It all turned out well for India in the end. Full credit to the side for regaining the Asia Cup after a long hiatus, yet areas of concern remain. In conditions where the toss dictates the flow of the game, India were fortunate. Bowling at the death and consistency from the middle order has to improve to realise the World Cup dream.
Thursday’s win was a fascinating change from the script. The par batting performance was justified by an excellent performance by the seamers. Skipper M.S. Dhoni was categorical in his assessment. “It’s easily the best performance by our medium pacers in a long time.
“The conditions were in our favour, at the same time we had to utilise them well, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar were crafty. We still have some distance to travel as a team but we have been improving all the time. It’s crucial to keep learning while winning,” said Dhoni.
The team combination for the last league match raised a few questions. Harbhajan Singh was replaced by a left-arm spinner and R. Ashwin continued to warm the benches while Saurabh Tiwary did not get a game here. With the build up to the World Cup having commenced its important to test the skill of every player who is in contention.
“It’s a question of the right combination. Once a player is selected at this level, he should know he has the talent and it’s only a matter of time. Youngsters have to get more exposure and I am sure they will get better with experience. It’s unfortunate we could not play every member here,” he explained.
The disappointment in the Sri Lankan camp was palpable. Kumar Sangakkara drew out the reasons. “It’s easy to blame it on the toss, but we knew about the conditions before we got in. The team has to approach tournament finals a lot tougher. It was another series where we got to the final undefeated and did poorly when it mattered. We have a lot to learn from this and get better from here.”
The difference between the two sides was the approach in the first 15 overs, India for the loss of one wicket were close to run a ball. Sri Lanka had lost half the side for 51.
The encouraging result here is the momentum for India to build on in a busy season that culminates with the World Cup. Fitness and a settled batting order will help them carry forward.
“The break did the senior players a lot of good, but fitness is a process and cannot be achieved in a few weeks. We are working hard. As far as the batting order is concerned, we are trying to slot batsmen from where the can contribute to the side in a big way,” concluded Dhoni.
A paradigm shift can be sensed. It’s time for the Indian side to walk the talk.