11

Mar

An Empathic Win, A Time To Rejoice

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India’s emphatic win in the T20 World Cup is an occasion for unreserved celebration – first team to win more than 2 titles, first team to retain a title and the first team to win at home. That is quite an achievement.

It's time to celebrate the positives of this win.

The most striking aspect should be that this was teamwork that won. Each match found one or two star performers and the team was not dependent on just one or two stars – Suryakumar Yadav’s beautifully crafted 84 against USA to Hardik’s all round show against Namibia to Ishan Kishan’s stunning 77 against Pakistan to Bumrah’s 3/15 in a losing cause against South Africa to all round batting and Arshdeep’s 3/24 against Zimbabwe to Sanju Samson’s undefeated 97 leading a difficult chase against the West Indies in a virtual quarter final to Bumrah’s outstandingly miserly 16th and 18th overs to stifle England’s roaring chase of India’s formidable 253/7 built on solid batting and finally Bumrah’s deadly 4/15 on the back of yet another outstanding batting display in the final against New Zealand – several performers contributed to the Indian success – be it Axar’s exceptional catches and early wickets to put NZ on the back foot in the final or Dube’s brutal six hitting or Abhishek’s explosive fifty in the final after a lean run.

Truly a team effort!!!

The post-win commentary from various experts is showering accolades on Jasprit Bumrah as probably the greatest ever all-format fast bowler. Undoubtedly, Bumrah is a genius, but do we not already know it? His performance in the previous T20 World Cup or exceptional bowling in the Test series in Australia last year are still fresh in memory. This World Cup has reconfirmed his stature if reconfirmation was needed.

India’s victory in the T20 World Cup marks a historic achievement, making it the first team to win more than two titles, retain a title, and win the tournament at home. The triumph was built on exceptional teamwork rather than reliance on a few stars, with different players stepping up in crucial moments throughout the tournament.
Front Foot Forward
By Anil Jauhri
Jasprit Bumrah reaffirmed his status as one of the world’s best fast bowlers with outstanding performances, while Hardik Pandya proved his value as a reliable all-rounder. The standout performer was Sanju Samson, who delivered remarkable innings in the knockout stages, scoring 275 runs at an impressive strike rate. Ishan Kishan’s aggressive batting, Shivam Dube’s explosive finishing, and Axar Patel’s key wickets and fielding contributions also played vital roles. Overall, India’s success reflected a collective effort where nearly every player contributed to the historic win.

The same applies to Hardik Pandya – his preeminence as an all-rounder par excellence stands reconfirmed by his performance in this World Cup too – crucial runs and crucial wickets whenever needed. What more can one ask?

However, the star of the tournament is undoubtedly Sanju Samson. He had failed in the T20 series against NZ just before the World Cup, and had the T20 squad not been announced before the NZ series, he could have possibly lost his place with heavyweights like Shubman Gill, Jaiswal and even Rahul ready to take on the opener’s role. He lost his slot as the World Cup began and could make it to the final eleven only because India chose to go in with 8 batters at the expense of someone like Kuldeep Yadav, who was the choice of many experts. And how brilliantly did he seize the opportunity – 97 not out, 89 and another 89 in the most high-pressure segment of the tournament – a virtual quarter final, semi final and final. 275 runs at a stupendous strike rate of 199 in the knockouts!!! This was a performance which would be folklore in times to come.

Ishan Kishan’s return to India colours and his daring batting were another highlight. For a rather pocket-sized player, his propensity to hit sixes was awesome. Besides the stunner against Pakistan, his 54 in the final against NZ and the 97-run partnership with Samson after the early loss of the first wicket in the semi-final against England stood out. 

Another gain was Shivam Dube’s explosive hitting as a finisher – by the end of the tournament, he had earned his place purely as a batter, and his bowling became less and less needed. One might have thought at the start of the tournament, whether with Pandya around, did we need another pace all-rounder in the subcontinent, and would India have been better served with Kuldeep Yadav in? But by the end of the tournament, these thoughts would have vanished.

One must also pay tribute to Axar Patel – he has been underrated and even dropped despite being the vice captain, but his astonishing catch of England’s most dangerous in-form batter Harry Brook in the semis and his 3 wickets in the final must not be forgotten amid Samson’s brilliance and Bumrah’s genius. Let us not forget that it's his 2 wickets in the top order that halted the NZ juggernaut before Bumrah ran through the middle.

Arshdeep contributed his mite – Varun was not as effective as one anticipated and yet garnered 14 wickets to be the joint highest with Bumrah, which is no mean feat. The same applies to Tilak Verma – reverted to no 5, he did what was expected in scoring quick runs.

Abhishek had a lean tournament, but he too fired in the final as is his wont to lay the strong foundation for India’s massive total.

Finally, Suryakumar Yadav – winning captain against odds of a team retaining title – some crucial knocks at the start of the tournament – creditable even if not spectacular.

This was as good a team effort as any, in which almost every player had his day under the sun, even if Samson and Bumrah would be legitimately considered the outstanding performers.

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