At times, Rohit Sharma can appear too relaxed, even eccentrically so. “Tension mat lo, ho jaayega (Don’t be tense, we’ll do it),” has been his favourite message to teammates ahead of every crucial game.
Over two years, two ICC trophies — the T20 World Cup in 2024, on Sunday night, the Champions title. And don’t forget barging into the World Cup finals in November 2023. Something about Indian white ball cricket brimmeth over; it’s likely joy off multiple cups.
At times, Rohit Sharma can appear too relaxed, even eccentrically so. “Tension mat lo, ho jaayega (Don’t be tense, we’ll do it),” has been his favourite message to teammates ahead of every crucial game.
As the cricketing world kept speculating on his form and future in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, Rohit had shown little sign of being flustered. He shut out the “outside noise” and kept his focus on the team’s performance.
When Gautam Gambhir was quizzed about Rohit’s inconsistent form ahead of Sunday’s final, the head coach strongly backed his captain. “You evaluate from the stats, we evaluate from the impact,” he shot back.
Gambhir stood vindicated at the Dubai International Stadium as Rohit showed India the way forward with his fearless batting on the day it mattered most.
As fireworks lit up the skyline after the four-wicket victory, Rohit had a I-told-you-so look.
The ghost of Motera from 16 months ago seemed banished. Rohit’s men can now bask in the glory of the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy victories, shedding the disappointment of losing the ODI World Cup final to Australia.
Adding to the symbolism, the victory came just a day before the 40th anniversary of India’s 1985 World Championship of Cricket triumph.
The 252-run chase was always going to be tricky, especially if wickets kept falling. Rohit set up a 105-run opening stand with Shubman Gill before three wickets within a space of 17 runs unsettled the momentum.
Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel brought some sanity with a 61-run stand before the flamboyant Hardik Pandya and cool-headed K.L. Rahul brought India to the doorstep.
Ravindra Jadeja, who hit the winning runs, reflected: “That is how it is with me.… Sometimes a hero, sometimes a zero.”
But Rohit’s contribution eclipsed all. A six off the second ball from Kyle Jamieson signalled that he was in the mood. Two boundaries and a six from Rohit’s first 11 balls, and India were off to a superb start.
Rohit, who had raced to 50 off 41 balls, lost momentum after Gill and Virat Kohli left in quick succession. From 76 off 77, he went scoreless for six balls before falling in an attempt to come down the track and lift Rachin Ravindra over the top.
The spadework, though, had been done by India’s spin quartet, especially wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.
A 50-over contest is often decided in the middle overs. Unlike Shreyas and Axar, who absorbed the pressure by quickly rotating the strike, the New Zealand batters huffed and puffed to break the shackles.
The wider spectrum of India’s varied spin attack, compared with their opponents’ steady but one-dimensional finger spin, made the difference. This was best exemplified by Kuldeep.
The day the left-arm wrist-spinner is done with cricket and decides to reflect on his most memorable dismissals, two will stand out. His castling of Babar Azam in the 2019 World Cup and his astutely-plotted dismissal of Rachin in Dubai on Sunday.
Denied much success earlier in the tournament, Kuldeep seemed to have saved his best for the last. New Zealand were threatening to put it beyond India with 69 runs in the first Powerplay (1-10) overs with Rachin and Kane Williamson in cruise control.
But Kuldeep’s wrong’un delivered the most telling blow. The googly landed slightly back of a length on the middle stump and Ravindra was cramped for room once he realised the ball had hurried off the wicket. If flicked his back leg before changing direction and hitting the top of off stump.
Kuldeep wasn’t done and removed Williamson the next over. The ball dipped and stopped on Williamson, who defended it in front of his body. It lobbed off the outer half of the blade for Kuldeep to accept the return catch to his right.
New Zealand were suddenly caught in a spin. Varun had begun the slide by removing opener Will Young but Kuldeep’s double blow had spelt disaster.
Sensing that the dry and low surface was aiding the slow bowlers, Rohit switched to four-pronged spin. The runs dried up.
Kuldeep’s accuracy was stunning as he targeted the stumps from every angle. He was the main reason that New Zealand managed a single boundary in 81 balls after Powerplay 1.
New Zealand had been wary of Varun, who had taken five wickets against them in the group league encounter. But Kuldeep proved the surprise element while Axar and Jadeja did their bit by bowling miserly spells.
The spinners sowed doubt in the batters’ minds with their drift and subtle variations in pace. But poor catching in the outfield denied India wickets, with worst-offender Gill putting down two chances.
Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips went the conservative way as the boundaries dried up. Just when Phillips was threatening to take the game to the opposition, he was undone by a Varun googly.
It was only towards the end, when the pacers came on, did the New Zealanders begin to take a few risks, with Michael Bracewell (53 off 40) using the long handle to good effect.
The statistics show how tough it was against the Indian spinners — 104 runs were scored in just 12 overs against pace while the spinners conceded 144 in 38 overs. (Leg byes accounted for the remaining 3 runs.)
source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)