Almost everything went out of place for the men in Blue. The game was pretty one-sided where Pakistan easily dominated all the three departments of Cricket.
TOSS
- The match scenario was exactly like 2003 WC finals in which Ganguly won the toss and chose to field. It became a big factor for India’s loss at that time match seemed more like a batting pitch. Kohli could have chosen to defend.
- Still, we can’t blame the captain completely, as we have lost a league match with Sri Lanka in which we tried to defend.
History repeats itself.
Bowling:
- Except for Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, every other bowler had a very bad day. Hardik Pandya was inconsistent but economical.
- Bumrah could have been so better owing to his current form. His no balls were unforgivable.
- Ashwin’s disappointing performance continues for another season. Jadeja was equally bad.
Captaincy:
- Ashwin was given 10 overs to bowl, despite being so expensive. Jadhav was chosen to bowl in 40–50 overs. They were pretty bad decisions.
- Kohli lost his confidence after Pakistan crossed the landmark of 300. The whole problem started there. We have seen Srilanka and Bangladesh chasing big scores in the same tournament. So, it wouldn’t have been a big deal for mighty India.
- We have seen Dhoni captaining the team where he instilled hope throughout the game and won so many tough matches.
Only Aggressiveness can’t win matches.
Batting:
- Owing to his wonderful performances in the previous matches in the tournament, Rohit Sharma’s duck out is unforgivable.
- It pressurized the chase master Virat Kohli more which ultimately took the match away from us.
- Tournament players like Dhoni and Yuvi could have contributed more.
- Jadhav is someone who can bat at any position in the game. May be if the right handed batsman Jadhav was promoted before Yuvi, and partnered with left-handed Dhawan, things would have gone different.
Pakistan’s performance:
Amir was exceptionally good today. Also, Sarfaraz was so cool and led the team like a perfect leader. He kept the team spirit throughout the game and kept on saying “Shabaash”.
Not to mention about the mind-blowing century by Fakhar.
Overall, it just seemed like India’s bad day. And there are so many to blame. Still, it takes a good spirit to appreciate our players’ efforts. Finally, accolades to Hardik Pandya. He played like a lone warrior today.