Team India - Give your best in the acid test

All of a sudden, the expectations of millions of fans have gone up rapidly after the glorious victory of team India over England in the final of Champions Trophy. But this has certainly mounted pressure on Team India to deliver. Of course, the way our boys have shown their mettle and performed as a compact unit, the end result might be very favourable for us. I do not see any apparent reason as to why we cannot compete, with our trustworthy, confident and versatile players, especially when they have a high morale.

People say that England was a tougher competitor than the West Indies. But again, the big advantage of home ground clubbed with equally devoted fans can really prove a big game changer in favour of West Indies. It is true that the pitches are a mixed bag; a few of them are suitable for seamers, whereas others are known to be favouring spinners. Indian side has apparently got a perfect blend of bowling, ranging from pacers Ishant, Yadav, with swing specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar and dedicated off spinner R Ashwin. Sir Jadeja is also there as an able destroyer for any batting line up. He strikes at an appropriate time with his fruitful left arm spin bowling skills.

As far as India’s batting line up is concerned, it is definitely a cause of concern for any given opposition. As an opener we have firebrand Shikhar Dhawan and equally good Rohit Sharma. Their partnership has always put India in a fairly easy position. Thereafter, to strengthen the foundation laid by the openers, we have an aggressive Virat Kohli, whose dashing entry itself is a thrilling experience for many of his fans. A mad young supporter of team India, while enjoying the splashing batting of Virat, exclaimed that he is another Sachin in the making.

Then we have got a very handy player in Suresh Raina, who has the ability to establish a very comfortable rapport with anybody batting at the other end. Also, he has got the capacity to uplift the run rate as per the need of the hour. I have noticed whenever there is a need to change strike, Raina takes a quick single to facilitate acceleration of the run rate. Then we have Sir Jadeja, whose recent valuable contributions have become historic. He might not be a class apart, but his timely contribution has bailed out India on countless occasions.

Then as a saviour, we have got India’s pride, M. S. Dhoni, who delivers most of the time. We also have a good lower order batting, viz. R Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Before we analyse the strength and weakness of West Indies, let me remind you that in their opening match they thrashed Sri Lanka comfortably.

My personal favourite Chris Gayle, the monster, is the most fearsome factor for any bowling squad and once settled, he has got the god given potential to change the shape of the match. You get his wicket and you become immortal. R Ashwin is the perfect example, as during this IPL season he got Gayle out and established his credentials as a bowler. Pollard is the one that might prove a threat. Though many supporters might not agree as he has apparently not contributed much after IPL, but, I believe that Dhoni will go all the way to get him out before he becomes fatal.

Sunil Narine, having a lot of variation in his off break bowling, is also termed as a mystery bowler. Taking into account his killer performance in the recently concluded in IPL, he is the one to watch for, as he has got a very good bowling average of 22.09 in ODIs. Marlon Samuels is known to be a tough batsman and he has contributed valuable scores in mobilising the situation in favour of the West Indies a number of times. His adaptability to settle in front of different bowlers is very useful.

However, the rain gods might play a crucial role here too. Indians will leave no stone unturned in order to live up to the expectations, which have now gone beyond limits. This is shaping up to be a cracker of a match.