Published: Apr 07, 2014, 04:24 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 07, 2014, 04:25 PM (IST)
India suffered an embarrassing defeat by six wickets in the ICC World T20 2014 final against Sri Lanka on Sunday night at Dhaka. While the Lankans produced an emphatic show with the ball, the Indians lacked the necessary punch in defending a modest target that they had set. Perhaps, the presence of Mohammed Shami could have made the difference. Devarchit Varma explains…
Sri Lanka ended their misery of not winning an ICC tournament despite reaching the finals several times in recent years, as they trumped India by six wickets to lift the ICC World T20 2014 trophy on Sunday night at the Sher-e Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. It was not the fact that India batted poorly or Sri Lankans batted really well to win the game — the differentiating factor in the match was that Sri Lanka executed their plans to perfection.
Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga had a definite plan in his mind, and his eyebrows would certainly have lit up when he won the crucial toss and elected to field. The plan that Sri Lankans had against an on-song Indian batting line-up was simple — the fast bowlers had to bowl full outside the off-stump and the spinners to attack the middle and leg stump, thus stifling the Indians for room. Backed by some excellent effort in the field, the plan worked as India managed only 130 for four, despite Virat Kohli’s inning of 77.
India too could have produced such a performance, had their bowlers had a definite plan and the discipline to execute it. The target was low and the only way India could have managed to register a win was by bowling out Sri Lanka. At this junction, they not only needed their spinners to be very disciplined and not give away extra runs — the way Amit Mishra did, but also one among the seam bowlers to take responsibility of containing the Sri Lankan batsmen.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with his ability to move the ball both ways would have been handy but what India really needed on a tricky pitch at the Sher-e Bangla National Stadium was the raw pace of Mohammed Shami. It rained at the venue after the women’s final and there was some movement early on in both the innings with the new ball. Shami, with his pace and movement in the air, could certainly have come in handy on Sunday night.
It was a surprising move by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and camp to give the opportunity of playing in a game as big as the final to Mohit Sharma, who doesn’t have enough experience when compared to Shami. Talking about skills, Shami’s raw pace and movement is definitely an added advantage when compared to Mohit’s medium pace. What India needed was a bowler who could send down four disciplined overs, not giving away anything to the Lankans and build pressure from his end. Shami could have been the one that India needed, as Mohit’s experience in international cricket is also not enough for him to justify his position in the playing eleven.
The move of selection certainly backfired for India in the final as they lost the match by six wickets. Dhoni and camp may or may not realise the risk they took of playing Mohit ahead of Shami. India had a bunch of seasoned campaigners and the right men for the right job. Nevertheless, this can be taken as a lesson and India can return home with pride.
(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
