Published: Mar 26, 2015, 05:23 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 26, 2015, 06:37 PM (IST)
MS Dhoni’s men were knocked out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 by Australia in the semi-final. Despite the defeat, India can hold their heads high for they have been spirited through their World Cup campaign, writes Nishad Pai Vaidya.
India were always behind the eight-ball once Australia set a target of 329 in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Semi-Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Irrespective of the recent history of tall run-chases against Australia, the added pressure of playing a World Cup knockout contest weighs down a side. Despite the defeat in front of a largely Indian crowd at SCG, India can be happy with their ICC Cricket World Cup campaign 2015 for having played some good all-round cricket. Coming into the big event at the back of a disappointing tri-series they have done exceedingly well to get to the Semi-Final. Full Scorecard: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 2 at Sydney
India had numerous concerns ahead of the tournament. The batting had failed to click and the bowling had looked out of shape. There were injury concerns: Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept picking injuries since his arrival in Australia while Ishant Sharma had to fly back. Mohit Sharma came into the team as the bowling looked in doldrums. Had you told an Indian fan before the World Cup that their side would make it to the semi-final, they would have taken it! Blog: India vs Australia ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final
Many were sceptical about Shikhar Dhawan’s ability to perform in Australian conditions. At the end of the campaign, Dhawan stands vindicated with over 400 runs in the tournament (a feat achieved by only Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid). One of the highlights of his campaign was the century against South Africa, where he took on the might of Dale Steyn and company. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Suresh Raina, too, did well through the tournament, scripting some important knocks. His fifty against Pakistan was perhaps as important as Virat Kohli’s ton, if not more. Then came the important knock against Zimbabwe that saved India the embarrassment. Ajinkya Rahane, Kohli, and MS Dhoni also had important knocks during the campaign. Top 10 fielders in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Coming to the bowling, Mohammed Shami has been fantastic. Apart from the game against Australia, he was India’s go-to bowler and got them early wickets. Mohit also played his role in building the pressure and Umesh Yadav was fast and effective. Ravichandran Ashwin was craftier than ever in the middle overs.
All these factors — combined with a positive approach and, barring a few exceptions, top-quality fielding — came together to help India win seven games in a row, which is no easy feat by any means.
To sum up, India can be proud of the way they have played in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. They have overcome quite a few odds to put up this performance. On the big day they faced a good Australian unit that deserved to win. MS Dhoni and his men can hold their heads high despite the defeat for they have been wonderful! ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
