Raising arms and flexing his biceps, Virat Kohli sprinted towards Rohit Sharma before lifting the Team India captain into the air out of ecstasy. The crowd was going mad as the DJ belted out Chaiyya Chaiyya from the Shah Rukh Khan hit Dil Se.
Mohammed Shami had just removed Moeen Ali with the first ball of his second spell and it spelt doom for England. At 81/6, there was no way England could turn it around at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
A target of 230 was considered within their reach at the break. Following a litany of mistakes in their earlier matches, England had finally bowled with intent and purpose to restrict India.
Spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen had been miserly and India’s decision to not pick Ravichandran Ashwin was being debated upon. The presence of excess dew on the field probably led to Rohit’s call since the spinners would find it tough to grip the ball.
Mohammed Shami celebrates after taking Moeen Ali’s wicket, one of his four scalps on Sunday. PTI photo
Jasprit Bumrah and Shami vindicated Rohit’s decision with a spell of incisive and accurate spell of fast bowling which never gave the English batters any chance of a fightback. The 100-run thrashing thus ended Jos Buttler’s team’s chances of defending their title.
“This was a game where we showed a lot of character. All the experienced players stood up at the right time and won us the game,” Rohit said.
India’s six out of six record is a telling commentary on their dominance and invincibility in these conditions. Bumrah was menacing with his variations and removed Joe Root for a golden duck with a well-laid-out plan.
If India’s middle and late-order were woeful, England fared no better. Their dismal batting helped India gain the indomitable tag.
The bowlers negated the dew factor with skill and flair. Once Bumrah started the slide with consecutive wickets of Dawid Malan and Root, Shami couldn’t have been left far behind. Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow were cleaned up in consecutive overs which sounded the death knell for England.
With only five specialist bowlers at hand, none could afford to err in direction. But the England batters made it look easy.
Shami now has nine wickets in two matches and it could mean no Shardul Thakur in the XI. Great bowlers always find a place for themselves.
