Team India’s dominance, throwback to salad day of all-conquering Windies

The highlight of India’s triumph in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy that got over in Dubai on 9 March was the overwhelming dominance that the side displayed throughout the championship. It would not be an exaggeration to state that the side did not look like losing any match at any time. The gulf that separated India from the other teams was so huge that the games turned out to be tame one-sided affairs, with the result never being in doubt.

That India could win the final so convincingly despite dropping no fewer than 3 catches underlined the superiority of the side. This was a throwback to the salad days of the all-conquering West Indies side under Clive Lloyd during the 1970s and early 80s, when emerging out of a contest with their pride intact was considered a win for other squads, irrespective of the actual results!

With the benefit of hindsight, it can be stated that the decision of Indian selectors to drop Yasaswi Jaiswal from the squad that was first announced and recruit leg spinner Varun Chakravarthy turned out to be a masterstroke. It was a calculated gamble prompted by the splendid form displayed by Varun in the T20 International series against England. The fact that the pitch in Dubai had a history of assisting spin bowlers also must have influenced the members of the selection committee. Following this, he was hurried into the world of One Day Internationals (ODI’s) last month, thus becoming the second oldest player to debut for India in this format, after Farokh Engineer. Varun justified the action of selectors, picking up 9 wickets in the three matches he played in this championship, including a 5-wicket haul against New Zealand in the league match.

It was the combination of Varun and Kuldeep Yadav that proved to be the trumpcard for India in the crucial matches in the championship. Unlike Varun, who played in only three games, Kuldeep was part of the Indian playing eleven throughout the tournament. Opposing batsmen were tied up in knots by the deadly cocktail of orthodox right-arm leg spin and googly from one end and left-arm unorthodox stuff from the other, resulting in runs drying up in the middle overs. Varun and Kuldeep were ably supported by Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, who bowled their overs tidily, never letting the pressure ease on the batsmen. The final turned firmly in India’s favour during the period from the 11th over to the 40th, when only 104 runs could be scored by the New Zealand batsmen.

The strategy of playing four spin bowlers was both novel and innovative. In the first place, this went against the conventional wisdom that favoured the use of medium pacers over spin bowlers in ODI’s. Further, having three tweakers in the side who turned the ball in one direction carried the possibility of making the attack unidirectional, which could work in favour of batsmen. Moreover, this also carried the risk of having a long tail, a distinct disadvantage in a closely fought match, though in India’s case, this was minimised due to the abilities of Jadeja and Axar with the willow.

The decision of team management to promote Axar to the No. 5 slot surprised many, especially given the fact that he came before KL Rahul, a specialist batsman, in the batting order. But Axar justified the confidence placed in his abilities by coming up with useful knocks whenever he got the opportunity. But he would have served the cause of the side better if he had converted his knocks of 20 odd into half-centuries. The positioning of Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Jadeja at No. 6, 7 and 8 respectively gave the side depth in its batting, which allowed them the luxury of having both Varun and Kuldeep in the playing eleven.

The selection of Rahul over Rishabh Pant to don the big gloves behind the stumps would have been a tough call but coach Gautam Gambhir was clear in his mind about the role of the former in the batting line-up. This served the cause of the team well in semifinals and final, where Rahul anchored the chase with calm and aplomb and ensured that there were no hiccups in the final lap. Pant would certainly have been the popular choice for this spot, given his explosive batting, but the final result proved that the presence of Rahul lent the side a better balance in this championship.

Hardik Pandya chipped in with useful performances with both bat and ball during the tournament. It was his good form with the ball that gave the team management the confidence to have him share the new ball with Mohammed Shami after the first two matches. Though the wicket was slow and favoured the spinners more, Pandya and Shami ensured that they bowled tight and did not leak many runs. Like Rahul, Hardik’s presence lent the side balance, besides adding depth to the batting.

Finally, a word about the veterans, skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rohit performed his role of being the “powerplay artisan” to perfection, giving the side excellent starts in all matches. This was a huge advantage, which was capitalised by batsmen coming after him. Kohli showed that he is still among the best in the world on slow wickets and came up with masterpieces against Pakistan and Australia. The aggression of Rohit at the top of the order and the stability of Kohli in the middle overs proved to be a winning combination for India. Here, one should not forget the efforts of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who also contributed handsomely with the bat in most matches.

To sum up, this victory will rank amongst the most comprehensive wins by an Indian side in ICC tournaments. Seldom has a side dominated a tournament in the manner India did during this championship. Individually, all the players were in top touch; but more importantly, they combined brilliantly as a unit, which was the underlying factor that fashioned this win. Coach Gambhir and the support staff deserve all praise for creating the environment that fostered this sprint amongst the team members. This success should also help to relieve some of the stress that Gambhir would have been feeling after the poor run in test matches against New Zealand and Australia.

Congratulations Team India! Your accomplishments have made the entire nation proud!