India played inspired cricket to beat England and assure themselves of a place in the Super Six stage of the World Cup.
They had played in a similar manner against the same opponents last year when they pulled off that remarkable victory in the finals of the tri-series in England.
It was as if the sight of the English uniform drove them to play at the level they did.
It was a big game, for if India had lost then the pressure to beat Pakistan would have doubled, because then that was the only way India could have qualified for the Super Six stage, but now they can go into their last game without that additional pressure. It will be Pakistan who will now feel the pressure as they have to beat India to stay in contention for a place in the next stage of the event.
India couldn’t have asked for a better start than the one that Tendulkar and Sehwag provided, perhaps yes in terms of the runs scored, but it was the manner in which the early danger was brushed away that set the tone of the game.
It was great to see Tendulkar play like the Tendulkar of old. He has in the last couple of seasons been a bit more watchful and has looked solid but that spontaneous strokeplay, the flair which separated him from the rest and stood him miles apart was not quite there.
Here he wanted to dominate, so he created shots, which lesser mortals would have not even thought of and he took the game India’s way with that blistering start. All Andrew Caddick’s talk was just that as the little champion once again exposed the tall medium pacer as one who swings more with the lips than with the ball.
Sehwag has still not found his touch. But that’s the beauty of it all, for when he does, India will not just have a big total on the board but also big smiles on the faces of their supporters, who will be hugely entertained.
There was a bit of a stutter in the middle of the innings but the experience of Dravid came in handy as he repaired the little tear in the innings and then in Yuvraj’s company began to give the total some muscle.
In the end he was run silly by the fleet-footed Kaif, but ever the team-man, he did all that and then came back to keep wickets superbly.
It’s been noticeable that here under the lights, there is more swing for the bowlers and the Indians utilized it cleverly, none more so than Nehra.
Having gone off the field with a sore ankle in the previous game, there was a question mark about his inclusion in the side and he answered it most emphatically with a display of sustained swing and nippy bowling to return magical figures and win the Man of the Match award.
His bowling depends so much on rhythm, and here he had that as can be seen that he did not bowl a single no ball or wide. To bowl ten overs on the trot is not easy, especially in the humid conditions that obtain in Durban, but he did that manfully.
Once he gets the ball to swing back into the right-hander then his natural angle makes him a difficult bowler as the batsman cannot afford to leave the ball lest it come back and trap him in front of his stumps.
So they play at it and end up edging when the luck is running well or playing and missing. India’s ground fielding also was several notches higher than usual and that meant no easy runs were given to the batsmen.
It was a heartwarming performance and one that raises every supporter’s hopes that this is the year when the cup will be coming home.
Arab News Sports 28 February 2003
