India’s final Group A match was a damp squib with a wet outfield after four days of heavy downpours forcing what would have been their first meeting with Canada at the international level to be called off without a toss. The abandoned game did rob a few of their players a chance to get back into some form, especially Virat Kohli who has managed five runs from three innings so far in addition to giving chances to the players who have been warming the benches.
Also Read: India, Canada Share Points After Match Called Off
The washout though has given the Indian team another off-day meaning they will return to action after a break of nine days when they face Afghanistan to kickstart their Super Eight campaign on June 20. India last faced the USA on June 12 when they registered a hard-fought seven-wicket win in New York.
Only time will tell whether the break proves to be rejuvenating or leave a few of their stars a bit rusty. However, their campaign truly has been impressive so far considering they have to deal with the tricky pitches of the Nassau County Cricket Stadium which was initially criticised for its variable bounce with 137/7 that Canada scored against Ireland being the highest score on them.
Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from India’s campaign so far
The Good
The form of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. The duo has played prominent roles on different occasions to ensure India stayed unbeaten. Bumrah was at his best against Pakistan when he starred in the defense of 120, taking 3/14 from four overs that included 15 dot balls. He was player-of-the-match in India’s first two wins while Arshdeep took the honours in the third with record figures of 4/9 against the USA.
The gambit to play Rishabh Pant at no.3 has brought decent returns. The pitches in New York may have forced batters to abandon their hitting instincts but not Pant who didn’t shy away from playing unorthodox shots to score valuable runs. His 96 runs from three innings is the most by an Indian batter so far in the competition.
Hardik Pandya has been terrific with the ball. Pandya seems to have moved on what at best can be described as a challenging IPL season for him. With seven wickets from three matches, he’s the joint-highest wicket-taker for India alongside Arshdeep. With the bat, he wasn’t needed barring once when he scored 7 vs Pakistan.
The Iffy
The form of Rohit Sharma with the bat. He did start the tournament with a 37-ball 52 before retiring hurt but followed that with 13 against Pakistan and 3 against USA. He would be hoping that the conditions in the Caribbean region where the next round will be held, are friendlier towards the batters.
Shivam Dube locked in a spot thanks to a fine IPL season for Chennai Super Kings. He did tough it out against USA in an unbeaten innings of 31 off 35 to steer his team over the line to gain some confidence after managing just 3 against Pakistan. However, India will need him at his best and build on his reputation as ‘spin basher’ as they prepare for a trial against spin in Super Eight stage where they will come up against the likes of Afghanistan and in all likeliness Bangladesh.
The spin bowling all-round duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel wasn’t needed much given the conditions. Axar though managed to take a wicket in each of the three outings while Jadeja remained wicketless.
Mohammed Siraj bowled his heart out but might end up losing his spot in the eleven should the conditions demand the inclusion of spinners. The other three pacers in the eleven including Bumrah, Arshdeep and Pandya have been far superior in the group stage.
Suryakumar Yadav scored a match-winning unbeaten fifty against USA, playing a starring role with the bat as he steered India through a challenging phase. This was after he managed a combined 9 runs from the first two innings.
The Ugly
Well, as mentioned above, the nature of the surface and slow outfield of Nassau County Stadium makes for a slightly unfair base to judge the performances of batters. However, the team will be slightly concerned over how Virat Kohli fared in the first three matches. He scored 9 runs with even Arshdeep managing to outscore him.
Against Ireland, he was out after top-edging a delivery that bounced more than he anticipated. Against Pakistan, he was out to a short and wide delivery that he tamely played towards point. And then he chased after one that was moving away from him to be out caught behind against the USA for a golden duck. Despite the triple failures, Kohli is being backed to step up in the next round. For India’s sake, he sure will have to.
Rohit’s Captaincy
The Ireland and USA didn’t prove to be a big challenge for Rohit the captain but Pakistan sure did. And it was also the contest where Rohit put on a masterclass especially in his rotation of Bumrah. His first spell lasted two overs inside the Powerplay in which he accounted for Babar Azam (13).
And then Rohit held him back and only reintroduced when his team desperately needed a wicket with Pakistan 80/3 in 14 overs, chasing 120. Bumrah delivered with his first ball to get rid of Mohammed Rizwan on 31.
Again, Rohit took Bumrah out of the attack and brought him back for the vital 19th over in which he gave just 3 runs including an extra via leg bye. Before that, Pakistan needed 21 runs to win and Bumrah’s six deliveries all but shut the doors on them.
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