New Delhi: The Indian cricket team hustled their way to the tri-series final in Sri Lanka on Wednesday after huffing and puffing in the previous games, with many questions yet to be answered before the big match against the hosts on Saturday.
It would be like stating the obvious that the team owes it to Virender Sehwag who virtually single-handedly took the team out of the woods on a number of occasions throughout the series, and Wednesday saw nothing different. Continue reading below
The marauder from Najafgarh gate-crashed Kiwi dreams of reaching the final with a sublime century that stood tall among the Indian batting ruins, spread from top to middle order. Sehwag's 110 runs assume monumental proportions when the combined runs scored by 10 others are just three more than his contribution alone.
But India need to lick many wounds to grow new skin before the final. The team seems to be pushed in a tight corner with the combined absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir, more so because Dinesh Karthik no way comes near to be a replacement. The answer could be Robin Uthappa who is warming the couch at home. But for this one, India have to manage with a below-par Dinesh Karthik.
We can say Dambulla is not the ideal venue to gauge a team's performance as the toss virtually wins you half of the match. But that can be a hide-and-seek excuse in the post-match press conference, not on the field. You are expected to do the job once you step on the green and that's how it is in cricket.
The bowling has not been up to the scratch when under pressure, thanks to another couple of quality absentees in Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. As Dhoni pointed out, "Injuries to key players could be a blessing in disguise." But that statement is still stuck on 'could be' and has not moved to 'have been'. And Munaf Patel is certainly not the one expected to do that.
The usually reliable batting lineup has crumbled under bowler-friendly conditions in artificial lights. The whiz kids Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been made to look like stop-gap arrangements who throw in the towel whenever presented a challenge. Ravidra Jadeja – who seems to have secured unwavering support from his skipper – continues to be at sea and tries to rescue his batting failures with useful bowling. But for how long can Dhoni and Kirsten digest that from a player who is expected to excel on both platforms.
Ideally, India should have tried R. Ashwin and Saurabh Tiwary in at least one of the league games. But now that they have gathered a bit of rust, playing them in the final can be a gamble. However, it may well turn out that Dhoni plays one if not both of them as a surprise package for the islanders.
The team that put it across the Black Caps to book a final meeting with Sri Lanka is certainly not the best XI out of the touring party. But the dodgy conditions prevalent in Dambulla make it a risky proposition to handkpick the best, as a lot rests on whether a skipper calls right at the toss or not.
Whatever the skipper and think-tank decide, rest assured that the controversies that have camped inside this series will surely turn this final into a grudge match like none other.
