March 17, 2016 by admin

After loss, India have upbeat Pak ahead

Nagpur, So, what are the implications of India’s stunning defeat to New Zealand?
In less than 90 minutes of their batting innings, India, the overwhelming favourites, had been left to salvage their wrecked ship. The morale-crushing 47-run loss to Black Caps has come as a bolt from the blue for the Indians, who had been undefeated in their previous seven T20I outings.
The loss left India in a precarious situation, and every match from here on is a “do-or-die” contest. The top two teams qualify for the semifinals, and net run-rate of the teams could play a decisive role at the end of the league stage.
Danger: Pak ahead
Pakistan’s victory over Bangladesh in Kolkata today was as emphatic as India’s loss yesterday. Pakistan gave a fearful display of their batting might, putting up 201/5 in 20 overs, before restricting Bangladesh to 146/6. Pakistan’s performance is a serious warning for India. The two teams clash in Kolkata on Saturday; if India lose that game as well, they would be left staring at an early exit from the tournament.
That would leave Dhoni in a very uncomfortable position as he may find it extremely difficult to prolong his international career. “It definitely is a good wake-up call because I have always maintained that it becomes very difficult if you take anything for granted,” Dhoni said after the defeat. “Every match from here is a do-or-die game for us, there is pressure in every game. You can’t afford to lose any more… Then you are out of the tournament.”
Dhoni rued that India collapsed for only 79, losing by 47 runs, and their net run-rate now is -2.35. “The smaller the margin of defeat, the better it would have been for us because in one World T20 (in Sri Lanka in 2012), it so happened that we lost one game (against Australia by nine wickets with 31 balls remaining) and we were not able to qualify (on net run rate),” Dhoni added. “It is important that in the matches to come, we must win but also the manner in which we win, the margin of victory will also be important.”
Weak link
New Zealand exposed India’s vulnerability against spin, and also chinks in their middle-order. The wicket did help the spinners, but their lack of application and over-confidence left them with no chance. Dhoni did talk about the lack of “adaptability” of the team.
“You can commit an error and get out very soon on a turning wicket, so you have to be careful,” he said. “I felt this game was more about adaptability… There were quite a few soft dismissals, no partnerships at all, which is needed on a wicket that was on the slower side, but overall a sporting one. The batting department could have done better.”
Over-dependence
The over-dependence on Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could prove fatal; whenever the trio has failed to click, India have found themselves in trouble.
Finally, as the topic veered towards the marquee clash against Pakistan, Dhoni sounded optimistic. “That’s what my job is,” he said about helping the team regroup. “If it doesn’t go the way we want it to go, that’s the time when everyone needs to pitch in. But I don’t think it would be a big factor. I always tell the boys that what is important is how to turn things around and how to come back strong.”