India dispose of Zimbabwe to top group in the T20 World Cup 2022

India’s passage into the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup had become a foregone conclusion after the most bizarre outcome of this edition of the tournament. South Africa losing against the Netherlands earlier in the day had meant that only India’s position in the group was at stake at the MCG. The victory was almost a statement by the Men in Blue. It not only ensured that they finished top of the group but also gave them one more win than any other team in the group stage.

What do you say about SKY

Suryakumar Yadav scored a swashbuckling 61 Suryakumar Yadav/Twitter

Limited-over international matches have seen a lot of unbelievable performances over the years. Let us not get into instances. There have been so many. But when you take into account someone like Suryakumar Yadav in his existing avatar, a lot of the past fades out. This is insane. I mean, creating this amount of disbelief. Batting, like almost everything else in life and nature, follows a few patterns and principles. There are certain ways of going about it. One does it by adhering to a set of norms prescribed over the years. To hell with them! That is what SKY has to tell those dictums. There is no sticking to stuff told over the ages, no respect for traditionally followed methods, no respect for principles of gravity even. He devises his own methods, creates angles and geometry perhaps only Pablo Picasso could have. This is beyond the principles of natural justice, bowlers must be wondering by now. Something delivered well outside off stump and full goes for a six over fine-leg, another one pitched perfectly on the block hole gets driven straight for four. This is not possible! Savour it, enjoy it, treasure it. This is impossible to sustain. India, and us, would like to think otherwise though. This is unlikely to happen over a long period of time. That’s because this kind of batting is so improbable. Fortunately for India, the team needs this for just two more days, for the moment.

Don’t rule him out

Here is someone who came in for a lot of criticism of late. People like K.L. Rahul get written off so easily. But that’s only for the critics to eat the humble pie! Rahul is a special player, even in a team that has batters like SKY, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He is deceptively destructive. It does not appear very evident all the time, but the way he hits those big shots with nonchalance is not easy. Mostly, bowlers of the opposition side figure that out. He does not seem so aggressive. His methods are not overt. That’s because he sticks to the tried and tested shots instead of resorting to the extravagant. Rahul prefers timing his hits, not bludgeoning them. If given a long run, he is most likely to pull things off. This may, at times, seem contradictory to the nature of T20. But that is not how it is. The Indian team management has shown faith in him for a reason and Rahul is beginning to prove them right. Zimbabwe was obviously not the toughest of opponents, but have a decent pace attack. To have mastered them was a good effort. Importantly, he came up with a second successive half-century.

Crucial change behind the stumps

After considerable deliberation, the Indian team think tank decided to bench Dinesh Karthik and bring in Rishabh Pant. Pant will likely be persisted with for the remainder of the competition. He did not do much with the bat even though he had time to make a contribution against Zimbabwe. But the team management must be trusting him to deliver in the remaining matches. As a left-hander, Pant brings in a bit of variety in the middle-order and he is potentially a game-changer. Yes, his record in T20 internationals has not been up to scratch, but he is someone who can make a difference in crunch situations. It’s a good move to bring him in. It shows that the team is willing to take bold steps rather than sticking to conventional ways of going about things.

The going has been good so far, but let us not be cool yet. England in the semi-final is going to be one hell of an opponent, mind you. They come at you all the time while batting and bowling. And let us remember, India have not been that commanding in the first half of the innings while batting. We are too dependent on the top five and England bat as deep as down to No 9. Teams that aspire to win the T20 World Cup have to have depth in batting and India cannot say that they do. They do have batters in the top five who make a difference, but what if they do not click on a given day against a good attack? And England do have bowlers who can make a difference. Remember what happened in the 2019 50-over World Cup semi-final against New Zealand? It was five for three and game over.

Off the field: What happened to our Bengal boy?

Where is Bengal boy Ishan Porel? TT archives

Early on in the Zimbabwean innings, Arshdeep Singh was causing serious problems. Moving the ball both ways at a decent pace and hitting the yorker length regularly, he was also using the short-pitched delivery to good effect. Ian Bishop was doing commentary during that phase. The former West Indies quick quipped that Singh, Shivam Mavi and Ishan Porel were the bowlers who impressed him a lot during the under-19 World Cup in 2018. Where is Porel, the Bengal boy, now? He was more than handy playing for the Bengal senior team. Got selected for the Punjab IPL franchise and even picked as a net bowler for the senior Indian team. Well, last heard, he is out of the Bengal team now and was celebrating Jagaddhatri Puja in Chandernagore when Bengal were playing the national T20 championship. Porel is not part of the state’s 50-over squad either.

Did you know?

The collection of statues at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sunday’s match venue. (Clockwise from top left) Keith Miller, Don Bradman, Dennis Lillee, Neil Harvey, Shane Warne, Bill Ponsford

Melbourne Cricket Ground, where India beat Zimbabwe on Sunday to secure a semi-final berth in the T20 World Cup, has a remarkable collection of statues of former players. Cricketers like Don Bradman and Shane Warne to Olympic medal winning athletes and noted Australian Rules Football stars, it’s a wide range.