hopes alive.
How do they square up?
Australia’s batting is long and strong, though the strategy in playing David Warner in the middle order remains questionable. Why would the most dangerous opener in the world be made to lose his position?
Nevertheless, most Aussie batsmen seem to have found their groove as the mighty score of 193 against Pakistan showed. This should worry India for I don’t think the Aussie bowling is the real threat. The fact that the majority of the Australian squad are strongly familiar with Indian conditions and slow tracks by playing in the IPL adds to the India captain’s worry and the burden on the bowlers.
Despite being the number 1 ranked team, India’s progress in the World T20 has been marked by unexpected strife and struggle considering that the team are playing in conditions they like and in front of massive home support.
Yet I think it is this very hardship that could work to the advantage in Sunday’s match. The players have been put through the grinder in each match, senior pros and rookies alike have been severely tested.
Beating Pakistan in a match loaded with pressure and Bangladesh in a heart-stopper may not have answered all questions about the form of some key players. But collectively, it bespoke a team that has the gumption to handle crises and unwilling to give up in any situation.In a do or die contest, these attributes matter more than reputation or even form.
India’s players would have been emotionally and physically drained after the match against Bangladesh. But if the opportunity of becoming the only team to win the ICC World Twenty20 twice does not inspire, motivate and recharge batteries, nothing can.
