ICC World Cup 2019 - 2nd Semifinals : England vs Australia

Hosts England crushed reigning Champions Australia in the 2nd semifinals at Edgbaston by 8 wickets with 107 balls to spare in a rather one sided contest.
So ferocious was the onslaught, that Australia never really recovered, barring a brief patch of fightback by Steve Smith  & Alex Carey. Electing to bat first, Aussies lost Finch, Warner & Handscomb, even before the crowds had settled down, as the score read 14 for 3 in 6.1 overs & the English 'cock a hoop' in celebrations. Next in Alex Carey was greeted by a hostile Archer, as a nasty delivery knocked off his helmet & cut his chin, with blood gushing out, as medics ran in for treatment. However, the keeper braved the fiery English attack & along with Smith, stitched a 103 runs partnership for the 4th wicket, raising hopes of a revival, but just when things were settling down, he lost concentration in the 28th over, & misread a Rashid spin to hole out in the deep, for a well made 46, & England had breached again. Coming in, Stoinis was LBW in the same over for a nought, & Australia were nose diving. Maxwell went out next for 22, deceived by a knuckle ball from Archer, after a decent start & Cummins followed soon, as the score read a dismal 166 for 7 in the 38th over. Starc joined Smith & both added 51 invaluable runs, before Smith was run out & Starc caught behind in successive deliveries in the 48th over, as the innings folded up for 223 runs with an over to spare. Smith had stayed solid, making 85 runs to take Australia to a fighting total, but even at that stage, it looked too little to bother the English batting.
Chasing, England openers Jason Roy & Jonny Bairstow, carted the Australian attack to all parts with utmost disdain, racing to 124 for the opening partnership, before Bairstow, struggling with a groin injury fell LBW to Starc for 34 runs. Jason Roy, the belligerent of the two, was ruled out caught behind for 85 runs in just 65 deliveries, punctuated with 5 massive sixes, in a poor decision by Umpire Dharamsena. He had to leave smarting & muttering under his breath, as no reviews were left, but Capt Morgan & Root finished the chase with an unbroken stand of 79 runs & 107 balls to spare. It was a mauling that Australia will not forget in a hurry, as England steamrolled into finals.
England, who last reached the finals in 1992, when Pakistan beat them to the glory, now meet New Zealand at Lords on Sunday to decide a new World Champion in ODI cricket.

ICC World Cup 2019 - 1st Semifinals : India vs New Zealand

Dark horse of the tournament, the Black Cap Kiwis managed to conjure enough in the first semifinals at Old Trafford, to shatter the dreams of a Billion plus yearning hearts, sending favourites India packing out of the ICC World Cup 2019.
A match that had all the ingredients of a blockbuster, spread over two days on the field due to bad weather - cricketing fans were entertained to an excellent exhibition of seam bowling, some fascinating spin, superb batting on a two paced wicket under damp conditions, counter attacking bravado towards the end, & some incredible fielding - all of this dished out by both the teams, who had their moments of glory in the game, until finally the Men in Black nudged ahead, past the Men in Blue by 18 runs to enter the finals.

Choosing to bat first, New Zealand were in all sorts of trouble from the outset, as the cricketing pundits questioned the decision of Kane Williamson to bat under gloomy, rain forecast weather. Runs were hard to come by against some excellent seam by Bumrah & Bhuvaneshwar, followed by accurate spin from Jadeja & Chahal along with biting medium pace from Pandya - India's bowling was on the money, & Kiwis struggled throughout their innings for a momentum. Capt Williamson & Ross Taylor, dug deep as expected & grafted runs, as other batsmen got out after getting starts & the match looked like slipping away from them. When the Umpires stopped the game due to rains, the score was 211 for 5 in 46.1 overs, with Taylor holding fort at one end with an unbeaten 67 runs, while Williamson was already back after a fighting 67 - it was certainly advantage India. DLS showed a revised target of 237 runs on 46 overs & in worst scenario, it was 148 runs in 20 overs - both was being considered as advantage India !!

Attempts to restart the game went futile, as rains refused to move away & clouds threatened a complete washout. The partisan crowd hung around braving the downpour, till final announcement was made, that match would resume at same score next day, & if rain intervenes, DLS would come into play !!

Across all TV channels, & cricketing experts, along with a Billion + boisterous Indian fans, it was already a foregone conclusion, that India was marching & stomping past a hapless New Zealand into the finals, - some even commenting that the Kiwis were incapable of even a decent fight !!!

When the game resumed today, Kiwis managed another 28 runs from the remaining 23 deliveries, as the innings ended at 239 for 8, with Taylor topscoring with 74 runs.
The in form, batting heavy Team India was already celebrating victory, before actually achieving it & that probably was their Achilles Heels - a nasty sense of overconfidence creeping in, without their realising !!

While, almost everyone believed that the target of 240 runs was a cake walk for the marauding Indian batsmen, New Zealand playing eleven had other ideas. Boult & Henry came tearing in with some accurate pace bowling, as tournament's lead scorer, Rohit nicked Henry behind, as did Rahul, while Virat perished LBW to Boult, despite a review - all of this in the first 4 overs, at a dismal score of 5 for 3. The crowd blinked in disbelief, as the Kiwis sensed their occasion. Karthik scratched for 25 deliveries before Neesham took an unbelievable catch at point to send him packing & India were staring into the barrel with score at 24 for 4. Young turks, Rishabh Pant & Hardik Pandya batted sensibly for a while, before Santner was brought in & he conjured some outstanding flighted spin to force both the batsmen into false strokes & getting caught out in the deep, as India slid further down to 92 for 6, & the asking rate climbing steadily up beyond 7. As the dressing room bore a dejected & defeated look, Ravindra Jadeja walked in next to join old warhorse Dhoni, & the two stitched a 116 runs partnership to bring India right back into the game. Batting for the first time in the tournament, Jaddu played fearless cricket to hit four delectable sixes on his way to an outstanding 77 runs in just 59 deliveries, as Dhoni held one end up & after 47 overs of see saw cricket, India needed 37 runs from the last 18 deliveries - the advantage was gradually shifting India's way, as the crowd found its lost vocal chords.
However, India's luck faded in the 48th over, as Boult foxed Jadeja with a slower delivery & his skier was gleefully gobbled by Williamson, to end the fascinating contest. Needing 31 runs from 12 balls, Dhoni hit a six in the next over, but then an incredible direct throw by Guptill ended his innings of 50, as he fell short by an inch running for an impossible second to retain strike --- Dhoni trudged back, most certainly for the last time in a World Cup match, & with that, India's hopes wilted away. Bhuvi & Chahal got out next, as India ended the innings at 221, falling short by 18 runs, as the Kiwis rejoiced victory, in a fascinating game of cricket.
As a dejected Virat Kohli said in the post match interview - 'it was 45 minutes of bad cricket that put us out of this World Cup'. India were certainly the overwhelming favourites this time, but, could not sustain at crunch moments & the brittle middle order came to haunt their aspirations, as the gritty Kiwis managed to hold their act together to march into the finals to be played at Lords. They now await the winners of the second semis between reigning Champions Australia & hosts England. 

ICC World Cup 2019 - Australia vs South Africa

In a high intensity match, the last of the 45 round robin fixtures, reigning Champions Australia stumbled to a 10 run loss against a 'nothing to lose' South Africa, who came out all guns blazing, albeit a tad late for this World Cup, to secure a winning end to the ODI careers of JP Duminy & Imran Tahir.
Electing to bat, the opening pair of Markram & de Kock blazed to 79 runs, before Markram left for 34 runs in the 12th over. de Kock got to 52, but it was Capt du Plessis & van Dussen who really built the innings with a 3rd wicket partnership of 151 runs, to secure an imposing total of 325 for 6 in their quota of 50 overs. du Plessis got his century while Dussen missed his by 5 runs. Both scored at will to put forward the best batting display by the Proteas for this tournament, & for a winning cause this time, something that was missing at the crunch stages of their campaign.
In reply, Aussies were in trouble, as Finch lost his wicket to Tahir in the 3rd over, who set off on his customary running celebrations across the field - a scene that the cricketing world would miss in ODIs ahead. Khawaja, in next, pulled a hamstring & hobbled out, & Smith gout out LBW to Pretorious soon. Stoinis & Maxwell, also left quickly after getting their eye in, thanks to some moments of fielding brilliance from de Kock behind stumps, & the mighty Australian batting lay in tatters at 119 for 4 in the 25th over. Warner, however dug deep & along with Carey, stuck a 108 runs partnership for the 6th wicket, to bring his team back into reckoning, before Morris took a blinding catch at mid on to remove the maverick opener for a fantastic 122 runs. Never to give in, Carey slugged it out for a quickfire 85 in just 69 deliveries, but, when he holed out to Morris in the 46th over, the fightback was virtually over. Khawaja limped in, but there were no more drama, as Australians were all out for 315 in the penultimate ball of the match - It was an excellent display of competitive cricket, between two giants of this game, where 640 runs were scored & the results decided only in the second last delivery of the game.
South Africa were victorious by 10 runs, & their broad grinning faces, reflected a sigh of relief to end their campaign on a winning note, while Australia would now have to regroup & plan for the semis, as also find solutions to the injury issues of Khawaja, Stoinis & Starc - all important cogs in their wheels to success.
At the end of the round robin, India being on top of the points table, will meet New Zealand on tuesday at Old Trafford, while Australia will face hosts England in the 2nd semifinal on thursday at Edgbaston. Faf du Plessis made his prediction that it will probably be an India vs England finals !!

ICC World Cup 2019 - India vs Sri Lanka

India steamrolled past Sri Lanka at Leeds in a batting friendly pitch, to register their 7th victory & end their round robin campaign with 15 points.
Electing to bat, Sri Lanka were in all sorts of trouble, reeling at 55 for 4 in the 12th over, before old warhorse Angelo Mathews & Lahiru Thirimanne came together to add 124 runs & steady the ship. When Lahiru left in the 38th over for a well made 53 runs, the scoreboard looked more respectable at 179 for 5. Mathews went on to get his third ODI hundred, getting out in the 49th over for a superb 113, as Sri Lanka ended their innings at 264 for 7. For Indians, Bumrah was the standout bowler with 3 for 37 runs, while Jadeja, playing for the 1st time, was frugal too, giving away just 40 runs for one wicket.
In reply, India mopped up the target in swashbuckling style, as openers, Rohit & Rahul both got hundreds & Capt Virat stayed till the end with an enterprising 34, while quite a few records tumbled. Rahul scored his first century of the World Cup, while, Rohit his fifth, the highest by any player in a World Cup edition, going past Sangakkara, as also the highest centurion in World Cup, with six hundreds & equalling Sachin. While Sachin took four World Cups & 44 innings to score 6 centuries, Rohit has done it in just two editions & 16 innings. He also now tops the run table with 647 runs at an astonishing average of 92.43, in this edition, & is just 26 short of going past Sachin's record of 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup.
The opening stand of 189 runs is also the highest 1st wicket partnership for this World Cup.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah became the 2nd fastest Indian to reach 100 ODI wickets.
Sri Lanka ended their campaign without much to rejoice. Lasith Malinga has certainly played his last game in World Cup, & Angelo Mathews too may follow suit - both great champions who served the Lankan cricket for years with accolades.
India now await the results of the last round robin match between Australia & South Africa - if Australia loses, India plays New Zealand in the semis, & if Australia wins, then India take on hosts England...... mouthwatering contests for sure. 

ICC World Cup 2019 - Pakistan vs Bangladesh

Pakistan needed 'fantasy cricket' like scores to beat Bangladesh by at least 315 runs for a place in the semis - unrealistic dreams, which did not come true, as both teams bowed out of the tournament with credible performances to be proud of.
Winning the toss, Pakistan lost Fakhar cheaply, but Imam Haq & Babar Azam put on 157 runs, before Babar Azam out LBW for 96, missing a well deserved century, & score at 180 in the 32nd over. Imam did get his century under the sun, before losing his wicket the very next ball & some lusty blows towards the end by Imad Wasim getting 46 from just 23 deliveries, propped the total to 315 for 9, as Bangladeshi bowlers did well to restrict the batsmen.
In reply, Bangladesh were not really in with an intent to chase, as batsmen got starts & then lost their wickets at regular intervals. Once Shakib, was fifth out after one more brilliant display with bat for a wonderful 64, & score read 154 for 5 in 33 overs, Bangladesh had thrown in the towel - the innings ended in the 45th over for a mere 221 runs, as Pakistan won the match by 94 runs. Shaheen Afridi was brilliant with the ball claiming 6 for just 35 runs, the best bowling figures for Pakistan in a World Cup match. Having won four games on the trot & yet bowing out, they would rue their big loss to West Indies in their opening game & then the loss against India, which dislodged their campaign.
They would take back positives in the batting performances of Babar Azam, Imad, & Haris Sohail, while bowling, Md Amir & Shaheen Afridi stood out. In all it was an inconsistent performance blazing good on one day & dismally pedestrian the other.
Bangladesh also had their moments, with credible contributions from Mushfiqur, Liton Das, & a few more. However, Shakib Hasan stood out, accumulating 606 runs at an average of 86.57, including tow centuries & consistently clocking 40+ score in all innings that he batted. In bowling too, his performance was top drawer, scalping 11 wickets including a 5 wicket haul against Afghanistan - arguably the best all round performance till date. 

ICC World Cup 2019 - West Indies vs Afghanistan

West Indies ended their this edition of World Cup campaign with a win over debutants Afghanistan, edging them by 23 runs. With no consequence to the tournament, the game was played with gusto & provided a lot of entertainment to the motley crowd at Leeds. Choosing to bat first, the former Champions, despite the early loss of Universe Boss Chris Gayle in the 6th over, batted with gumption to reach a good combative total of 311 for 6. Four of their brightest batting talent Shai Hope with 77, Evin Lewis with 58, Hetmyer with 39 & Nicholas Pooran with 58, expressed their willow with freedom, and then capt Holder too chipped in with a cameo of 45 runs & Braithwaite hit 14 off just 4 deliveries - in all it was a near full house contribution for the Windies.
The target would always be steep for Afghanistan, but they too came out all guns blazing - after losing capt Gulbadin in the 2nd over, Rahmat Shah & Ikram took the battle to the opponents with an enterprising 133 runs partnership, their highest in this World Cup. Rahmat scored a pleasing 62, while Ikram missed his century, getting out at 86. Zadran with 31 & Asghar with 40 carried the fight further, but the asking rate kept going beyond their reach. In the slog overs, tailender Shirzad threw his bat at almost everything & also connected with power to 25 runs, before getting caught to a spectacular catch by Allen running behind at covers in the last ball of the match.
The Windies entertained the crowd with their on field antics & acrobatics, while Afghanistan players too contributed to the swagger.
For West Indies, touted by many as the dark horse for this tournament, had begun their campaign in style, demolishing Pakistan with some fearsome pace attack, but after that the zing fizzled, as they lost matches inexplicably & then today won their concluding game.
Afghanistan would take back a lot of learnings & hopefully come back stronger in future - they have the talent, & with experience, they will be competitive ahead.
For Chris Gayle, the Universe Boos, this was the last World Cup match, & his antics along with his batting would be sorely missed.  

World Cup 2019 - England vs New Zealand

England stomped to victory over New Zealand by 119 runs today to assure themselves of a semi final spot, where they will most likely meet India in a mouth watering contest.
Winning toss & electing to bat, the openers Jason Roy & Jonny Bairstow, blasted to another century partnership, getting 123 runs for the 1st wicket, before flamboyant Roy got out for a run a ball 60. England were cruising at 194 for 1 in 30 overs, raising the possibility of a 370 + score, when  a mini collapse of sorts saw, Joe Root edging behind for 24 runs, then Bairstow getting out after scoring 106, his 2nd successive ton & the dangerous Butler & Stokes holing out for 11 runs apiece, as the free flow scoring stuttered against a disciplined Kiwi bowling. When Morgan too exited after an enterprising 42 runs, England score card read 272 for 7 in the 47th over & runs were reduced to a trickle. Tailend cameos by Plunkett & Rashid however took the score past 300 mark as England ended their innings at 305 for 8 - at that stage, it looked an even battle ahead.
Kiwis however made a torrid start losing Nicholls in the first over to a controversial LBW decision, which should've been reviewed, & Guptill in the 6th over with score reading 14 for 2. Capt Williamson & Ross Taylor started the repair work as usual, but two freak run outs had both of them back in the pavilion & the contest snuffed out. Latham waged a lone battle with a fighting 57 runs, but the team folded for just 186 runs in 45 overs, giving England a handsome victory & an assured semis berth to savour.
New Zealand too should make it to the semis, though technically they still have to await the results of the match between Pakistan & Bangladesh. If Pakistan can defeat Bangladesh by an impossible margin of 316 runs, they will pip the Kiwis for a semis berth on NRR - something that is highly improbable. In fact, Bangladesh may well send Pakistan packing, at least on current form. For now, is seems that Australia will play New Zealand in the 1st semis, while India will take on a resurgent England in the 2nd semis, as we head towards the business end of the tournament.
New Zealand, will have a lot to introspect - their batting is heavily reliant on Capt Williamsom & Ross Taylor & the bowling on Boult & Ferguson, who's battling a niggle. On paper, they are a good side, but three losses on the trot will shave their belief.
England on the other hand will be smacking confident having won two hard back to back matches, including the one against India. Their batting looks resolute & deep, with Jason Ray & Jonny Bairstow opening with swagger & Jow Root, Morgan, Butler & Stokes providing fireworks in the middle, as even the tailenders are capable batters. Their bowling looks sharp & incisive with Archer, Wood, Plunkett & Woakes manning pace, with Rashid, Moeen Ali & Stokes providing enough support & cover - the fielding has also looked sharp & mean. The team does breathe in a lot of confidence & they also get adequate rest to work on the injury issues.

ICC World Cup 2019 - India vs Bangladesh

Overwhelming favourites India, thwarted a spirited Bangladesh to seal a place in the last four, at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Winning the toss & electing to bat was a no brainer, & the Indian openers Rohit & Rahul made merry of the batting friendly pitch. Rohit got a huge reprieve, when Tamim clumsily dropped a sitter at square leg in the fifth over. Bangladesh paid a heavy price for this slip, & probably lost the match there itself, as Rohit went on to clobber 104 runs in 92 deliveries, before mistiming a lofted drive & getting caught out at extra cover. This was Rohit's fourth ton in this tournament, equalling Sangakkara's record of 2015 edition. The score board read an ominous 180 for 1 in the 30th over, & the hapless Bengal Tigers were staring into the barrel for a 350+ score. However, Indian batsmen thereafter failed to capilatise on the platform & wickets fell after promising starts. Rahul got out for a well made 77, when he was looking good for a century, Virat perished at 26, his first below 50 score in this tournament, & Hardik left without a run - suddenly India were at 237 for 4 in the 39th over. Young Rishabh Pant batted fearlessly as ever, scoring a breezy 48 from 41 deliveries, but others got stuck - Dhoni struggled for a run a ball 35, Dinesh Karthik too perished trying to force the pace & India were left stranded at 314 for 9, as left handed Mustafizur Rehman scalped 5 wickets for 59 runs to restrict the Indian batting flow, as India could muster only 63 runs in the last 10 overs, - it was short by at least 35-40 runs, from where Rohit & Rahul had build the opening partnership, but it was still a formidable total for Bangladesh to chase.
It was the same pitch, where England had beaten India last Sunday, where the track was flat & full of runs, but progressively turning slower, as the match progressed.
In reply, Bangladesh started well, but lost momentum, as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. There were useful contributions from almost all batters, getting a start & perishing, thanks to alert Indian fielding & pressing pace of Bumrah, Bhuvi & Shami. They looked competitive in the game, throughout, not letting the asking rate go out of hands, even after losing in form Shakib, who made his 6th 50+ score of the tournament, getting 66 pleasing runs. Late order batsmen Saifuddin & Sabbir raised hopes with a 66 runs partnership in even time, but when Sabbir & the capt Mortaza left in quick succession, & it was virtual curtains for Bangladesh. Saifuddin who played an enterprising & unbeaten knock of 51 runs in just 38 deliveries, needed the tailenders to support him at other end, but Bumrah, coming in to bowl the 48th over mopped up the batting with two wickets. Pandya scalped 3 crucial wickets, while Bumrah grabbed 4, as the Indian bowlers strangulated the Bangladeshi batsmen's fighting resolve. Bangladesh's spirited attempt fell short by 28 runs, & with that, also ended their slender semi final hopes. They now play Pakistan in their last game on friday, more for pride & redemption. They have been really competitive in this tournament, scalping South Africa & West Indies, & coming close with India & New Zealand. They will fancy their chance to complete the campaign with a morale boosting win against Pakistan & head back home.
India becomes the 2nd team to qualify for the semis & now a three way race between New Zealand, England & Pakistan ensues to grab the other two slots.
Rohit today became the highest run getter for the tournament thus far with 544 runs, followed closely by Shakib Hasan at 542, & then Warner at 516.
Indian batting at the death overs, is still a concern as Dhoni's legendary pyrotechnics are waning with age, as is the brittle middle order's ability to force the pace. On a day, if the top three fail, or Rohit does not get an early reprieve, India might struggle. The bowling looks lethal & capable of taking wickets, though the spinners have gone for a few, as has Shami in the death overs. The fielding has room for improvement - all these niggles & injury issues could be tackled in the last game against Sri Lanka, which could be used for experimentations, while preparing for the knock out stage.

ICC World Cup 2019 - Sri Lanka vs West Indies

In an inconsequential match between former champions, both already eliminated, Sri Lanka pipped West Indies in a high scoring game by 23 runs.
Put in to bat, the Lankans were off to a flying start, getting 93 runs for the opening partnership, before Dimuth was caught behind in the 16th over. Avishka Fernando, all of 21 yrs & coming one down, dug deep to bring up his maiden ODI as well as a World Cup hundred & helped the Lankans to an imposing 338 for 6, their highest total of the tournament. Opener Perera hit a blistering 64 off 51 deliveries, while Thirimane, clobbered 45 from33 balls to help the cause. It was a good strong batting display against the normally accurate Windies pace attack.
In reply, Windies were in serious trouble, losing two wickets within 5 overs for just 22 runs & when Universe Boss Gayle got out for a scratchy 35 runs in 48 balls, & Hetmyer ran himself out needlessly, the score was a dismal 84 for 4 in 18 overs. However, Nicholas Pooran, the revelation in Windies batting line up for this tournament, responded bravely with his 1st ODI hundred, scoring 118 off just 103 deliveries, before chasing a wide wide delivery in the 48th over to nick behind & end the Windies hopes of a daring victory. Along with Allen, who scored a lusty 51 runs from just 32 deliveries, Pooran added 83 invaluable runs, to reduce the target to 57 runs from 36 deliveries. Just when, the balance was tilting in favour of Windies, Allen ran himself out & a little Pooran chased a wide Mathews delivery behind & then Malinga cleaned up the tail without any further resistance.
653 runs were scored in a dead match, keeping the spectators entertained till the very end.
 With Avishkara Fernando scoring a winning hundred, he became the Man of Match, though I thought Nicholas Pooran deserved it equally, after almost pulling off an improbable win. 

ICC World Cup 2019 - England vs India

England outplayed favourites India to win by 31 runs, in a high scoring match to keep their semi final hopes alive at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Electing to bat first, openers Jason Roy, back in the playing X1, after sitting out for three matches due to hamstring, & Bairstow, survived some anxious moments, enduring the length & pace of Bumrah & Shami. However, once the normally lethal spin combo of Chahal & Kuldeep was introduced, the batsmen opened up, taking advantage of the short boundary on one side, & clobbered 160 runs in just 22 overs, before substitute Jadeja took a blinding catch at long on to remove the dangerous Jason Roy, who scored 66 runs. 200 runs came in the 30th over & just when England were looking good for a score beyond 350, Shami dismissed Bairstow for a brilliant 111 runs, getting his 8th century & Capt Morgan in quick succession, but runs came freely. Root dropped anchor as Stokes was outrageous in stroke play, racing to his third successive 50+ score, before getting out in the last over for 79 runs in just 54 deliveries. Root made a sedate 44, while Butler blasted 20 off just 8 balls, as England ended their innings at an imposing 337 for 7 wickets. While Bumrah was fantastic with the ball, giving just 44 runs in his 10 overs & claiming Ben Stokes, Shami picked up 5 wickets, though going for 69 runs in his quota. Spinners were taken to cleaners, as Chahal went for 88 runs, & Kuldeep gave away 72 claiming just one wicket on a rare off day, while Pandya went for 60 runs - the bowlers had been pulverised by the attacking English batmen.
In reply, India needed a brisk start, but Rahul fell without scoring & Virat coming in to join Rohit, found the going tough, as both dug deep to reinstate the chase. Rohit, was uneasy & struggled for timing initially, while Virat was also circumspect, as the English pacers controlled the proceedings, & India crawled to just 28 runs in the first 10 overs. Virat brought up his fifth successive half century in the 20th over & went on to add 138 runs with Rohit, before getting out against the run of play in the 29th over for a well made 66 runs. Rohit, enjoying an early chance in the second over, when at 8, as Root spilled a sitter in slips, went onto get his 25th ODI century, before edging behind in the 37th over for 102. With Virat & Rohit back in the pavilion, England were cock a hoop, as the asking rate started to creep up. Rookie Rishabh Pant & Hardik Pandya batted in their fearless cavalier style, getting useful but insufficient cameos of 32 & 45 runs respectively, & when Hardik perished in the 45th over, India were left requiring 71 runs, from the last 5 overs. Dhoni & Jhadhav were strangely tepid in their approach, as the English bowlers, smelling a victory round the corner, gave nothing away. While the impatient crowd booed & millions over TV moaned in exasperation, the two batsmen, played out 31 deliveries, sucking 7 dots & taking 20 singles, 3 boundaries & just one six !! - It was a bizarre passage of play, as the game petered to a tame finish, from what was expected to be a humdinger. The intent was missing & that reflected in the end result. After today's performance, Dhoni's finishing abilities & his invincibility will take a huge beating with his fans for sure, while Jhadav may have to pave way for Dinesh Kartik or Ravindra Jadeja in the upcoming games.
While English batsmen had hit 13 sixes in their innings, the famed Indian line up could muster just one - & that difference in approach between the two sides, turned out to be decisive !!
With his victory, England are back in the reckoning now with 10 points in 8 games. Their last match against New Zealand, who are on 11 points, would be decide on who comfortably makes to the semis. The losing side will then will have to await favours from other matches, as Bangladesh & Pakistan would look to take advantage !!
India, still second on the table, need one more point from the remaining two games against Bangladesh & Sri Lanka to move into the last four - this loss should work as a wake up call for the Men in Blue in matches ahead, as a Billion plus dreams keep awake & watching......