Expectations can be a double-edged sword in elite sport. The pre-tournament favourite team or an athlete winning a title could be taken for granted while failure could attract intense criticism. India was in this unenviable situation.
But over the last three weeks, the Men in Blue have gone about their business clinically and methodically to emerge triumphant after beating New Zealand by four wickets in a pulsating summit clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The victory, though, did not come easy. India had one of the most balanced squad in the competition, and the flexibility and depth in every position was unparalleled. Against a dogged Black Caps unit, Rohit Sharma’s men had to dig into the last ounce of talent in its dugout to cross the final hurdle.
In pursuit of 252, Rohit (76) took the bull by its horns and pulled the second ball of the chase from Kyle Jamieson for a six.
Over the next hour, in a stroke-filled display of power-hitting, he charged down to the pacers, smashed forcefully through the off-side and even brought out the lap-shot en route his first half-century of the competition.
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However, three quick wickets, including Rohit’s, saw India go from 105 for no loss to 122 for three. But the in-form Shreyas Iyer, as he had done a few times in this event, soaked up the pressure and stroked a vital 48 mixing caution and aggression.
Known for his prowess against spin, the Mumbai batter looked in control during his knock, using his feet well to hit a few mighty sixes whenever the asking rate creeped up.
He found good support from Axar Patel as they stitched a 61-run stand for the fourth wicket. The Kiwi spinners, led by off-spinner Michael Bracewell (two for 28), though, did not throw in the towel and removed the set batters to keep the match evenly poised.
Fortunately for India, K.L. Rahul (34 n.o.) eased the nerves of a billion fans with another measured knock and Ravindra Jadeja, whose brilliant spell helped restrict New Zealand to a modest total, fittingly hit the winning runs with a boundary through the leg side.
Earlier, the Kiwis managed 251 for seven after electing to bat, riding on half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell (63) and Bracewell (53 n.o.).
For the umpteenth time, the Indian spinners dominated the middle-overs and squeezed the runs dry. The spin quartet sent in 38 overs and gave away only 144 runs while taking five wickets.
Rachin Ravindra got off to a flyer in the PowerPlay as the Kiwis raced to 69 for one. The southpaw cut loose against Hardik Pandya smashing him for a six and two fours in the fourth over. He then pocketed a brace of boundaries off Mohammed Shami, forcing Rohit to bring his trump card, Varun Chakaravarthy, to bowl the sixth. The mystery spinner duly delivered in his second over, trapping Will Young leg-before.
Kuldeep Yadav then forced the brakes by striking twice in his first two overs. The left-arm wrist spinner castled Ravindra off his first ball with a wrong one, and had Kane Williamson caught and bowled.
On a pitch that did not offer much turn, Jadjea and Axar were impeccably accurate, targeting the stumps and further tightened the screws through their miserly spells.
Towards the end, Bracewell gave the innings much-needed momentum as the Black Caps managed 79 in the last 10 overs to reach a respectable score. But on a day when India’s batting depth came to the fore, it proved to be a few runs short.
