It was Melbourne. Imran Tahir was running amuck after
sending back Virat Kohli. Arrived a calm Ajinkya Rahane with India at 136/2 in
27.1 overs. 18. 4 overs later, one of the greatest pacers of the modern era –
Dale Steyn – was tonked right over his head at the MCG. Though Steyn got the
Mumbaikar the very next ball, Rahane - without breaking a sweat - had nailed
the Proteas with a 60-ball 79 making them fetch leather round the dial. One
assumed a ‘silent assasin’ was born.
Move to Auckland. Arguably the toughest challenge the
Indian team had faced from an opposition in the league stage in the Cup.
Zimbabwe had taken apart the Indian bowlers on a relatively smaller ground and
then reduced the then reigning champions to 71/3, defending 288. The
ever-jubilant Suresh Raina walked into bat knowing there was only his skipper
left in the tank. And soon captain cool arrived with scoreboard reading 92/4. A
couple of hours later, Raina thanked the Zimbabwean attack and Hamilton
Masakadza for letting him smash his maiden World Cup ton and India won 6-0! The
middle-order seemed to be in form with the knockouts set to be played.
Come Sydney. Yes. Enough said about Steve Smith’s
greatness and his romance with Indian bowlers. Then there wasn’t any flying
kiss from Virat Kohli this time around. But it was time for the ‘silent
assassin’ and Raina to step up.
But it wasn’t the ‘choking’ Proteas or the Zimbabweans who
were running in to bowl. It was Starc, Hazlewood and Johnson.
At 91/3 with 32 overs more to go, MSD sent his trusted
lieutenant to face the music instead of taking up the responsibility as he did
in the 2011 WC final. Which, in hindsight, one could term it a disastrous move
knowing Starc and Clarke would rub their palms in eagerness at the sight of
Raina.
Just a couple of months ago, Raina’s red-ball
conundrum was exposed by Starc in the same venue in the fourth Test, which
India survived narrowly. He got a pair. And what’s more, it was Starc whose
fiery in swinger trapped the southpaw for a blob.
As expected, Starc went under the skin of Raina by throwing
one at the batsman and even appealed for obstructing the field.
The moment a hot under the collar Raina struck one over the
top off Faulkner, one knew something was about to explode. Edged and taken!
Someone was saying.
Maybe, maybe…MSD’ strategy failed. The probability of Raina
scoring 160 runs in 15 overs was higher than him batting 30 odd overs against
Australia.
What can a WC match can do? Ensure Klusener ran Donald out,
leak 15 runs in the first over of a big final, minnows beating champions,
Duminy collided with Behardien – It can choke even the best!
Rahane – who had
played several match-winning knocks under pressure in Tests - seemed not the
one to wilt under pressure, as he arrived. But he, uncharacteristically, felt
the heat under his helmet in the big match.
The number ‘4’ in the wickets column ensured Rahane let
Maxwell get away without applying counter pressure. One felt Rahane was batting
with a stump in hand! Not one struck the middle of the bat and the dab strokes
weren’t helping his confidence either. The drives weren’t finding the gaps.
The diminutive batsman, who was pulling and hooking fiercely
in the Test series and even against South Africa, was hurried by the barrage of
bouncers hurled by Johnson and Starc.
Smith, Haddin and Maxwell would be wondering whether they
had missed a lot of snicks before finally referring one to see the back of
Rahane!
The Ra-Ra’s (Raina and Rahane) never arrived at the big
stage. However, there is no shame in losing to a champion side like Australia.
Even the most experienced and greats have choked in World Cups. This inexperienced (in WC's) but talented batting unit needed such a failure to achieve success
in the future.
—S. Bagawati Prasad
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