A Clinical Performance !!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - The day after India's win over Sri Lanka in the Super Six stage.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan8.html
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WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME INDIA HAD A COMPREHENSIVE VICTORY OF THIS MAGNITUDE AGAINST ANOTHER TEST-PLAYING NATION ?!
India's 183 run victory over Sri Lanka today in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 was HUGE by any standards. One does not remember such an occasion in the recent past. The Indians just blew away the lankans and bulldozed their way into the semifinals of the tournament.
The most important aspect of this win is that it was not produced by a single individual even if there were some stellar individual contributions. It was a team-effort all the way and this is a great sign for the prospects of the team in the near future. The Indians can be happy about all the positives that have emerged from this amazing victory.
Ganguly finally seems to have got back his rythm and his innings today was as good as any he has played in the past few years. When he is batting well, Ganguly is also much more authoritative as a captain. The smile is back on his face and all his teammates support him to the core. It is vital for him to carry this form into the subsequent matches.
Srinath is in the best form of his life. He is bowling a probing line and is making the lives of all opposition batsmen difficult. Along with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, he forms probably the most potent fast-bowling attack India has ever had. This bowling unit is performing well and this needs to continue.
Sehwag played some beautiful shots on his was to a fifty but he threw it all away. He should put a price on his wicket and convert the starts into big hundreds.
And what can one say about Sachin Tendulkar's innings today. Till the time he decided to slow down in order to reach his hundred, which he ultimately falied to reach, he had the Lankans pinned down to the mat. Tendulkar is in a `ZONE' of his own at the moment and nobody is even remotely close to his standards.
The Indians are peaking at the right time. They should not let go of this momentum. Their ultimate test will come when they meet the mighty Aussies. Unless something extraordinary happens, the Aussies are STILL the favourites to take home this edition of the World Cup.
Let us all pray for the EXTRAORDINARY!!!
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