India were the favourites when the game started and the end result confirmed the team’s status. Of course there was some drama. The match did swing a bit and both teams experienced some turbulence. Eventually, MS Dhoni was in the middle to finish a job that his bowlers had begun superbly. West Indies gave India some anxious moments and I must say that at this level one must expect resistance from any team. It adds to the excitement of the tournament. West Indies, after opting to bat, stumbled and then regained their composure. In the final analysis, they fell short by 50-60 runs.
It was pretty clear that West Indies had little clue on this wicket. Having decided to bat, they showed no application. Some of their top-order batsmen let the team down and Chris Gayle’s inconsistency hurt the team most because West Indies rely a lot on him. Apart from the double century against Zimbabwe, Gayle has not delivered at the top. His form is wayward because he is not getting crucial runs against the big teams. Same is the case with Dwayne Smith. He looks out of place. The West Indian top order had adopted the T20 style of batting and it was not going to work against India.
The Perth wicket had bounce which required the batsmen to hang in for some time. Seeing off the initial phase with wickets in hand would have helped West Indies but most batsmen threw their wickets away. They have not looked like a team playing in a big tournament like the World Cup. But for Jason Holder, I doubt if the West Indies would have reached even 125. Remember, India was slack in the field and dropped easy catches. India’s bowling was again the strong point. They gave away runs in the latter part but overall looked a superb unit. It helps the captain when all the bowlers stick to a decent line and length. In India’s case, the five bowlers have struck a fine combination, backing each other.
I like it when the bowlers stay within their limitations and bowl within the stumps. It shows they are looking for wickets and such a line puts the batsmen under pressure because of the tight restriction on the flow of runs. India’s attack has variety of the rich kind and gives Dhoni the freedom to experiment. India reached the target with lot to spare but the team needs to tighten up the batting. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have to be more consistent in the important matches. They must put value to their wicket. Suresh Raina would do well to contain his aggressive instincts. He should curb his shots when not getting them right. Even Ravindra Jadeja has to be judicious in his shot selection.
I thought Dhoni was flawless. He kept West Indies under relentless pressure and then walked out to spend time in the middle. By scoring runs that mattered Dhoni has gained in confidence. It will guide him in the rest of the tournament.