A big applaud to the team Pak. Well played. Coming to our performance, what we missed today. Was it poor captaincy of Kohli, balling of Shami, or the 'Chalta Hain' attitude of the team? It's high time BCCI should go back to the drawing board and work on their strategy. The glamour and money of the IPL are taking a toll on our performance in international cricket.
What a Match, Ind vs Pak!
- Thread starter OM_2K19
- Start date
Sean de Silva
Well-Known Member
Hammered, humiliated and thoroughly outplayed. Hungry underdogs vs overconfident superstars. Well-deserved victory by our neighbour and a kick up the backside for us. Long way to go in the tournament but you never know: the ever-mercurial Pakistan might just go on to win this T20 WC.
This is why I love forums like HFV. So much calmer and saner than social media. Loved your post, but will have to respectfully disagree with everything that you said.
Again, this being HFV, am sure you will take the time to read it and respond in the right spirit.
We missed nothing.
Once a team gets two balls like what SSA delivered to RGS and KLR, there is nothing much to be done: The batting team has two options: 1. go for broke, 2. consolidate.
India has some great talent, which allowed them to explore an option down the middle - SKY went attacking, VK consolidated. With the Indian batting line-up, SKY had to attack, cos VK wouldn't at that point.
(Minor digression: Slipping a very controversial personal take here - neither VK nor RGS would be in my personal XI - we have two too many 'anchors' at the cost of 'hitters' who can get going from ball 1. Ideally, India is capable of fielding a great T20 XI full of Pants and SKYs and Ishans. But there is no Indian cricket commercially without VK and RGS)
So, when SKY got out (sixth or seventh over?), the ideal person to come in would have been Ishan, but the team balance today did not allow a place for Ishan in the XI. Even if VK got out at the same juncture and SKY remained, it would have helped if IK walked in.
Seventh over is too early for RP to get in. And you saw what lies beyond RP - HP and Sir are great assets after 11-13 overs, but not before that.
In the end, IND had too little on the board for the conditions.
Kohli is not a poor captain - most T20 strategy is done by backroom staff, what remains in the field is just implementation. And VK did nothing wrong in his bowling changes today.
Didn't see much of him today, but looking at the figures now, I'd venture to say he might have got hit not because he was bad, but cos the Pak batsmen took more risks and it paid off. Nothing wrong with him. He still remains India's No. 2 pacer, even above current vintage BK.
This Indian team (or for that matter, any international team) does not have a chalta hai attitude. Not even the Windies of two days ago, which the whole world dissed as 'brainless'. This is just how the game is.
For ex: If RGS or KLR had got the same deliveries from SSA in a Test match (Oh, what would not we give to get another Ind-Pak Test, especially with these two bowling attacks!) they would been extremely happy to have just kept it away and survived. But T20 is a game of attack, hence they had already gotten into positions to 'hit' the ball, instead of merely keeping it from dismissing them. But that's how T20 goes.
BCCI, for everything else that is wrong with them, have nurtured a great pool of talent in the last 10 years. Nobody can take that from the many BCCI personnel who have been at it. Today, we can name 40-50 players who can compete with the best in the world in all formats - in fact, I'd say India has enough players to field two teams in each format on the same day, and the odds of a win will be well over 50 per cent.
IMHO, the glamour and money of the IPL do have a role to play in India's excellence across formats. It is a bonus that people like VK, JB, HP, et al, come out and speak about their love for cricket, including Tests.
IPL is a blessing for Indian and global cricket; it is not taking any toll on India's performance in any format.
Finally, among close watchers of the game, this Pak side was never supposed to roll over and lose easily - their balance and bowling/batting options are too rich - they may not play in IPL, but they have honed their skills in leagues elsewhere, most importantly the CPL, where the pitches mirror where this WT20 is happening.
T20 is very different from the rest of cricket, so much so that had Misbah timed his scoop better, there would be no T20 today. Margins are really that acute in this sport. (I consider it a totally different sport to cricket)
TL;Dr, anyone who thinks this Indian side or the Windies side of 55 a.o from the other day are cooked are terribly mistaken. You are bound to see fireworks from both over the course of the group games.
If I was a betting man, I'd wager good money on the Windies breaching 200 at least once. And this Indian side reaching the knockouts. From there, it is anybody's game.
And finally, please don't be surprised if IND v PAK happens once more after the Super 12s, and IND thoroughly dust this very same PAK XI.
+1
INdia historically have not been great starters in anything - Test series/tournaments and a first round loss usually get the team to perform better, so yes ! i thought the batting intent by the India team was actually good jsut that the bowling was even better.
Really loved the way the Pak team played. saw Babar for the frst time and Shaheens first 2 overs and SKYs wicket might have reduces our intent to score by 20-30 runs.
Don't agree with only this part.
Very true, everyone is up and firing.
Absolutely.
He is the VK of Pak, a proper T20 slouch. If IND had 152 to chase today, VK would have looked similarly imperial.
Exactly! Peaches.
JB or MS could bowl two of them against a different opposition in the next few days.
SKY was superb in his short stay, primed for a big one very soon if the chips fall his side.
Check out our special offers on Stereo Package & Bundles for all budget types.