It was not a very shameful performance to be fighting with 133 in 20 overs. But it was a sham to be settling for 133. You do not win T20 matches with that total and despite the best of efforts by the Indian bowlers, this outcome was inevitable.
My Kolkata takes you through the high/lowlights of the India-South Africa tie at the 2022 T20 World Cup
It was on, until that dropped catch…
Aiden Markram is a fine batter. Hits the ball through the off with remarkable power and timing. Beautiful timer of the ball, with strong forearms. But then, cow corner is not his favourite point. That is where he is vulnerable. And that is where he was caught napping and dropped. He had no clue what kind of contact he was making against Ravichandran Ashwin. And that delivery had ‘out’ written all over it. Who dropped the dolly? India’s best fielder. Virat Kohli takes those even when he is sleeping. Today, he did not. And Markram and South Africa were smiling till the end. Very costly drop. Match-changing.
Slipping in the field
It was not just the dropped catch. India had come back strongly into this match, despite getting to a below-par total. The equation for South Africa was quite tough until almost the end. But if you have butterfingers, you usually let the opposition in. After that dropped catch by Kohli, captain Rohit Sharma missed a chance to run out David Miller. It was a clear throw at all three stumps from quite close. Without showing disrespect, let us say most of us would have hit them. But, Rohit did not. Out went with that India’s chances of pulling off an unlikely win.
Bounced out at the start
In Perth, a venue known for assisting fast bowlers, India’s task was well cut out, especially after winning the toss and electing to bat. What did they do? Well. There were 21 dot balls in the first six overs when the field restrictions are on. The top-order batters were simply bounced out, Lungi Ngidi causing most of the damage and Kagiso Rabada taking most of the catches. The one he held to get rid of K.L. Rahul was phenomenal. It was a combination of smart bowling and fielding and soft batting. You ought to take on fire with fire. Here, you were caught short. On resolve as well as resources.
Suryakumar Yadav’s 68 off 40 balls didn’t pay off.
PTIWhy leave it to SKY
Suryakumar Yadav is batting on a different level altogether. He does not take time to settle down. Needs no time to get his eye in, as they say! He is a different deal completely, who starts hitting the ball far and wide delicately, without resorting to too much power. It was no different against South Africa on Sunday. Yadav was on song and immediately, his effort giving the Indian bowlers something to play with. It was obviously not enough. But something nonetheless thanks to this peerless hitter. He is a cool guy too. If you know! How many are there who score 68 when the next highest is 15!
Bowling was not bad
The collective bowling effort by India was commendable, actually. With so few runs to defend and fielding not up to the mark, they did well to take the match into the last over. Arshdeep Singh was sharp, so were Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. This should not dishearten the Men in Blue. Concern is, they might not have the firepower overall when it comes calling. The fallibility, in that case, has to be shouldered by the batting department. Bowlers have not been bad.
Off the field: Cold, quite cold
They were saying on TV that it was 14 degrees Celsius or even less at the ground. The India players were seen draped in woollens and towels while sitting in the dugout. It is actually quite cold to be playing cricket in Australia this time of the year. The season there does not start before mid-November or December. Why so many washouts? Premature start to the season for sure.
Did you know?
The previous ground in Perth holding international matches was known as WACA. It had a pretty, little museum. Out there stands this. A bronze figure called “caught Marsh bowled Lillee”. Of course, they refer to Rodney Marsh and Dennis Lillee.
