The last couple of weeks in the UK have been most entertaining! Now we are down to the top two sides in the competition who will fight for the honors this Sunday in Birmingham. No surprises though that it's India v England. One side has been on top form on home soil, warming up for the Ashes. Their new ball bowlers have weaved magic and made it swing so much that some even doubt ball tampering. Their batsmen have been solid, although they've often been accused of letting down the anchor while trying to sail. The other side has been a revelation. Their batsmen have struck rich form and one Mr. Shikhar Dhawan has even rendered heartfelt tributes of "we miss you" to Virender Sehwag irrelevant. Gautam Gambhir too has been forgotten with Rohit Sharma deciding that it's about time he unraveled his own little kit of tricks. There are two wicketkeepers in this side - one of them can even bowl, apparently - and plenty of predators on the field. What's more, they even have a man who can legitimately call himself "Right Arm Fast"!
This is a different Team India on display. I remember those long gone days of old when I'd never expect two consecutive victories from the Indian team anywhere. If I saw one good, comprehensive display of cricketing prowess from them, I'd brace myself for a drubbing the next day. But this Indian team has been a spectator's delight. They've made an initially suspect bowling attack look menacing courtesy of some brilliant fielding. Batsmen seem frightened to score runs. Let's simulate - if you're a batsman taking guard against Team India in the CT 2013, you will find Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli on either side of you. Dinesh Karthik and Rohit Sharma lurk just beside them. Turn around and you'll spot MS Dhoni, arguably the best keeper in the world right now. Try to beat him with a cheeky shot through the slips and you're most likely to find the safe hands of Suresh Raina. Notwithstanding that, also good luck to you trying to middle the seaming ball delivered by Bhuvneshwar Kumar! The Indian batting, too, has been spectacular. No one has yet been able to conjure up a reason why Shikhar Dhawan and his mates have consistently scored at 6 RPO or thereabouts in conditions where everyone else celebrates anything over 250!
England, the other finalists, are perhaps just as deserving. Their new ball attack has excited the English connoisseur of old and a certain James Tredwell has ensured that the injured Graeme Swann isn't missed. Their batting is solid, indeed, but as some people reckon, perhaps a bit too solid for the standards of modern-day limited overs cricket. One man has impressed me above all and that's young Joseph Root - the 22-year-old Yorkshireman who has lived up to the legacy of his county. Geoff Boycott is in awe of this kid and has made that sufficiently apparent on all given occasions. But what makes Root special to me is his versatility. While he ground out a 229-ball 73 in his debut Test match in India a while back, he showed the ability to hit a 55-ball 68 against Sri Lanka in London a few days back, even exhibiting a little lap shot while he was at it.
Undoubtedly then, we have in the finals of this Champs Trophy the two most potent teams of the competition - and by far. What really strikes me about this tournament, however, is the fact that most teams are currently under transition. India came without Sehwag, Zaheer and Tendulkar. South Africa arrived without Kallis and Smith. Pakistan left out Afridi and Umar Gul. New Zealand have only recently reinstated Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori, almost on a farewell note to the latter. England have played without Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen, the latter out due to injury. Australia have, of course, lost their long list of legends - Ponting and Hussey the latest of those. In other words, save for the calypso boys of the Caribbean (even they're slowly evicting Ramnaresh Sarwan out of the side), everyone else was waving goodbye to one great man or the other walking off into the horizon.
How then have India and England left the others so far behind? The most plausible answer seems to be captaincy. India and England seem the only sides with stable, seemingly permanent, captains at the helm. There has been no threat whatsoever to the authority and influence of MS Dhoni and Alastair Cook over their side. In many ways, this Team India seems to have been built by MS Dhoni. Much like Imran Khan and Steve Waugh, Dhoni is the seniormost member of his team, both by age and by experience. Following the two whitewashes in England and Australia, Dhoni went about identifying a young, exuberant team and stuck with them with dogged faith. The likes of Rohit Sharma have repaid him kindly so far. Other teams have lacked such a stable, influential captain. For New Zealand, Brendon McCullum continues to be haunted by the ghost of Captain Ross Taylor. Sri Lanka have at least 3-4 former captains in their playing eleven. West Indies have only recently replaced Darren Sammy with Dwayne Bravo. Australia's Michael Clarke has been watching from the sidelines with a back ache. Pakistan seem to have a new captain every series - they want to give everyone a chance, I suppose. And that leaves only AB de Villiers of South Africa, himself an unaspiring leader, if one were to believe what is often reported.
Dhoni and Cook, in contrast, have served their teams well. They've captained their ships with great inspiration and their fans have shown tremendous faith as well. This should be an exciting final. The champs shall be unveiled.
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| Boys in Blue: Dhoni's Army |
England, the other finalists, are perhaps just as deserving. Their new ball attack has excited the English connoisseur of old and a certain James Tredwell has ensured that the injured Graeme Swann isn't missed. Their batting is solid, indeed, but as some people reckon, perhaps a bit too solid for the standards of modern-day limited overs cricket. One man has impressed me above all and that's young Joseph Root - the 22-year-old Yorkshireman who has lived up to the legacy of his county. Geoff Boycott is in awe of this kid and has made that sufficiently apparent on all given occasions. But what makes Root special to me is his versatility. While he ground out a 229-ball 73 in his debut Test match in India a while back, he showed the ability to hit a 55-ball 68 against Sri Lanka in London a few days back, even exhibiting a little lap shot while he was at it.
Undoubtedly then, we have in the finals of this Champs Trophy the two most potent teams of the competition - and by far. What really strikes me about this tournament, however, is the fact that most teams are currently under transition. India came without Sehwag, Zaheer and Tendulkar. South Africa arrived without Kallis and Smith. Pakistan left out Afridi and Umar Gul. New Zealand have only recently reinstated Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori, almost on a farewell note to the latter. England have played without Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen, the latter out due to injury. Australia have, of course, lost their long list of legends - Ponting and Hussey the latest of those. In other words, save for the calypso boys of the Caribbean (even they're slowly evicting Ramnaresh Sarwan out of the side), everyone else was waving goodbye to one great man or the other walking off into the horizon.
How then have India and England left the others so far behind? The most plausible answer seems to be captaincy. India and England seem the only sides with stable, seemingly permanent, captains at the helm. There has been no threat whatsoever to the authority and influence of MS Dhoni and Alastair Cook over their side. In many ways, this Team India seems to have been built by MS Dhoni. Much like Imran Khan and Steve Waugh, Dhoni is the seniormost member of his team, both by age and by experience. Following the two whitewashes in England and Australia, Dhoni went about identifying a young, exuberant team and stuck with them with dogged faith. The likes of Rohit Sharma have repaid him kindly so far. Other teams have lacked such a stable, influential captain. For New Zealand, Brendon McCullum continues to be haunted by the ghost of Captain Ross Taylor. Sri Lanka have at least 3-4 former captains in their playing eleven. West Indies have only recently replaced Darren Sammy with Dwayne Bravo. Australia's Michael Clarke has been watching from the sidelines with a back ache. Pakistan seem to have a new captain every series - they want to give everyone a chance, I suppose. And that leaves only AB de Villiers of South Africa, himself an unaspiring leader, if one were to believe what is often reported.
Dhoni and Cook, in contrast, have served their teams well. They've captained their ships with great inspiration and their fans have shown tremendous faith as well. This should be an exciting final. The champs shall be unveiled.
