By Denzil Fernandes
Feb 16: What has not been seen in the last 3 months on their tour of Australia was seen at the Adelaide Oval when a rejuvenated India outbeat arch rivals in an interesting match that had everyone screaming for blood and revenge.
India made a clean sweep of their rivalry with Pakistan with a tennis score of 6-0 in as many meetings so far in the World Cup. So much so, Pakistani supporters were cursing their luck and asking “Why can’t we beat India in the World Cup?”
The Indians were happy to get first knock at Adelaide which has been their home base for a long time. After a hapless tour down under with not a single win, the boys in blue were sent to various resorts to have fun, relax and enjoy to forget everything about cricket. The ploy seems to have worked with a super charged India showing that they were serious contenders for the World Cup. If their batsmen did the scoring, even their pathetic bowlers rose to the occasion and the fielders worked overtime to stop Pakistan batsmen from scoring.
In the end, India convincingly beat Pakistan by 76 runs and start their World Cup campaign on a winning note. India put up 300 runs for the loss of 7 wickets and shot out Pakistan for 224 runs. Indian batsmen were unable to score especially in the end with splendid bowling by Pakistan in the death overs. Or else, the score would have gone past 340 runs.
Centurion Virat Kohli (107 runs) was given a life when he was on 3 and later on 76 which meant that it was going to be India’s day all through. An off form Shikar Dhawan (73 runs) came back to life and the ever reliable Raina (74 runs) helped in India’s total to touch 300 runs. However, Pakistan were capable of getting the runs if only their batsmen were interested. They messed up their batting without reason. In a space of 3 balls by Yadav, Pakistan lost both Ahmed Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood and gave the Indians plenty to put the pressure on their rivals. Skipper Misbah-ul-Huq was at the crease and looked dangerous and unstoppable with his clever batting. But his partner at the other end, seasoned Shahid Afridi proved once again his reckless attitude by offering a catch to Kohli when he was batting well with his score at 22 runs. That was enough for Pakistan to bite the dust despite Misbah doing his best till the inevitable end arrived. One felt that with a little more determination Pakistan could have managed to get past the 300 runs. Veteran Younis Khan (6 runs) along with Sohaib Maqsood (0) and Haris Sohail (0) failed miserably with their batting adding to Pakistan’s woes.
As said before, there was an element of urgency in all what India did at the Adelaide Oval. The lethargy was not seen for a change and the bowlers too tried their best. India’s Shami was their star taking 4 wickets while giving away only 35 runs in his 9 overs. He took the key wickets of Younis Khan, captain Misbah-ul-huq and Shahid Afridi. For Pakistan, Sohail Khan took 5 wickets off 55 runs in his 10 overs and missed a hat trick when India lost Dhoni and Rahane with the score stuck at 296 runs.
The Indians have started well with a breath of fresh air which augurs well for their chances. However, they have to tackle a strong South Africa, West Indies, Ireland, UAE and Zimbabwe in their remaining matches. The win in Adelaide will give India a huge dose of confidence and one can look forward to a string of wins which should easily take them into the knock out round.
There is no looking back for Team India now !