India in World T20 : A Champions Trophy encore coming?

Can India do an encore of Champions Trophy in World T20?

The Indian team is on quite a roll. Pre-Tournament favourites, Australia, were brushed aside with an uncomfortable ease, and India go into the semis as the only team to have won all their group matches.

This, after numerous critics proclaimed India as pushovers, “minnows” that will go winless in the tournament, the worst bowling attack of the lot that would need scores of 300 to have any chance of defending it, etc before the T20 World Cup started. Sounds similar? Yes, one can draw parallels with India’s Champions trophy journey last year.

There is yet another similarity. India went into the Champions Trophy with the dark clouds of the IPL spot fixing scandal hovering over their heads (Thank You Sreesanth). India came into this edition of the World T20, with those same clouds reappearing and shoving their murky face again (Thank You Srinivasan). Add to that, the continued abomination with spate of overseas losses since December and failure in the Asia Cup, Indian cricket was ailing and pretty close to being bedridden, on and off the cricket field.

But of course, as often happens in Indian cricket, they have sprung quite a surprise, an extremely pleasant one for its fans, and an undesirable one for the opponents. What has been more surprising is that the performance has not been a product of the Kohli effect and the daunting batting lineup. It has been due to the much criticized, greatly mocked, majorly “impotent”, Indian bowling attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami along with the spin triplets of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra, have choked and strangulated their opposition into submission.

In a tournament where every team has conceded more than 160 at least once, India have restricted their oppositions to scores of 130, 129, 138 and 86 in their four outings. Bhuvneshwar has been the most economical bowler among all those who have bowled a minimum of 10 overs in the competition. He has ensured that the opposition hasn’t got away with big runs in the powerplay overs. Shami has been expensive, but a steady and dependable pacer.

Ashwin has opened the bowling and has been relentless. With an economy rate of 4.76 and 7 wickets, he has reaffirmed that given helpful conditions, he is among the top 3 best spinners in the world.

Jadeja has been slightly more expensive than his usual self, but has picked up wickets regularly, never spoiling the broth. He has ably supported his fellow spinners in the middle and death overs.

And then, there is Amit Mishra. His second coming in the international arena has been nothing short of a revelation. It is always a delightful sight to see a genuine leggie bowling it really slow, tossing the ball up, luring the batsmen in flight without the fear of getting hit for sixes, and then flummoxing them with a flatter doosra.

Mishra has done each of this in abundance over the 15 overs he has bowled in this tournament. With 9 wickets, he is the tournament’s 3rd highest wicket taker, but has probably been the bowler with the highest impact.

India’s batting was hardly tested in the first 3 matches, with Rohit, Kohli and Raina filling in their sacks with some easy runs under not much pressure. Australia were the first who put some pressure on the Indian top order, and had them in a spot of bother at 66-4 in the 12th over.

But, that man, Yuvraj Singh, found some form, just in time before the knockouts. He made 60 of just 43 balls, with 4 careening, trademark big ones. Even MS Dhoni got a decent hit in the middle. As India head into the semis, they have most of their boxes ticked, except for the question of the opening slot. Dhawan has been out of sorts, and Rahane has had too little game time.

Fifty from comeback man Yuvraj Singh lifted India against Aussies

A special mention also goes out to the Indian fielding. A tournament which has been marred with dropped catches (more than 70 of them), the blame for which has been put on dew, wet ball and the lights, India has been exceptional in this regard. They have caught everything coming their way and the ground fielding has been outstanding as well.

So, with friendly conditions, bowlers doing a fabulous job, and the batsmen looking in great touch, can India become the first team to have lifted the T20 World Cup twice? The odds have changed significantly since the start of the tournament, and the pundits are now pointing at India as the favourites to lift the trophy. Yet another similarity to their Champions Trophy-2013 campaign!

Will India acknowledge their odds? Will India become the only team in the history to be holding all the major ICC world tournament trophies at once? Will India spread some cheers and sunshine in the gloom that is hovering over Indian Cricket? Will India do it?