Ruthless is
one word you would associate with Australia ever since Steve Waugh kissed the World
Cup trophy in 1999. From then on the performances of the Aussies on the field have
been deemed ‘champions stuff’. And they did deserve it, for they had pulled off
wins from near improbable situations on quite a few occasions. They never
succumbed under pressure. Never gave an inch to the opposition. And if at all
there was an odd game where the opposition – most likely India, South Africa or
New Zealand – gave them a scare, they had someone out of the blue coming up with
the rescue act.
Let’s not talk about numbers. Because the number of matches Australia
have been unbeaten in WCs are firmly
rooted in the minds of every cricket lover. Let’s surf through situations for a
change in the last four WC editions.
Before that:
Why time to replace Australia with India? Why
not others?
Just take
out India from the equation. Had it been 2007, Starc would have cleaned up the
No. 11 Kiwi batsmen to register a famous win in the three balls he had before
Williamson stroked a six. Had it been 2007, the Aussies wouldn’t have been
bowled out for 151! There isn’t a saviour in this Aussie batting unit. Though
Smith looks one, he hasn’t yet proved it in the World Cup. And finally on a
number of occasions, the rub of the green, which was with them eight years ago,
hadn’t gone their way either.
South
Africa amassed 400 against West Indies and Ireland but faltered in a chase of
240 odd runs against Pakistan.
Misbah’s
team luckily found the last step of the bus and foot-boarded into the
quarterfinals.
Though New
Zealand have won every match like India, there isn’t enough conviction in their
wins. Losing a heap of wickets in a small chase against Scotland, literally throwing
away the game against Australia and the manner in which the Bangladesh batsmen
took on their bowlers was there for all to see.
With the
West Indies you know they score 400 one day and get bowled out for 150 the next
day. They are always in but they are always out as well.
England – Japan
cricket had trolled them enough.
Sri Lanka, they
are out of contention. Bangladesh will cherish this World Cup forever for their
great show and they deserve a pat on the back.
India, the Oz of the 2003 and 2007WC
2003 WC – Shane Warne, a star of the previous edition,
had to miss out with a ban and there was unrest in the Aussie camp. Out came
Andrew Symonds and blew away Pakistan in the tournament opener. The Aussie campaign
endured its share of nerve-racking moments. Every time the opposition – England
and New Zealand - had the Aussies on the mat, Michael Bevan, the predecessor of
the modern Mr. Cricket, took on the mantle and saw his team through. From then
on there was no stopping the Aussies and even India’s attempts – once in the
league and the other in the final – to do the unthinkable ended up with a
whimper.
2007 WC: Four years later, the Aussies walked into the
Caribbean islands having lost 0-3 in an ODI series to New Zealand. There was a
lot of talk about the Aussies being not at the peak of their prowess. South
Africa were as always in contention. India had earned themselves a tag of being
good chasers under Dravid. New Zealand had chased down huge totals in the lead
up to the WC. And the biggest worry for the defending champs was the poor form
of Matthew Hayden, who courtesy his 181 in the final ODI against NZ made the
cut.
Come the event,
Australia trounced opposition after opposition in the league phase, gave South Africa
a pasting in the semifinal and Gilchrist revealed what a squash ball can do on
a cricket field in the final against Lanka. A month and a half later, Ponting
lifted the trophy for the second time in a row and Hayden ended up the highest run
getter.
The Aussies
defied the law of averages! They won matches as easy as cracking a joke.
The rise of the men in blue
2011 WC: The Aussies who had won in England, South Africa and West Indies entered
a zone which could be called their most uncomfortable one to defend their title
- Asia. The pressure on them was as much as it was on the Asian heavyweights
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. And all eyes were on Sachin Tendulkar, as it was
his swansong Cup.
India never played like champions until the knockout phase and for a
change the Aussies too flinched as they suffered their first defeat after countless
number of wins in World Cup.
For once the rest of the world began to feel, this was their
best chance in overhauling the Champions. The onus was on India to push the
Aussies out of the Cup in the quarterfinals.
Having tied against England and lost to South Africa, the Indians
were blowing hot and cold just like the Aussies of the 1999 WC and to an extent
in the 2003 WC. Yet they managed to make the final eight thanks to Sehwag’s
brilliance in the opener against Bangladesh and beating the minnows and the Windies.
Up against Australia,
India were certainly the underdogs. New stars turned up on the big stage. Suresh
Raina held on to his nerve along with Yuvraj and the reigning champions were dethroned
as India set up a SF date with Pakistan.
And enough has been written about the clash of the arch-rivals
and the inspiring move of Dhoni to push himself up the order and claim glory in
the final against Sri Lanka. New heroes were found. A finisher evolved, couple
of match-winners were unearthed and the team had a swagger in the way they
played their game.
India were the World Champions, but they weren’t playing the
way for one to stamp their game as ‘champions stuff’. However, they were in the
process of building one for 2015.
2015 WC:
The World Cup was down under. What was the preparation? A
tri-series sandwiched between a gruelling four-Test series and the World Cup. Much
like Australia did in 2007 against New Zealand or even worse if one were to be
harsh, Indians were chasing leather on the field from dawn to dusk and the
pattern continued till the tri-series. But the young Indian batsmen had got a taste
of the Aussie pitches and it was the bowlers who were running in and bowling
long hops.
Next was the tri-series with England being the third team. India
couldn’t win a game and lost even to England and by now the stress on even has
more clarity than ever before.
The bowling
unit looked jaded. Batsmen were under pressure. Opener Dhawan’s form was the
biggest concern. Rohit Sharma had a niggle. Dhoni had quit from Test cricket.
All off the field stuff took centre stage. There was more confusion than
cricket.
Then came the ‘Mauka’ to win their first official match in Australia, as India
had already won a warm-up match against Afghanistan. Pakistan it was. Who else
but Kohli firing along with Dhawan, who seemed to have found his bearings a
little bit.
Yet, India
weren’t displaying ruthlessness, an inherent quality of a champion side.
Turn
Melbourne and the pace of Steyn and bounce of Morkel awaited India. Seven hours
later it was a mismatch as India ran the South Africans down just like the
Aussies did to do the Proteas in the 2007 WC with a scintillating show.
The manner
in which India crushed the West indies, UAE, Ireland and Zimbabwe underlined their
ruthlessness. Bowling out the opposition every single time they played
suggested how the bowlers have risen up to the challenge. Indian batsmen and
fielders running hot on their South African counterparts was probably the
tipping point of the Cup journey so far.
And except for
Rahane and Dhoni, who both played major roles in the wins against SA and Zimbabwe,
the rest of the top-order batsmen have scored hundreds in this WC.
The quarterfinal
victory against Bangladesh could well be put across as the starting point of a new Indian juggernaut.
Two more
wins and there are enough evidences that have been listed above to brand India’s
ODI cricket as ‘Champions stuff’.
All India have to do is beat the law of
averages to be crowned champions.
Bagawati Prasad
