The Journey of Champions

One year ago on this day, we witnessed something that was beyond our imagination and it is time to look back at that evening and refresh our memories of that game.

4 balls to go, 15 runs to win, Boult running in to bowl, Stokes on strike and the World Cup on the line.

Imagine what was going on in Stokes' mind at that point. Boult got the first two deliveries spot-on and there was nothing Stokes could manage off those. Taking a single wasn't an option and Stokes had to fetch at least 2 runs off this one or it would just become hit or miss for the final 3 deliveries with 15 still needed.

Those who watched the WC Final often talk about the boundary count rule and the 4 extra runs which England got when ball went off Stokes' bat to the boundary. Sure, those were key to England winning the World Cup but before both those things happened, it was Stokes' six under incredible amount of pressure that actually brought England back into the game. That, for me, was the defining moment in the crucial period of play that kept the players and the viewers on their toes. That displayed the confidence which was instilled in the English team which they got by playing a carefree, attacking brand of cricket for 4 long years. They played like champions in between the two WCs in 2015 & 2019 and Stokes made sure that they actually got the title which they so badly wanted.

Now, there had been a lot of debate over the boundary count rule on the social media. Yes, it was unfair to decide the result of any match that went into the super over, let alone a WC Final, by the number of boundaries hit by both the teams. But the rule came into existence only after it was approved by majority of the member nations and nobody would have ever imagined a big match like the WC Final to go down in the way it did.

The way things turned out, it became pretty obvious to feel sorry for the Kiwis for the couple of things which stole the game from them and more importantly due to the fact that they are the nicest, most humble set of men playing this beautiful sport. They played the game as well as they could have and never did they show any signs of bitterness amidst the outrageous series of events which occurred towards the end of the game and thus rightfully deserved the applause which they got.

But in all of that, we often fail to give due credit to England for their World Cup win. Back in 2015, their limited overs side was going nowhere, it was well-known to people in the English set-up and to everyone around the world. They needed to make strong, courageous decisions in order to revamp their side and that is where I feel their loss to Bangladesh which knocked them out of the WC'15 was so, so crucial. It forced England to change their outlook towards the way they played the white ball game and they that did emphatically. Trusting Morgan to lead the turnaround, after the WC'15 debacle, was contrary to what England were used to doing but that eventually proved to be a masterstroke in their transformation in the white-ball format.

Smart, young, talented individuals like Roy, Hales, Wood, Willey were brought into the ODI team post the WC'15 and England could already see the results coming. England played magnificently against the Kiwis in the ODI series not so long after the World Cup, even surpassed 400 for the very first time in ODIs and won the series 3-2. All of this just a couple of months after getting thrashed by New Zealand in the World Cup. No other country worked as much as England did on finding the right man for each spot in the team, building a dynamic team that played a very different brand of cricket and backed themselves to win a game from any given situation. The flair and the consistency with which they played not just for a small period but for 4 years between the 2 WCs rightfully made them the favourites for the WC last year. But then, as it happens in all good stories, they had a couple of hiccups in the WC and their WC campaign was then wavering here and there.

The match against India would go a long way in helping them realize their WC dream. They stood up to the challenge, handed India their first defeat in the World Cup and there was no looking back after that.

Coming back to the Final, it'd always be said that England had by far the better luck between the two teams but for the way they rose their limited overs game from 2015 to 2019, it's fair to say that England deserved such luck. That's just my take on this whole thing, it'd be amazing to know what you guys think. 

The Decline Of Dhoni

A brilliant knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad where we saw glimpses of Dhoni – The Finisher. Social media was full of posts  regarding the return of MS Dhoni to form and his ability to finish off close games. And out of all those, The King Of The Jungle ones were the most amusing!

Let's get back to reality, he's not what he was and he'll probably never be the old vintage Dhoni again. A few months later, he'll be celebrating his 36^th birthday and you wonder if Champions Trophy will be his last international tournament. It's a fact that many are not ready to accept but they'll have to accept it soon. He's not an opener or a number 3 batsman who can afford to spend some time in the middle before unleashing. On occasions it might be possible but only when the top-order fails, and you don't want that to happen as well. He can play at number 6 or may be at number 5. He can't go up any further because those positions are already taken up very well. Also, there are some good young players ready to take up his position in the Indian Team with the likes of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson performing really well. So, it won't be long until Dhoni calls time on his career.

Many people would argue that this is wrong but we need to accept the fact. He captained the team for 9 long years, took India to great heights and was there to face the heat when India didn't do well, especially overseas. Carrying the burden of leading the team and playing the role of a finisher for such a long time has had its toll on him. With age not on his side, he might not be seeing the ball as well as he was a few years ago. It's the ball hitting the bat more often than the bat hitting the ball and you sense that it's the right time for him to put curtains on what has been an incredible career so far.

Only God has the answer to the question regarding Dhoni’s retirement but until then, let's cherish every match that he plays. Good luck to the former captain of the Indian team!

Maxwell Did His Undoing, Once Again!

“Bowl the ball outside the off stump and make him drag it from there.”

That's what the plan to Maxwell has been for some time now. Bring on a wrist spinner, ask him to tempt Maxwell up and there you go. The ball either goes straight to the deep mid-wicket fielder or in the gloves of the wicket-keeper who does the rest.

It isn't that Maxwell isn't aware about this. His ego is letting him down time and again. What great players do is that they find a way to combat the opposition's plan. That is just what Maxwell is lacking, the ability to control his temptation and hang in there.

Hardik Pandya is a great example of that, he too likes to smash bowlers all over the park. But he has understood that this is international cricket and the bowler who is coming in to bowl has equal ability. He is not going to come up and bowl a hit-me ball.

Yesterday, after he had been kept quiet initially, he just couldn't control himself when he saw Yuzvendra Chahal coming in to bowl. On the first ball of the over, Maxwell comes out of the crease to send the ball into the stands but misses it completely and Dhoni does the rest. That's it, game over!

Bowler wins. Maxwell loses.

I think Maxwell needs to develop as a batsman or else that day won't be far away when the Australian selectors show him the way out of the team.

David Miller: The Fallen Hero

From smashing a hundred off just 38 balls to managing a meager 162 runs in this IPL season, David Miller is going through a lean patch. With just 11 fours and 4 sixes, he has had a season way below his potential. Who would have ever imagined that someone like David Miller, who strikes the ball as neatly as anyone can, would struggle so much to deposit the ball into the stands? 

There was a lot of excitement leading into the tournament as he was given the captaincy of Kings XI Punjab. After pretty ordinary performances in the first quarter of 2016, added responsibility of captaining the side was assumed to be the catalyst for his return to form. Unfortunately, things didn't pan out the way it was expected. He couldn't find his natural touch, the fluency was missing, the ball rarely hit the middle of the bat and his stay at the crease was as long as a Bollywood movie song. 

His poor form with the bat seemed to affect his decisions as captain, and he was rightly replaced by Murali Vijay. It did make an impact on his performance but not too much. Apart from a couple of decent innings, things didn't change much for the swashbuckler. It got even worse for him when he couldn't get a place in South Africa's squad for the ongoing triangular series in West Indies. Just wonder how difficult life would for David Miller these days.

Today, on his birthday, let's wish him a very happy birthday and a quick return to form. May he soon get into the Killer-Miller mode and make a strong comeback in South Africa's playing XI.

Best wishes for you, David!

The Journey Of Rohit Sharma: From Maggie Boy To Ro-Hit Man

           

It's a beautiful story this, of Rohit Sharma and IPL-6. Rohit Sharma since the IPL-6 has been a completely different player. He is now much more responsible and unlike the Rohit Sharma of old, he now likes playing the long inning and doesn't often throw his wicket away as he used to. However he made his debut for India in 2007, he had not cemented his place in the Indian Team till 2013 which was very embarrassing for a player of his class. Elegance and finesse in his batting attracted a lot of people to watch him bat but also brought a huge amount of disappointment when he didn't play as well as he could have. Then came IPL-6 which changed his life for the better.

It was in 2013 that Mumbai Indians went on to win their first IPL title and Rohit Sharma was a part of another IPL winning team, but this time being the captain. Initially, Ricky Ponting had been named the captain of Mumbai Indians, the excitement to see two greats of the game, Ponting and Tendulkar, play together in the same team was at its peak. But things didn't work out as well as they would have desired. Ponting couldn't find his touch and time was running by. After a few matches he decided to step down and Rohit Sharma was named the captain of Mumbai Indians. Given the role of captaincy, Rohit started playing a lot more carefully. Now being more determined to play a big knock and take his team through, Rohit didn't just play a kind of a cameo and be satisfied. Mumbai Indians got good returns of showing faith in him as he, with his consistent performances led them to their maiden IPL title. After getting done with the IPL, he made sure he continued the good work while playing for India too.

Prior to the IPL-6 in the ODI series against England, Rohit was given an opportunity to open the batting with Gautam Gambhir. He played well for his 83 but was lucky to be dropped by Kevin Pietersen earlier in his innings. Although it had nothing to do with his extremely good performances in IPL-6, that knock put him ahead of others in the selection for Champions Trophy.

Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma were selected in the squad for Champions Trophy but only two of the three had to be selected for the opening slot. There wasn't much fuss over Dhawan's selection in the team because of the scintillating 187 that he scored in his test debut against Australia followed up by some good performances in IPL.

So a choice had to be made between Vijay and Sharma. Vijay had a very good test series against Australia. But poor performances in IPL along with no significant score in the warm up matches leading up to the Champions Trophy meant that Sharma was then preferred over Vijay to open the batting with Dhawan. Had Vijay played well in the warm-ups, we might just have had a different opening combination.

In the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, his promotion to the opening slot meant that now he had ample time to settle down and not be in a rush to score from the very first ball. And in the first match against South Africa, luck also went by his side as Dale Steyn didn't play due to injury, making things a lot more easier in his mind as well as on the field. After a few descent performances in the Champions Trophy and in the following couple of series, Rohit finally did justice to his talent. Scoring a blistering 141 not out against Australia  and then a couple of matches later, became only the third batsman to score a double-century in ODI cricket. Thereafter he hasn't looked back and is now a dependable opening batsman for India in limited overs.

Hence, the role of captaincy assigned to him in IPL-6 was the turning point of his career. Mumbai Indians have now won two titles in three seasons under his captaincy. Also in international cricket, he is getting better as the time is passing by. Maybe after retirement, some day he will look back and realize that taking over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians, which would have seemed pretty challenging then, made a whole lot of difference to his life. Be it the IPL or international cricket, he is now a superstar at both the levels. The Ro-Hit Man!