The second semifinal was a cracker of an encounter. India played great cricket, but Australia were not very far behind. Adam Gilchrist and his men shouldn’t despair too much, for they gave it everything. The Twenty20 format is such that there has to be a winner and a loser.
The Indians deserve every single compliment that is being paid to them in the wake of their remarkable run to the final of the inaugural World Twenty20. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has proved to be a competent leader. His advice to his boys to “enjoy it” has been taken in the right spirit. The manner in which the Indians have played in this tournament is best reflected in their fielding. We all know that this particular department of the sport had never been a “priority” for them. But times are changing, as they should.
The start of the Indian innings wasn’t exactly a rollicking one, but they acted wisely by weathering the initial storm. They ensured that they had wickets in hand when the final 10 overs began, and then Yuvraj Singh simply carried on from where he had left off against England. This is one lesson that the new format has taught us; Twenty20 isn’t about going bang-bang from ball one. The bowlers need to be shown some respect in the first few overs, particularly if they are of the caliber of Brett Lee and Stuart Clarke. Sreesanth was superb when the Indians commenced their defense. It was he who made the biggest difference, by dismissing Gilchrist and Hayden at critical junctures. The stage is now set for the summit clash between two of the game’s bitterest rivals. With wins against Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand under their belt, Shoaib Malik and his team will be confident of toppling the Indians at Johannesburg later today. Will the toss be a factor? It probably won’t. The Indians are clearly more comfortable batting first, while the Pakistanis chased well against the Kiwis. The wicket at Johannesburg will be conducive to batting, and the hitters from both camps will be salivating at the prospect of batting on it. The bowlers will have a tough time, as has been the case right through the tournament, but as I wrote in my previous column, the better ones will somehow find a way. Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, R.P. Singh and Sreesanth, to name just four, are talented enough to work their way around the constraints.
Johannesburg was where the event got off to a blazing start, with the hosts chasing a 200-plus target against the West Indies. The tournament might well end the way it began. However, I suspect that the spectators and TV viewers will prefer a more even contest between bat and ball, as was the case in both semifinals. One thing is certain “ there won” be much traffic on Indian and Pakistani roads today evening!
