Why not Jaiswal at the top in this T20 World Cup?

wicket June 13, 2024 0Comment

Jaiswal missed out on the Ireland match.

A ‘why not’ will visit the Indian dressing room sooner rather than later. It may be before or after the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan. And the think tank will have to address the issue in the best interests of the team, without going by reputations and names.

Does it make sense to leave Yashasvi Jaiswal on the bench? Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are greats no doubt, but at this point in time, can they be more effective than this youngster who is raring to go? Nobody can say ‘yes’ with conviction in their voice. Jaiswal is a serious talent India have invested in. So what does it mean to leave him out of the XI?

That the youngster brings something different to the table being a left-hander is just one argument in favour of his inclusion. If he forms a left-right opening combination with Rohit, it will make things a bit difficult for the bowlers, be they from Pakistan or wherever. The other point is he can cream boundaries in the first few overs and give the team a strong start in the Powerplay, which has been a problem for teams in the ongoing competition.

A natural striker of the ball who does not have to resort to violence in order to score at a brisk pace, that Jaiswal will become a headache for bowlers the world over is the popular perception. Experts are undivided about this. In his brief international career, he has done everything to corroborate this notion. He does not have to make a lot of visible effort to hit the ball. It comes naturally to him.

Under the circumstances, it possibly makes more sense to leave out Shivam Dube to accommodate Jaiswal. Dube is a powerful striker of the ball, who has earned his place in the side on the basis of the runs he has made and in the manner he made them. There is no room to say that he doesn’t make the cut. But, for the sake of the ideal combination, he is possibly a weaker selection at the moment.

To have Jaiswal in the squad and still leave him out of the XI is a luxury few teams can afford. On potential and what has been seen of his performance so far, he would possibly walk into the starting line-up of every side in the world. But not when it comes to India. It’s an anomaly which has to be sorted out at the earliest. The question is, will India wait for this World Cup to get over before they take that call?
This means Jaiswal at the top and Kohli in the middle order – whether that’s at No. 3 or No. 4 is a matter of minor adjustment. It’s about making optimal use of resources. If Jaiswal at this point in time deserves a place at the top of the order, it should not matter whose place he takes. There is absolutely no doubt that he will eventually bat there. Then, why not now?

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Pakistan, forgetting how to win, and the Bumrah factor

wicket June 13, 2024 0Comment

Pakistan cricket is struggling at the moment.

Those born and raised in the USA, or who have lived there for decades, might have been transported to another venue exactly 400 miles away as they watched Pakistan implode in mind-bending fashion at the Nassau County International Stadium. The Highmark Stadium is home to the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills. In the early 1990s, a time when Pakistan cricket was riding high, the Bills made four consecutive appearances in the Super Bowl, the showpiece event in America’s sporting calendar.

In 1991, with eight seconds left on the clock, Scott Norwood missed a field goal that would have given the Bills victory – a moment that was the inspiration for a similar scene in a Jim Carrey movie a few years later. Thereafter, the Bills just got worse. Jim Kelly, their usually metronomic quarterback, would lose his poise on the big stage and what might have been a dynasty tailed off instead after four years of misery.

By the end, the Bills looked like a team that didn’t know how to win. That’s Pakistan against India in a nutshell, especially in global events. As time passes, the solitary World Cup win in Dubai in 2021 looks more and more like a flash in the pan, the snowflake that should never have landed in the Sahara.

How else can you explain what happened on Sunday afternoon? Everything you could think of went in Pakistan’s favour. They won the toss under overcast skies, and stuck India in on a pitch with plenty of moisture. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma gave them a head start with indiscreet shots early on. And a dismal collapse of 7-30 after some risky hitting from Rishabh Pant left Pakistan needing just a run a ball.

The sun also started beating down, and the pitch was far less challenging than it had been early in India’s innings. But even with all these aces in hand, Pakistan still folded. Instead of a Royal Flush, they were a royal mess once Rohit Sharma started to tighten the screw in the second half of the innings.

South Africa recently chased down a low total to end their hoodoo against the Netherlands. The secret to that was David Miller recognising that the run rate wasn’t a factor and just playing the situation. With the usually cavalier Tristan Stubbs also knuckling down, South Africa overcame a nightmare start to win with a measure of comfort.

That kind of composure was nowhere to be seen from Pakistan. The faces and names may change, but the result never does. Not against India. Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan have 379 international caps between them, going back nearly a decade. Only they could possibly explain the shots they chose to play when the game was well in hand.

Their cat-on-hot-tin-roof approach was in stark contrast to the clarity with which Jasprit Bumrah bowled. Indian cricket has seen many champions going back to Amar Singh and Mohammad Nissar nearly a century ago. But Bumrah is the closest it’s seen to a certainty.

When India were comprehensively outplayed in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2022, and the World Test Championship final less than a year later, there were so many whaf-ifs, none more so than Bumrah being absent with a back injury that eventually needed surgery.

Yes, he was there in Ahmedabad when India lost the World Cup final last November, but even the most partisan observer would also tell you just how lucky Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne were to survive a Bumrah opening salvo that claimed Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith. As long as he has overs in the tank, India will always have a sniff.

On Sunday, the 15th over was effectively Rohit’s last throw of the dice. And how Bumrah responded. The game-turning wicket of Rizwan and just three runs conceded. And another three-run over to leave Pakistan needing 18 off the last six balls, with the wicket of Iftikhar Ahmed for good measure.

Two overs with the game up for grabs. Two wickets, seven dot balls, the kind of pressure build-up associated with Chinese water torture. You can talk about game awareness and processes for hours, but to win a World Cup, you also need X-factor players to stand up. From Viv Richards’ direct hits (1975) and Kapil Dev’s catch (1983) to Adam Gilchrist with his squash ball (2007) – it’s always been that way.

Bumrah may or may not be rested against the USA or Canada, but one thing’s for sure. If this World Cup campaign is to end on the trophy podium in Barbados, he will be the one charting the route.

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Rutherford, Motie and Joseph power West Indies to Super 8

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PC – ICC. Rutherford cracked a game-breaking innings

Sherfane Rurtherford’s game-breaking 68, alongside redoubtable efforts from Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie with the ball, proved to be the difference between the West Indies and New Zealand, as the T20 World Cup co-hosts sealed a crucial 13-run win in Trinidad. Despite some late-order heroics by Mitchell Santner, New Zealand finished with 136 in a chase of 150. With this victory, the West Indies have qualified for the Super 8s, while New Zealand are on the brink of making an ignominious exit.

After seven overs, things seemed to be different. New Zealand’s experienced pace duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult had ripped through West Indies’ batting unit to leave them precariously placed at 30 for 5. It soon became 58 for 6 and 76 for 7 when the dangerous Andre Russell fell to Boult. Just when it seemed as if New Zealand had gained pole position, Rutherford lifted the home side’s sagging spirits.

The best part of Rutherford’s innings was how he also showcased the required tactical nous to pick the right bowlers to up the ante. In the penultimate over, when Daryl Mitchell was introduced into the attack, he lofted, whipped and pulled the medium-pacer for three sixes. And that was followed by Rutherford smacking for two boundaries and a six while facing Santner; a match-up that suited the left-handed batter. Incidentally, Rutherford scored all 37 runs in a stand with Motie, the last man.

The West Indies’ bowlers backed up Rutherford’s sterling innings by taking wickets at regular intervals. Joseph ran through the lower middle order by dismissing Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Southee. On the other hand, Motie had the better of New Zealand’s middle order – Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson and Mitchell. The highlight of Motie’s spell was the peach he bowled to Mitchell – from wide of the crease, he got it to drift in and beat Mitchell’s attempted drive to hit top of off.

Along with Motie and Joseph, Russell and Akeal Hosein also made their presence felt by taking a wicket each. In the last over, Santner struck three sixes off Romario Shepherd but he had too much to do as New Zealand slipped to their second loss of the tournament.

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Surya Kumar Yadav showcases his slow-and-

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steady version in New York

June 13, 2024

Suryakumar Yadav (Image: BCCI). Suryakumar played with composure v USA

Suryakumar Yadav’s overall strike-rates in the shortest format are as follows – 168.06 in T20Is and 152.05 in T20s. The same explosive batter scored his runs at a strike-rate of just around 100 in India’s seven-wicket win over the USA in the T20 World Cup. The difference here was that Suryakumar’s runs came in some of the toughest conditions you would ever get to see in the shortest format. And they also came in circumstances where India had found themselves in a spot of bother.

Virat Kohli was out for no score. Rohit Sharma finished with just three runs to his name. And Rishabh Pant, one of India’s stalwarts in the win against Pakistan, was done in by a delivery that kept low. The Pant dismissal exemplified the difficulty of batting at the Nassau County Stadium. The bounce wasn’t just uneven but also loopy. Consistent movement off the deck just made batting a little tougher.

On such a lottery wicket, you need some luck along with courage. Suryakumar got that little rub of the green when he was dropped by Saurabh Netravalkar at short third man. Until then, barring one four, he had mostly dealt in singles. But with the required run-rate steadily climbing upwards, he had to press the accelerator. In the very next over, he stylishly flicked one off Ali Khan. By the time, he nonchalantly lofted Shadley van Schalkwyk inside-out and off the back foot, India had edged ahead.

Suryakumar’s tenacious hand showed that alongside swagger, there is a touch of calm to his game. Perhaps, he would have played differently if India were batting first and trying to set a competitive total on a treacherous pitch.

Rohit, the India skipper, praised his Mumbai teammate, and said: “He showed he has a different game to him, that’s what you expect from experienced players. Credit to the way he stuck through today to take the game deep and win it for us.”

Suryakumar also stitched an undefeated partnership of 67 with Dube. Dube has gained a reputation for using his big stride to thwack it down the ground, and also target the midwicket region. However, this is a world far away from IPL 2024, which was mostly played on featherbeds.

On expected lines, Dube struggled to put bat to ball for a while. He manufactured room and skipped down the track but to no avail. There was also a thick edge that scurried away to the fence. Dube, however, hung in there. After a while, he seemed to have gauged the conditions reasonably well as he picked up crucial singles and twos, blended with the occasional big shot.

Just zoom in a little more on his game and it could be noted that he clipped a few through the on-side. That isn’t exactly a shot Dube is known for on the domestic circuit or in the IPL. So, that should bring cheer to the Indian think-tank.

In normal circumstances, watching Suryakumar’s 360-degree batting requires a sense of disbelief. The kind of astounding shots he plays demands dollops of skill. Yesterday, too, his willow produced a couple of scoops and a sumptuous loft. But his 49-ball 50 would be better remembered for showing another facet of his game: The ability to soak up the pressure and play according to the situation. Maybe, in true Bollywood fashion, Suryakumar’s long-lost twin brother had taken his place in New York.

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The many hats of Monank Patel

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PC – USA Cricket. Monank led from the front versus Pakistan

‘Teriyaki Madness’ — the Chinese restaurant was owned by Monank Patel in South Carolina in the United States of America. That word ‘madness’ could serve as a crux to how he has tackled several challenges right through his cricketing journey. In other words, his insatiable hunger to succeed has a touch of madness associated with it.

A couple of years ago, we saw enough evidence of his grit when he accumulated a gutsy 85 for the USA against Nepal in a CWC League 2 game. The backstory to that effort is he had flopped against the same team during the 2019-20 season. Sandeep Lamichanne, the Nepal mainstay, had troubled Monank with the googly, with the latter choosing to play back to the leg-spinner.

In that backdrop, it wasn’t a case of rubbing-your-eyes-in-disbelief moment when Monank composed a 38-ball 50 against Pakistan’s four-pronged pace attack of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammed Amir and Shaheen Afridi, in a T20 World Cup game.

The flourish with which he lofted Afridi, Pakistan’s spearhead, to complete his fifty in the 13th over, told everything that you want to know about his sheer self-belief. It could be observed that even when Pakistan’s bowlers began to generate some contrast swing, Monank seemed to have an idea as to which way it was moving.

Monank’s cricketing skills aren’t just restricted to batting. He is turning out to be a fine leader of men, alongside being a wicketkeeper. It has to be remembered that the USA have cricketers from diverse backgrounds — India, Pakistan and the West Indies. Yet, it feels as if they are gelling well under Monank’s captaincy.

That is a summary of Monank’s international career. But there is more to Monank’s tale than just aggregating about 2000 runs in limited overs cricket for the USA. At the age of 11, he took up cricket seriously. A few years later, he was crunching hundreds in Gujarat Cricket Association’s U-15 tournaments. He was playing alongside future Indian greats like Jasprit Bumrah. Unfortunately, Monank couldn’t make it to higher levels of Indian cricket and he emigrated to USA in 2014.

Even after moving over to the USA, Monank didn’t exactly have his way as his hotel business went into a loss. Monank then returned to New Jersey to be with his mother, who was suffering from cancer. Around that time, cricket once more took prominence in his life.

On the back of some fine performances in List A cricket, he earned his USA cap, debuting against the United Arab Emirates in March 2019. Although he didn’t make an impression in that game, all those struggles had hardened the cricketer’s mindset. Soon, he registered a ton versus Oman.

Since then, he has gone on to add 13 fifties and another hundred in the abridged versions of the game, which includes a game-breaking half-century versus Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. Perhaps, another game-changing knock is around the corner for the former restaurant owner, when he plays for his adopted nation against his country of birth, India.

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Australia through to Super 8 with a thumping win over Namibia

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Australia produced a dominant display to ease past a hapless Namibia. (PC: ICC)

In a one-sided affair, Australia outclassed Namibia to win their third successive game in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The Australian bowlers set the stage, dismissing Namibia for a meagre 72 runs. The 2021 champions then chased down the target in just 5.4 overs. With this win, Australia became the second team, after South Africa, to advance to the next round, while Namibia’s defeat led to their elimination.

Australian captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and opted to bowl first without hesitation. His bowlers proved it was the right decision. Michael van Lingen started positively for Namibia with a couple of crisp shots. However, their innings unravelled in the third over when Josh Hazlewood induced a false shot from Nikolaas Davin, triggering a collapse. The Namibian batters seemed overwhelmed by the occasion and failed to play the ball on its merit, overly concerned with the reputation of the Australian bowlers.

Hazlewood and Pat Cummins quickly dismantled the top order, removing Jan Frylinck and van Lingen in quick succession. Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus struggled at the crease, unable to score, and pressure mounted. JJ Smit succumbed to pressure, trapped LBW by Nathan Ellis, leaving Namibia reeling at 18/4.

The Australian bowlers didn’t let the Namibian batters off the hook, with Adam Zampa weaving a web around the lower-middle and lower order. Zampa’s stunning spell of leg-spin resulted in four crucial wickets for just 12 runs, effectively stifling any hope of a Namibian recovery.

At 43/8, it seemed Namibia would be bowled out for under 50, but the Namibia skipper managed to add some respectability to the score with a few powerful hits. His knock of 36 took Namibia to 72 runs.

A target of 72 was never going to challenge the 2021 winners. David Warner signalled his intent early, looking to finish the game quickly. After Warner’s dismissal, Travis Head joined in the assault. Marsh also came out all guns blazing. Ruben Trumplemann faced the brunt in the fifth over, conceding three boundaries. Marsh provided the finishing touches with a couple of fours and a six, sealing the win for Australia with 14.2 overs to spare.

From their decision-making at the toss to sealing the game by a huge margin, Australia once again showed what a professional winning machine they are when it comes to the big events.

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Times Square, The Statue of Liberty and India-Pakistan – T20 World Cup diary

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India beat Pakistan in the high-voltage game.

Sports journalism is still fairly new to me, as it has only been eight months since I started. RevSportz provided me with an opportunity to join the team in October, and since then, there has been no looking back. The work environment has given me the right space and freedom to grow and become a better sports journalist. After grinding it out for eight months, I was informed that I would be part of the T20 World Cup coverage alongside Debasis Sen, my senior. Like any other cricket follower and admirer, I was thrilled beyond measure.

We landed in New York City on June 2, and the days have flown by. With work around the clock, it has been a fruitful and hardworking period so far. For a massive trip like this, budgets must be fixed to ensure that you can do your work appropriately while also allowing you to spend your time comfortably abroad. Currently situated in New York for the first leg of the World Cup, the experience has been fascinating, to say the least.

Amid all the hard work put into creating content and written material, one must keep a constant eye on expenditure in an expensive city. While we have been provided with an allowance that has allowed us to work enjoyably, it is crucial to understand the importance of living within our means. Debasis and I have kept our expenditure focused on necessities. This understanding of how to manage our money and where to allocate our spending has been helpful as the days go by, enabling us to save up for times when we might need it more.

The entire experience has been nothing short of extraordinary. Covering the T20 World Cup in the United States is a dream come true. Witnessing the India-Pakistan match was an unforgettable moment, and being part of such a historic event felt incredibly special. In addition to creating cricket content, shooting travelogues has made exploring the city much easier. Landmarks like Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and New York City itself offer an emotional experience that can only be fully appreciated in person. The past 10 days have flown by, and with 20 more days ahead, Debasis and I are determined to make the most of it and create even more memorable experiences.

WICKET

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