India have maintained the winning momentum. Not that anyone would have doubted but winning is a nice habit and I liked the way India approached the task. There was no sign of complacency as United Arab Emirates was given a lesson in every department of the game.
The bright part of the victory was R Ashwin’s bowling. He has improved with every match and emerged as a wicket-taking bowler. He is snaring the batsmen with his skills. To me, this is the best thing to have happened in this World Cup. The consistency that Ashwin has brought to his bowling along with Ravindra Jadeja gives extra bite to the Indian attack.
The 20 overs that Ashwin and Jadeja share will dictate India’s campaign. There is no other team with two quality spinners and India gain edge over the rest since the middle overs often influence the course of the match. If India are to win the Cup, Ashwin and Jadeja will have to play leading part in the bowling department. And they can bat too!
The spinners’ excellent performance means the fast bowlers can look to contribute handsomely in the remaining 30 overs. This support from the spinners adds variety to the bowling. On bigger grounds, India can plan better with every bowler having adapted to the conditions ahead of the crucial encounters.
Rohit Sharma getting himself a half century was a plus from the match. He is a match-winner and it was good that he spent time in the middle. I’ve always believed that experience in the middle is always better than time spent in the ‘nets’ where the competitive flavour is missing. We’re all aware of Rohit’s abilities and this was evidence of his value to the batting line up. If only MS Dhoni had batted instead of Virat Kohli because he’s to have a hit in the middle.
As I had feared, UAE lacked the temperament of playing against a big team. It’s this mental strength that teams like UAE need to develop and it can come only when they play regularly against the stronger teams. Unless they develop their domestic structure, UAE will continue to lag. They can’t improve by just playing some international matches.
India, with their fine win, and New Zealand, with their heart-stopping result against Australia, have now won all their games in the tournament so far. Both teams have played very good cricket and look a settled combination.
The Australia-New Zealand rivalry is well known and it produced some fantastic cricket as Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc produced quality fast bowling spells. I loved the way Kane Williamson finished the match with a straight six. It was daring and absolutely breathtaking. Australia also have given a strong message to the rest. They have wicket-taking bowlers who are capable of defending even a small total.