Kohli starts campaign on front foot against injury-ridden SA
This is the city from where the legendary Titanic set sail for New York. So iconic events and failed fortunes are part and parcel of the landscape of the big port town where India start their campaign for the World Cup first time under the leadership of Virat Kohli, on a ground they lost theTest and the series to England most recently in 2018.
But future, not history, beckons the Men in Blue who take on South Africa on a solid front foot of good rest, a crackling team and a rival suffering from two losses on the trot, not to mention dented armour in the absence of fiery pacers Lungi Ngidi and veteran Dale Steyn who is out of the tournament due to shoulder injury.
But even if the full Protean squad had been staring down Kohli's boys, the contest would have been interesting, what with Team India sporting a carefully constructed band of youngsters adept at living with pressure, spinning well andjudiciously pacing both the arm and the bat.Besides,they are botoxed on self-belief, concreted by, as Kohli said, "camaraderie, discussions and team spirit." With a passionate and yet sorted Kohli on his maiden leadership assignment in the Big Game with high personal stakes at play, and veteran World Cup tactician MS Dhoni looking over from behind, the cause for worry can only be self-constructed.
This will be India's first match in the World Cup and the delay has been worth the while. "I am happy to be finally playing. The wait has been a bit of an advantage in terms of understanding how the games have gone under the conditions, the pace of play, what the approach of other teams have been. We have had a lot to absorb and, thus, have a lot of positives out of being the last to start," Kohli said at his pre-match Press conference.
But then how do you deal with weather as fickle as the smile of a colicky infant? Only yesterday, Southampton saw all the weather conditions it could in a day: Morning was bright and sunny, the afternoon almost blew over with a hard and cold wind, then came the rain and yet at 9.15 pm it was a bright sun that set into the high skies. Kohli is aware and wary of this huge condition stumble which makes England the final frontier of the game."Dynamics will change from morning to afternoon and bowlers will have to adapt fast," he warned.
Match day weather is predicted to swing much like the ball does in England with variable cloudiness and a passing shower in the day, something not as benign as it sounds when it comes to strategizing your cricket in the middle. For one, it makes the bat-friendly pitch secondary to atmospherics. This, in turn, makes Kohli's choice between spinners and seamers a difficult and calculatedone.
Good news is that SA is struggling in the dressing room with skipper Faf du Plessis acknowledging that it would be challenging to have such an injury resized team and that he would do his best. Kohli, on the other hand, knows that Proteans are very "talented dangerous even with replacements,"Rabada being the danger man running in, not to mention the deadly guile of Imran Tahir fresh from Eid celebrations on match eve and Rohit Sharma being rickety to leg spin.
But, KedarJadhav is in full fitness and hitting the bowl well. Jadeja, Kohli says, is outstanding and a guaranteed template of performance. Then there is Kuldeep Yadav, Chahal and Shankar waiting in the wings, not to mention Bhuvneshwar rolling his arm in anticipation of the wind.
The skipper himself is looking forward to the challenge with anticipation and nerves which is good for any player, he asserted. "Will look at the pitch but are equipped for all conditions," added one of the best batsmen in the game for now. His opening game centuries in the previous two World Cups are enough to carry the legacy to Southampton, especially when the skipper is determined to do "whatever it takes to win", numbers no bar.
Balance, acumen, calm and strategy — all of which have been carefully hemmed into the squad — will come in handy when the clock strikes 10.30 English time today. Add to that solid first 10 overs, rolling partnerships with the bat and a weather friendly choice of bowlers, and the Titanic is sure to reach its destination this time, altering history and moulding the Cup's journey to Indian shores.