The Curious Case of the Run Chase That Never Was
Collected
|| CF Correspondent ||
India’s limp pursuit of 338 runs against England has angered supporters and opponents alike.
The World number one ranked ODI team, containing an array of fearsome batting talent appeared to be awestruck in the face of a 300+ chase against England at Edgbaston. After being set a substantial but not insurmountable 338 for victory, England openers Roy and Bairstow being the key architects of England’s impressive return to form with the bat, India wilted in a manner that has not only raised eyebrows internationally but angered many India supporters.
India’s approach from the outset was to bat with caution, retain wickets and to bat deep into the innings, it’s a game plan not without merits but against a dynamic and balanced attack the one-dimensional approach was found to be wanting. India’s ultra-caution was illustrated in the first power play when only a meagre 27 runs for the loss of 1 wicket was achieved, it doesn’t take a cricketing genius to understand that such a start won’t win many games. After KL Rahul’s early loss, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli embarked on a 138 run partnership which came off 155 balls, a strike rate of 89 at a period when the game was moving away from India’s grasp. Pandya was the only one to show genuine intent (45 runs from 33 balls) but his shortcomings were plain to see, he frequently lost his body shape when looking to muscle the ball over the boundary ropes, the clever use of slower balls and cutters bemusing him.
Despite a below par 40 overs, India entered the final powerplay needing 104 runs with 6 wickets in hand. When Pandya got out a further 71 was required off 31 balls with 5 wickets in hand. Anyone with a passing interest in T20 cricket, and particular the IPL, will know that such equations are routinely tackled. In India’s favour was a 59 metre boundary on one side of the ground and the fact that the widely proclaimed master finisher Dhoni was at the crease. None of these factors deterred the batsmen from pushing singles and leaving the ball as if batting during the first morning of a Test match, seemingly content to protect a team net run rate that is unlikely to play any part in determining the four semi-finalists.
The baffling way that India played out the last few overs has not only raised eye brows around the cricket world but has also rightly angered many India fans. By refusing to make the game into a genuine contest, India have shown a degree of contempt towards their own fans, many of whom have paid hundreds of pounds for match tickets and have flown thousands of miles to follow their team. We often hear international captains talking about the importance of preserving and promoting the spirit of the game, that spirit was virtually non-existent in the last hour of Sunday’s game. Waqar Younis has called into question how sporting India were and Sourav Ganguly, one of the most competitive and proud Indian captains, was rendered speechless while commentating on the final phase of the game. One couldn’t imagine any other cricket team playing in the same way, I’m certain that current Australian and English sides would rather fail in pursuit of victory rather than not bother trying.
A cynical interpretation of those closing overs would be to attribute Indian reticence as a means of preventing arch rivals Pakistan a semi-final berth, as England’s loss would have been Pakistan’s (and Bangladesh’s) gain. If there is even the slightest shred of evidence that this was the case, an ICC investigation should be launched; given the power and influence that the BCCI wields, this is likely to be a forlorn hope. A more practical and short-term solution would be for the match referee to intervene, via the on field umpires, when a run chase isn’t being contested and for penalties to be imposed, similar to those received for ball tampering or ill-discipline.
The episode has covered India in little glory and their next opponents, Bangladesh, will be eager to exploit the fall out. It’s incongruous to associate Kohli, a cricketer who seeks to outplay Australians when it comes to on-field aggression, with a conservative brand of cricket and a lack of self-belief, but that’s exactly what’s happened and as a team they have consequently been diminished.
