JULY 12, 2019 CRICKET TODAY 21
paign, but things got marred with fans complaining
uselessly.
The bowling was terrific for India right throughout.
The pacers were different class. Jasprit Bumrah led the
show with his consistency and class. He ended up with
18 wickets and defined the show. Mohammed Shami
chipped in when called upon. He looked sharp and
lean. The spinners did a decent job, barring that one
match against England. The inclusion of Ravindra
Jadeja was a masterstroke. The bowling will be the big-
gest positive for India here. One noticed why India had
the best bowling quartet in the entire tourney. Going
forward, this is something that will help the Men in
Blue.Virat Kohli’s captaincy was superb, but in certain
areas he got things tactically wrong. And that ultimate-
ly made India pay in a game of this stature.
India looked destined to win the World Cup after
topping the league stage and producing stellar results.
But it was the pressure game in which they failed in
one department after mastering half of the game. Like
2015 and 2017, India succumbed in a high-profile
knockout encounter. In 2017 ICC CT, it was a similar
show. The top order collapsed and India stared at
defeat. And now in the semis against NZ, a similar inci-
dent unfolded. It was top notch pace bowling that test-
ed India.One major thing noticed was no matter how
you perform in the tourney, one match or one session
of play can knock out a side. India will need to work
upon the same and find a way to counter quality pace
bowlers on difficult pitches. Losing three successive
knockout games in ICC events is not a good reading.
But we must be proud of the side for giving its all. nIndia
looked des-
tined to win
the World
Cup after
topping
the league
stage and
producing
results.
Above: The spinners did
a decent job, barring
that one match against
England.