And the Journey Begins....

Ha! That was one good series, wasn’t it? Gave a lot of us some meat to chew on, maybe some nails too. Recognize what I’m speaking about? Of course, the recently concluded India – Sri Lanka bilateral T20 Series.
This series was kind of a dress rehearsal for the upcoming World T20 to be held in the Indian sub – continent. It is a good thing that the Indian team is getting quite a few matches to play before the World T20, which of course is a morale – booster. It allows the team management and the captain to decide on the roles of the players in the team, which is ever – important.
Okay, let’s move on to the matches. India carried forward their winning combination from the Australia series. As the squad that was announced was common for the recent series, the Asia Cup as well as the World T20, it was pleasantly surprising to see Pawan Negi in the squad. The squad is a perfect mixture of youth and experience, with the old warhorses Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh all coming in from the Australia series. Virat Kohli was rested for this series.  As for Sri Lanka, it was a very inexperienced side to boot, with Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thisara Perera and Dinesh Chandimal being among the recognized faces. Dilhara Fernando was one of the seniors making a comeback. 
  
Though inexperienced, this side gave a tough fight to Big Brother, defeating India comprehensively in the first match. But thereon, it was India all the way as they cruised to two consecutive wins, the second one being the standout. India restricted Sri Lanka to its lowest T20 total ever, a paltry 82. Obviously, India cruised through the match.

 A particular standout from the second match, especially, from Sri Lanka’s perspective, was Thisara Perera’s hat – trick. He got Hardik Pandya, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh off consecutive balls to become the fourth man to achieve this feat in T20Is. Even the youngsters of Sri Lanka such as Dushmantha Chameera and Dasun Shanaka, who created an impression.

Overall, it was a good series for cricket. After suffering a few hiccups in the first game, India backed themselves to clinch the series. This win further consolidates India’s No.1 ranking in T20Is. Now, the next big thing in Indian cricket will be the Asia Cup, again a T20 series. So, revel in the T20 fervour, until the IPL. Cheerio!

The Saving Grace

Australia. The place where India went to last year itself and had much of a demotivating tour in the backdrop of the World Cup. The Indian team had not even won a single match, be it the Tests, or the tri - series involving England as the third team, going into the World Cup. Though the World Cup was not as bad as its precedent, but that series still raised some very serious issues about the Indian team.

Then came the series against Australia this year. A five – match ODI series followed by a three – match T20I series. As it is expected in every tour Down Under, a stellar effort by the Indian team resulting in loss was expected. And that happened too. India put up some really good efforts when it came to the batting, but it was their bowling that lagged behind. Though India put up 300+ scores in two of the three matches that they batted first in, still Australia chased it down like it was a par score. The irony is that they put some pressure in the match in which they didn’t put up a score of 300+ batting first. The Indian team lost the series 4 – 1. This figure may look very disheartening, it was not as bad it seemed. By winning the last match of this series, India ended Australia’s 19 – match unbeaten streak. Rohit Sharma got the Man of the Series title for his amazing performances.

Then came the T20 series. This was kind of a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup about to start in March. If India would achieve a whitewash in this series, they would climb to the top of the ICC T20 series.

There were some seniors returning to the squad, for example, Harbhajan Singh, who was in the squad recently, Yuvraj Singh, who entered the Indian line – up on the back of some very good first – class performances, and finally Ashish Nehra, who played international cricket after six years. It is amazing how destiny gives you déjà vu. Three players who were part of the disastrous World Cup in 2007 were back in the team after nine long years.

 So the series began. And the unexpected happened. India won all the matches by a comprehensive margin. The last match, though the series was decided, took the cake:

Last over. Yuvraj on strike. Raina at the other end. 17 were needed. Yuvraj hadn’t batted for the last two matches, and of the last four balls he only scored 1 run. Things were looking tense for India. But then something clicked. The vintage Yuvi rose. In royal style, he hit a four off the first ball and a six off the second. He then gave the strike to Raina, who despite some pressure did the rest. Virat Kohli bagged the Man of the Series award for scoring fifties in all three matches.

This provides the perfect backdrop for the World T20. With India as favourites, Australia almost through with their combination, and all the other teams gearing up, I hope to see fireworks in the phenomenon that is India. So best of luck and play on!!