Wrecker in chief: The Sri Lankan batters found
Shami too hot to handle and fell like nine pins.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Like biting into a bun-maska dunked in Irani tea in those old Parsi restaurants in this teeming metropolis, India revealed a similar ease as it tucked into a hapless Sri Lanka here on Thursday.

The Men in Blue’s seventh triumph in this World Cup was mounted upon muscular batting and relentless fast bowling and the fans at the Wankhede Stadium relished every second of a lop-sided contest that sealed the host’s semifinal berth.

Huge margin

Having posted 357 for eight, Rohit Sharma’s men bundled out Sri Lanka for 55 in 19.4 overs and won by 302 runs. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj dismissed Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne respectively when the batters were yet to open their accounts. If the openers were trapped right in front with ruffled pads, Sadeera Samarawickrama edged Siraj and skipper Kusal Mendis found the Hyderabadi dismantling his citadel.

No respite

With four batters in the hut and just three on the board, there was no respite as Mohammed Shami bustled in. He missed a hat-trick but inflicted enough damage as Sri Lanka hobbled at 14 for six in 10 overs, and once Shami (five for 18) castled Angelo Mathews, the visitors were down for the count.

In the afternoon while a sea of blue slithered in from Marine Drive and Churchgate station, Mendis won the toss and elected to field. His counterpart Rohit flicked the first ball for four but an unfazed left-arm speedster Dilshan Madushanka thudded the next ball into the stumps while the opener played inside the line.

The initial worries were allayed by Virat Kohli. He redirected Madushanka towards fine-leg and Shubman Gill pulled the seamer as a partnership began to take shape. There were some close shaves too as Charith Asalanka dropped Gill on eight and Dushmantha Chameera failed to latch onto a caught and bowled chance off Kohli when the latter was on 10. They were difficult catches but matches turn on such slender threads.

Peach of a shot

Soon Kohli essayed his drives but the peach was a straight-driven four off Kasun Rajitha. Gill, the stylish apprentice to the master at the other end, cut and flicked. He switched to turbo-mode, hoisting sixes off Chameera and Dushan Hemantha. However, the 189-run second-wicket partnership concluded when Gill (92, 92b, 11×4, 2×6) lobbed Madushanka into the gloves of Mendis.

Just like Gill, Kohli (88, 94b, 11×4) too fell against the run of play, popping up a catch off Madushanka. The much-anticipated record-equalling 49th ODI ton proved elusive while the original maestro Sachin Tendulkar watched from the stands. The next duo of Shreyas Iyer and K.L. Rahul scored briskly with the former hoisting sixes for fun. But another soft dismissal emanated when Rahul picked the fielder at short-cover.

Suryakumar Yadav too did not last long but Shreyas cruised. A pulled six off Madushanka (five for 80), followed by one straight down the ground showed the Mumbaikar in all his glory before he (82, 56b, 3×4, 6×6) holed out as another imminent century became a mirage. India by then had enough to leave the visitors deflated.

Two to tango: Gill and Rohit have set it up for India during its run chases.  Photo K.R Deepak/The Hindu
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

The essence of an emerging contest is often sensed during the opening act in ODIs. Remember Sachin Tendulkar’s upper-cut six off Shoaib Akhtar in a 2003 World Cup game at Centurion in South Africa? It set the tone for India’s successful chase and it was the bullet that set fire to the African skies. After two decades, that shot continues to have immense recall value.

Cricketing tradition, even in ODIs, often expected openers to wear down fast bowlers before the middle-order stars swaggered in. But that dour garb atop the batting tree was then slightly altered. Teams mixed it up with one classic player walking out alongside an aggressive partner. Closer home, we had Sunil Gavaskar and K. Srikkanth.

Later, it became Ravi Shastri and Srikkanth. Even with the West Indies, Desmond Haynes was more ice to Gordon Greenidge’s raging fire. The late Martin Crowe then unleashed the pinch-hitter with Mark Greatbatch being the battering ram up the order for co-host New Zealand during the 1992 World Cup.

In the 1996 edition hosted in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka did a ‘buy one get one free’ offer as two aggressive willow-wielders — Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana — caused havoc. This double-trouble template was also reflected through Indian pairs such as Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly or later Tendulkar-Virender Sehwag.

Cut to the latest World Cup, India has been served well by its openers except during that shock two for three phase against Australia at Chennai on Oct. 8. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan or Rohit with Shubman Gill have plundered runs, especially during the compulsory first 10-over PowerPlay stage with field restrictions.

Against Afghanistan in Delhi, Rohit, and Kishan shared 156 runs. In the big fight involving Pakistan at Ahmedabad, even though Gill fell early, by then India had struck 23 runs in a mere 2.5 overs. When the action shifted to Pune, Rohit and Gill shared an alliance worth 88. Later, once the Himalayas were scaled, the duo added 71 against New Zealand at Dharamshala. In all these key bonding exercises, Rohit was the constant star.

If Kishan was all about left-handed aggression, the aesthetics were often the sole preserve of the right-handers — Rohit and Gill. Usually in cricket, it is the other way round where left always got it right when it came to tapping our artistic biases. An elegant left-hander was an expected norm even if for every David Gower poem, there was a counter through Allan Border’s hard prose.

Killing them softly could be the joint theme of the Rohit-Gill combine and their fiery tango has drilled holes through the opposition’s field settings besides scraping the skies. These partnerships have been crucial as India mounted excellent chases all through this premier championship and also laid the foundation for Virat Kohli to build his strong edifices. As the Men in Blue prepare for their Sunday’s clash against England at Lucknow, the Rohit-Gill chemistry will continue to be the first hurdle that rival skippers will always be wary about.

India’s Hardik Pandya after getting injured during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ODI match between India and Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, on October 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: K. R. Deepak

Hardik Pandya’s sprained his left foot during India’s facile win against Bangladesh on Thursday may result in dealing a severe blow for India’s hope of regaining the World Cup.

Hardik, the allrounder who is one of the most vital cogs for India’s team balance, hurt himself while attempting to stop a return drive in his opening over. Soon after being treated by the physio, Hardik attempted a run-up but aborted it midway before heading back into the dressing room in visible despair.

Virat Kohli completed the unfinished over after Hardik returned to the dressing room 49 minutes into the game. Almost an hour later, the Indian team management confirmed he had been taken to a hospital for a scan.

While captain Rohit Sharma told the host broadcaster there’s “nothing major” about Hardik’s injury after the game, a team spokesperson reiterated that the medical team was “monitoring” Hardik while “awaiting the scan results”.

The Hindu understands that Hardik returned to the stadium around the innings break. While his foot was heavily strapped, he was not required to bat as India’s top three – led by Virat Kohli’s unbeaten hundred – made short work of a below-par target of 257 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association international stadium.

With India set to play New Zealand in a crucial tie on Sunday, it will be interesting to see India’s combination should Hardik be unavailable. In his absence, India will be forced to play five specialist bowlers and add a specialist batter in the line-up.

India’s Rohit Sharma with Shubman Gill during practice session at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
| Photo Credit: DEEPAK KR

Post India’s fabulous victory over Pakistan, after the massive hype that the match had generated, there will be a tendency among fans to think the matches against the other sub-continent teams could well be easy. It would do well to remember that last year, Bangladesh won the ODI series against India.

Their white-ball teams are far more competitive than the red-ball ones and given a semblance of a chance can make life difficult for the opposition.

India could well be feeling like a batter who relaxes his guard just a little bit after he has completed a century. That little relaxing makes him lose his wicket. That said, the fact that Shubman Gill, Kohli, Rahul and Shreyas haven’t got a century so far will certainly make them hungry. Hardik spent a short time in the middle against Australia while Jadeja hasn’t had a hit so far and there will be lots of hunger there.

Whether Bumrah will be rested against Bangladesh and saved for the big-ticket clash against New Zealand in Dharamshala which is barely a couple of days after the Bangladesh game will be interesting to see.

Bangladesh have struggled to get off to a good start and if one looks around, the teams that have not got a good opening stand have found it tough to put up a big total.

Apart from Bumrah, India’s other trump card is Kuldeep Yadav. The left-armer has bowled quite superbly, varying his line smartly and getting enough turn to induce a false stroke.

The Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been breathtaking with his batting and his captaincy has been even more impressive. The calmness he brought even when Pakistan were at 150 for just two wickets made sure that the body language of his team was positive all the way. His bowling changes too were spot on and that gave the bowlers the breather to keep going when they were brought back for another spell.

It’s going well for India but there is still work to do and tough opponents to face. A couple of battles are won but there are weeks to go for the war to finish.

(Professional Management Group)

A mouth-watering clash awaits fans at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday when the Men in Blue take on the World Cup juggernauts. India and Australia have locked horns 12 times across all editions of the tournament, with the latter having won eight games. Both teams would hope to start their campaigns on a positive note as they script another chapter in the annals of a long-standing rivalry.

In 1983, the two teams met for the first time at Trent Bridge, where Trevor Chappell showcased his talent and helped Australia hand India a drubbing. A few days later, Roger Binny and Madan Lal starred for India and the Indians defeated one of the favourites of the tournament by a considerable margin of 118 runs.

Chennai had previously played host to Australia in a nail-biting encounter in the 1987 World Cup, the first time an ODI was held at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium ever. Geoff Marsh piled up a ton to help Australia post a competitive total. In reply, K. Srikkanth and Navjot Sidhu gave the opposition a run for its money.

However, as India was tantalisingly close to victory, the middle order succumbed to Craig McDermott, as the host lost by a single run. However, in the second game at Feroz Shah Kotla, India beat the eventual champion.

When the World Cup was played Down Under, India played the hosts at the Gabba. Australia batted first with Dean Jones leading the show. Rain interrupted the game early into India’s innings, robbing of three overs. Despite Mohammad Azharuddin’s best efforts, the side fell short of the revised target by one run again.

The next clash between the two sides took place at the Wankhede in 1996. Mark Waugh, who opened for his team, set the stage with a splendid century. Local lads Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Manjrekar tried to make the most of familiar conditions, but Australia emerged the winner as India was unsuccessful in a chase yet another time. The side met with a similar fate when it took on Australia in London in 1999.

Fond memories for Aussies

Though the 2003 World Cup will bring back fond memories for the Aussies, Indian fans would not be too keen on revisiting them. Indian batters put up an abysmal show in the group stage, stringing together a paltry 125 runs.

In the final, Harbhajan Singh was the only bowler who was able to pick up wickets, and except for Virender Sehwag, no batter was able to cross the 50-run mark. Ricky Ponting’s rampage at Johannesburg furthered the Australian era of dominance even while breaking a billion hearts.

When Australia elected to bat first in the second quarterfinal of the 2011 World Cup at Ahmedabad, it seemed that history was set to repeat itself. After all, the Indians had never chased down a target set by the Australians in the tournament. Could they beat the odds at least this time around?

Ponting played a captain’s knock and scored another hundred to help the team post 260 on the board. Tendulkar and Gambhir registered half-centuries, but the Aussies kept picking up wickets regularly. It was Yuvraj Singh, with Suresh Raina at the other end, who took the game away from the opposition with a fantastic fifty of his own. Eight years after a crushing defeat to a stellar campaign, India returned the favour and put an end to Australia’s winning streak.

The defending champion would have fancied its chances when it met Australia in the semifinals of the next World Cup. The hosts chose to bat first at Sydney in 2015, a ground the eventual Man-of-the-Match, Steve Smith was partial to. Along with Aaron Finch, Smith stitched a 182-run partnership as Australia set a mammoth target of 328.

As if defending totals against India was an axiom and the previous game had just been a glitch in the matrix, the Aussies thrashed Dhoni’s men for a thumping 95-run victory.

Fortune favoured India as the team began its campaign on a winning note against Australia in the next edition in 2019. Shikhar Dhawan, in his brief stint as an opening batter, took the attack to the opposition.

However, it has been over four years since that clash in London. Times have changed, and so have the teams. As the two teams gear up for their first match on Sunday, they would be more concerned with recent results. Having played two bilateral ODI series in India in 2023, it can be argued that Australia would be one of the more confident visitors in the 13th edition of this tournament.

Chennai has been a lucky venue for Australia in World Cups — it has won all the three matches it played here. Even when the team toured India earlier this year, it was at Chepauk where they sealed the deal, beating the home team 2-1. On the other hand, the Detroit of India has been a neutral venue for the hosts.

After the loss to Australia in 1987, India has played only one game in the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, and went on to win that match against the West Indies by 80 runs. Historically, out of the 22 matches that led to a result, only eight teams that batted second won an ODI at Chepauk. At a pitch known to aid spinners, both the captains will be eager to win the toss and be in a position to call the shots.

India, as the top-ranked team in the world, will look to replicate its performance against the Aussies from the recently concluded bilateral series which the Men in Blue clinched 2-1. Australia has had a good run in recent ICC tournaments, claiming the T20I World Cup title in 2021 and the World Test Championship against India just a few months ago.

Cut to the present, the rivalry between these two teams will be kept alive tomorrow. As the clock ticks and the match draws closer, Indian fans will be decked up in their jerseys and face paint, waiting to cheer their team on in the most-awaited tournament of the year.