Published: Feb 22, 2015, 08:46 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 22, 2015, 08:46 PM (IST)
Shikhar Dhawan smashed a century in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 game against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This came at the back of a good innings of 73 against Pakistan in the first game. Nishad Pai Vaidya writes that Dhawan’s return to form mirrors India’s change in fortunes at the big event.
Last week, India had the task of maintaining an unbeaten record against Pakistan at the World Cup. A week down the line, they faced a contrasting challenge as they had to put an end to their winless record against South Africa at the big event. India have raised their game in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 with victories against Pakistan and South Africa. While Pakistan may not have been very strong, a victory against the arch-rivals is always a morale-booster. However, the win against South Africa could well be a bigger boost given the fact that they are amongst the favourites in the tournament.
[read-also]254827[/read-also]
There are many positives to emerge for India from the victory against South Africa. It was a complete team effort, whereby most members made contributions in helping the team to victory. More so, during the fielding as India maintained their intensity through South Africa’s run-chase and kept putting pressure on them. South Africa are normally a good fielding unit, but on the day, they were outclassed by the Indians, who were untiring on the field. In contrast, the Proteas fumbled and made errors on the field. That was perhaps the biggest difference between the two sides on the day. Quite ironic considering the trends in the past. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
It is quite amazing how India have been able to raise their game in the last two matches. The batting has looked solid, with Virat Kohli trying to chart out a stable path to a good score. This has allowed some of the other batsmen to take up a more attacking role. Dhawan in particular has revelled in that so far, the most impressive aspect about his batting has been the way he has dealt with the short ball. MS Dhoni spoke about the hard yards Dhawan has put in the nets and that has paid dividends for him now. Perhaps the most criticised Indian batsman in the lead-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Dhawan is now a beacon of hope for India.
In a way, Dhawan’s own fortunes mirror India’s turn-around. The southpaw had a woeful time during the Australia tour, struggling to come to terms with the conditions. In the final One-Day International (ODI) of the tri-series, Dhawan had worked himself into some form and India had shown some fight. Come the World Cup, Dhawan brought his best to the table and India also turned it around in all departments. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
The bowling attack was considered the Achilles’ Heel, but has managed to turn it around beautifully. Mohammed Shami has been very impressive. His opening spell in the game against South Africa was a good exhibition of control as he gave away only 15 runs in his first five overs, for one wicket. Such was the pressure he applied that the only wicket he got in that spell was due to the batsman’s mistake. Shami should get the credit for setting the tone for the bowling. Mohit Sharma then built on it with his variations. Surprisingly, he was working some good pace and those are encouraging signs for India. India vs South Africa, ICC Cricket World Cup- In Photos
Ravichandran Ashwin too has been very good. His tight spell against Pakistan helped India turn the game around firmly in their favour. That continued against South Africa, as he got the wickets and continued to trouble the batsmen. Lastly, the fielding has been amazing as the players fearlessly dive around and try to save as many runs as possible. The mood in the camp certainly looks upbeat.
India now face relatively easy challenges ahead with the United Arab Emirates, Ireland and Zimbabwe in store. The West Indies may be the toughest unit they will come across in the remainder of the group phase. It is imperative that India maintain their consistency and maintain their ruthlessness on the field of play.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
