Opinion: India vs. South Africa.
By Sujeet Rajan
India’s clinical dissection of the South Africa bowling, batting, and even fielding – the Proteas cracked under pressure – was truly remarkable for its hiccup-free cricket, and smooth victory. But perhaps the most indelible images of the match came from the blades of the diminutive, frail looking figure of Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan, who used their bats as an artist would to fill up a canvas with iridescent colors.
Dhawan and Rahane’s beautiful innings – and earlier, the consummately built-up innings by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in India’s opener against Pakistan – are even more remarkable in an opening week of the World Cup which saw some of the most destructive batting in the history of the game, with Brendon McCullum and Andre Russell, being standouts.
If the latter two showed why cricket has become a game for batsmen who work the gym relentlessly, brawn means using a cricket bat with the same effect as a sledgehammer, the former two showed why the game is still one of pure skill, artistry, finesse and pace, and not just bludgeon-like T20 mania.
Look at it from the viewpoint of other sports: it’s akin to the time when field hockey was all about weaving in and out dexterously through the field, making deft small passes to score. It made the opposition look foolish, leaden-footed; must have felt the only way to stop this kind of wizardry shown by skillful players, especially from India and Pakistan, was to give a whack on their heads with the hockey stick. But then came the Aussies and the Dutch with their shocking method of long passes, which changed the course of the game. But the stick artistry is what makes hockey what it is, even today, makes for riveting viewing.
Coming back to cricket, if not for the likes of Rahane, Kohli, Dhawan and Sharma, who wield the bat like a scythe rather than a mace, then the day is not too far away when the types of McCullum – aided with more muscles, bigger bats, smaller grounds – would make contests look more like teeing off a golf ball six balls in an over, than one of negotiation and tactical build-up. Fast bowlers have hit the zenith at 150 Kms./hour mark, but batsmen like McCullum are still honing on how many they can hit out of the ground every over.
However, the fact is also that India lacks a pinch hitter in their current World Cup, and that may ultimately cost them this World Cup. India did the right thing by leaving out the aging duo of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, whose reflexes are now slow to conquer the fast, rising ball.
The only known pinch hitter in the Indian squad, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who could rival the brute strength of McCullum, looks out of form. And perhaps, the brutal truth is, aged out. His reflexes are not adequate anymore to meet the challenges of the pitches of Australia and New Zealand. But try telling Amitabh Bachchan that he’s too old to act, before saying to Dhoni that he cannot meet the challenge of a fast ball anymore!
It was, thus, glorious to see the top quartet of Indian batsmen build up the innings with sheer artistry, relentless tempo and timing. Kohli, Rahane and Dhawan not only troubled the South Africans, smashed their confidence and assurance of a good World Cup.
Most teams in this World Cup have in the ranks brute power in one or two batsmen, but bar India and Australia, no other team has a row of batsmen who will ground the bowling systematically, with finesse.
It’s been a pleasure to watch both the matches India has played so far. There’s a growing sense creeping in that if their batsmen play in the dream-like fashion they are doing at present, then this might be the World cup to cherish for sheer batting artistry.
Let the McCullums of the world do their assaults. The Indians can do it too, and get the same winning results: sweetly.