20 CRICKET TODAY^ JULY 12, 2019
T
he Indian cricket team suffered a stunning
exit from the ICC World Cup 2019 after
succumbing to a defeat against New
Zealand in the semi-finals at Old Trafford
in Manchester on Wednesday. India were
terrific in the entire tournament, but this
blip came perhaps in the most crucial time of their
campaign. In the end, all the form and confidence
counted to nothing in this knockout phase. One should
take the opportunity to praise New Zealand for their
efforts on the given day. Here is the postmortem of
Team India in the ICC World Cup 2019.
India’s main success was attributed to the top order.
They were strong as a unit throughout. Rohit Sharma
(648 runs) in particular stole the show with five centu-
ries under his belt. This was a tournament that
belonged to Rohit. His success and application defined
India’s approach. Shikhar Dhawan played a match-
winning knock before getting injured and then KL
Rahul came in to handle the ship well. Skipper Virat
Kohli was consistent as well. This was a collective effort
throughout the tourney. India’s top order has always
been the strength and that was the right note in this
event as well.
India’s middle order was a doubt throughout. There
were too many changes in terms of personnel and bat-
ting order. The side didn’t look assured. MS Dhoni
played well, but was unfairly criticized. Hardik
Pandya showed his improvement. But the
rest of the order looked short.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be the
Achilles heel in the main game against
New Zealand, where someone like a
Rishabh Pant threw his wicket
away after getting set. India also
didn’t back Kedar Jadhav and
stick with him. And when
someone like a Dinesh Karthik
came in, he never got the time or
exposure. That’s where a trick was
missed. Veteran wicket-keeper bats-
man MS Dhoni had a strong cam-BY RAJDEEP SAHA
Above: Virat and Rohit
were consistent.
Below: Rahul came in to
handle the ship well.
Right: Jasprit Bumrah
led the show with his
consistency.