Virat Kohli called it a reality check. He was not far off the mark because it usually is a rigorous reality check when India tours the Caribbean. Unlike what prevails in a tourist paradise where the customer is king, the pitches of the region are reluctant surfaces, not the most hospitable places for batsmen or bowlers. Having made one of the biggest ODI scores in the region, Upul Tharanga may disagree but let us just say it was his day.
The Indians may be forgiven their two-match losing streak because they went off the boil in the wake of an adrenaline-drenched Champions Trophy campaign. It’s hard to sustain such intent over time and even a triangular cannot stoke the ambitions as much as an ICC event. Also, India were without the magic touch of their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose presence may have made all the difference, at least in the defence of a tricky target in the ODI against the home team.
Team India could have done little in the ODI against Sri Lanka save field and catch better. They boast of being the world’s best fielding team, which sounded authentic during the Champions Trophy, may have faded quickly. But, again, the Caribbean is not England when it comes to creature comforts of cricketers. The light is harsher and the backgrounds more disturbing as fielders get under skiers. Much like soda, the fizz can go out fast, especially when a big event gets over.
With another triangular set of preliminary league encounters to go, Team India are not out of it but getting to the final could be a big task if the form remains the same. Also, Sri Lanka grabbed a bonus point from their one win while the West Indies have two wins under their belt. The Indian batting did not hold up in the opening game when the West Indian pacers exploited the early moisture with which pitches in the Caribbean are liberally sprinkled. But the ploy of inserting the opposition did not work for the Indian bowlers in the Sri Lanka game.
The bigger worrying point is Indian bowling. However smart the attack looked in England where the pitches were more Baroda and Bengaluru than Birmingham, it seems to lack the cutting edge when the conditions don’t aid the bowlers. Also, leaving out Bhuvneshwar Kumar seemed a wild gamble because he is the sharpest mover of the new ball. Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad is different altogether but can be dreadfully slow and unyielding.
Picked as the team’s base where Indian support would be the most, Dravid’s 2007 World Cup team came a cropper there, beaten soundly by Bangladesh and then Sri Lanka. So Kohli has a lot of homework to do before his team sets foot on Trinidadian turf. He has been fully in charge for just a game. He is the keen type dying to captain the team well and it should surprise no one if Kohli comes up with a better action plan in the remaining games.
Kohli starred in history of a different kind when he became the first fielding captain to go through a 50-over ODI innings taking only one wicket. A profligate 180 runs in the last 16 overs was proof of the carnage set batsmen wrought. The skipper should have to have a word with those who man his bowling attack. The key to recovery lies with them. The islands won’t tremble if India does not make it to the final but the least we can expect is a more determined effort from the Indians. If they give it all they have the result should not matter too much.