Impressive India's passage to ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Final

To borrow from the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, change is the only constant in life. When Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young team boarded the flight to England and Wales, there was much furore among the media and fans alike over the absence of the illustrious seniors. The galacticos – Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, had hung up their boots, the prolonged barren patch of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan forced them out of the set-up. The crisis deepened further when the IPL spot-fixing scandal threw up questions regarding the credibility of Indian cricket. And captain MS Dhoni found himself in the eye of the storm.

As the ice-man always does, he thawed the pressure and built a platform for his boys to shine in the Champions Trophy firmament. Dhoni’s fathomless self-confidence has percolated down to his inexperienced side. Shikhar Dhawan is climbing mountains with the ease of a professional, India’s figure of fun turned gracious grafter – Sir Ravindra Jadeja –  has been at the forefront of India’s success with the ball, bat and in the field as well.

Runs are flowing from the batsmen, bowlers are providing a steady feed of wickets, 4 wins in 4 fixtures – India’s transition is as smooth as silk. If the Champions Trophy is anything to go by, then it won’t be long before the change of guard is complete. Here’s a sneak-peek at impressive India’s passage to the finals.

Match 1: India vs South Africa

Result: India won by 26 runs

Inserted to bat first in overcast conditions, India’s new opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, showcasing pristine timing, added 127 for the first wicket to lay the foundation for a bumper start to the event. While the mature Rohit Sharma fell for 67, the intrepid Shikhar Dhawan cracked his maiden ODI hundred, quickly following in the heels of his debut Test ton against Australia. In the latter half of his innings, Dhawan exploded to put the Steyn-less South African attack to the sword. Though the likes of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni exited in pursuit of quick runs, Ravindra Jadeja played a charming cameo to hoist India past the 330 mark.

In reply, the Proteas responded to early wickets with counter-attack. Pinch-hitter Robin Peterson and AB de Villiers lit up the chase with some dazzling store-play. Enter Ravindra Jadeja! The fleet-footed Jadeja, diving full length at mid-wicket, conjured up a direct hit to run-out Peterson. Jadeja and Ashwin soon settled into an asphyxiating rhythm to choke the proverbial chokers. And yes, they did choke, as India won by 26 runs. Ryan McLaren smacked a few meaty blows at the end but it was all too late for South Africa.