308 days ago, the stage was the T20 World Cup but the venue was the same and so was the opposition.
India Vs Pakistan
It really doesn't get bigger than this. More than revenge, it was a time for redemption for Team India.
On that night, we batted was timid and our bowling was lacklustre.
Cut to August 28, 2022. Even this time, we were too timid in our batting for the most part (this was especially glaring after our new template of attacking the bowlers and batting positively from the get-go, in the last 6 months). We lost KL Rahul in what was almost a replica of his dismissal the last time around. With almost the same impact too.
We went into our shell for a bit, as edges flew, tensions rose, and we nicked and prodded for a few runs. Just when things were looking more in control, Sharma threw it all away and very soon, Kohli came tumbling after.
Then came the most significant partnership of the match, Jaddu and Hardik, as they went about their job of keeping the scoreboard moving and ensuring that we did not lose any more wickets. Remember, with only DK to follow and playing with a long tail while chasing at 9+ per over for the better part of the last 10 overs, another wicket would have set the cat amongst the pigeons.
Hardik Gold Pandya
No, the Gold is not his middle name because he loves wearing it along with a generous sprinkling of his tattoos. The Gold is very much part of him now (and may it long be) because he has become an invaluable cog in our armoury, with renewed zeal, much fitter physique, much calmer temperament and much fiery bowling spells too. And the killer batting prowess was always there. He is priceless to this team now. 24K priceless. And what better place for this golden boy to show his worth than in the Middle East!!
The zen-like calm and self-assuredness in his batting has been evident ever since his comeback after injury, in the IPL. Captaining a new team and taking it to IPL victory this year has only added to his credentials, qualities, and confidence.
What a beautiful blossoming and touchwood to that!
Overall, it was a great day for the team as we persevered in our bowling as well as batting for the most part, and eventually stood on the right side of the result after a well-fought, scrappy contest.
Some positives:
Hardik, Hardik Hardik
Jadeja's batting
Bhuvi's typical, understated brilliance
Kohli's semblance of his old self
Arshdeep (barring a few disappointments, did pretty well overall)
Things to work on:
KL Rahul
Rishabh's T20 future/potential team instability so close to the World Cup in October
Waiting for Deepak Hooda, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, and Venkatesh Iyer to make it to the team.
I know Venky Iyer is not even in the squad but he is surely a matchwinner and is ready, in my books.
My Preferred Team India for the T20 World Cup in Australia:
01. Rohit Sharma (c)
02. Venkatesh Iyer
03. Virat Kohli
04. Suryakumar Yadav
05. Rishabh Pant (wk)
06. Hardik Pandya (vc)
07. Ravindra Jadeja
08. Harshal Patel
09. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
10. Jasprit Bumrah
11. Yuzvendra Chahal
12. Deepak Chahar
13. Dinesh Karthik
14. Ravi Bishnoi
15. Deepak Hooda
16. Arshdeep Singh
17. Shardul Thakur
18. Washington Sundar
Anyway, that's for later. For now, well done, Team India - more power to you, keep going!
Jai Ho!
