India’s ODI World Cup odyssey points to bright future of sustained success

Years down the line, this particular Indian unit will be looked upon with awe despite falling short at the final hurdle.

Captain Courageous: Rohit Sharma set such a breathless pace as an opener in the PowerPlay overs that the rest, including Virat Kohli, could bide their time for a while before hitting the straps. | Photo Credit: K. R. Deepak

All sporting campaigns start with hope as the base. The conclusion will always range between agony and ecstasy. In between the start and the end lies the roller-coaster ride with athletes, fans, and the media, all going through a medley of emotions. India’s World Cup campaign proved to be a series of high notes, as evident from 10 consecutive wins, but the last full stop was all about shock and tears.

Australia’s six-wicket victory over the Men in Blue in the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19 yet again highlighted the intrinsic unpredictability within the sport. India was the ‘form-team’ with marauding batters led by skipper Rohit Sharma and a potent attack shining under Jasprit Bumrah.

The force was with the unit as all opposition teams, including Australia, were vanquished in the round-robin league stage. By far, India was the best outfit, and even the defeat in the final cannot negate that truth.

Just that Australia, attuned to summit clashes, is a different beast in climaxes. Its sixth World Cup title reiterated the innate steel within its ranks, and skipper Pat Cummins, with his gentle smile and crinkly eyes, is a tough competitor.

India has to rest content with the two World Cups secured in 1983 and 2011, while its last significant ICC silverware was the Champions Trophy won in 2013. A decade has lapsed, and while the nation has done remarkably well in the willow game, that game-changing title has remained elusive.

Into the future: Shubman Gill may have had a subdued World Cup campaign by his standards, but the Indian batter is cricket’s next big thing. | Photo Credit: PTI

They say history is written by the winners, but in the latest case, India, despite stumbling at the last hurdle, has found a template from which its future campaigns can be mounted. Credit is due to Rohit, who set such a breathless pace as an opener in the PowerPlay overs that Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, K.L. Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav could bide their time for a while before hitting the straps. It was the same with the bowlers, as Bumrah and the two Mohammeds — Shami and Siraj — proved a handful in the PowerPlay overs, grabbing wickets and leaving rival batters shell-shocked. The shock and awe of the first 10 overs, be it while batting or bowling, illustrated India as a unique outfit, charting fresh paths. This amalgamation of talent and experience, strategy, and execution seen from the Men in Blue was perhaps the finest that has been witnessed over the years.

Ever since Kapil Dev won the 1983 World Cup, India has always had decent ODI teams, even if, at times, in some tournaments, the much-feted cricketers had their horror run, like, for instance, the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. Always a top-four contender, India did one better this time around until running into Australia in the final. A fate akin to what transpired when the two countries clashed in the 2003 final in Johannesburg.

If cup glory defines legacies, then we will be bound by narrow confines, but the truth is that this particular group of men, with their designer beards and ‘process-driven’ quotes, will be spoken about for a long time. Rohit, the usual owner of ‘Daddy Hundreds’ in ODIs, was selfless in the way he batted. “We start at zero, and I get a chance to set the tempo for my team,” he said. The captain precisely did that all through.

Perhaps if eventual centurion Travis Head hadn’t caught Rohit in the final, there may have been a different tale to narrate. Rohit’s 597 runs and Kohli’s 765 were the sturdy pillars upon which India rested its batting phalanx.

Wrap him in cotton-wool: Jasprit Bumrah’s back injury kept him out of cricket for nearly a year, but he spearheaded the Indian attack with aplomb and incision in the World Cup. | Photo Credit: PTI

The others played with refreshing freedom too, till the time they descended on a sluggish pitch in Ahmedabad, not conducive to free-flowing shots.

In the chase and with dew kicking in, Australia had a sliver of luck as the Indians, especially the spinners, struggled to grip the ball. Otherwise, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav had spun a web in all the other games. Shami, who topped the wicket-taker’s list with 24 scalps, showed how invaluable he is to this team. It is also remarkable that India could gloss over an injured Hardik Pandya’s absence.

Hardik will eventually return, as will Rishabh Pant, and it may be that at that time Rahul could get back to being the pure batter he wants to be, even if his wicket-keeping was outstanding through the tournament.

Rohit, Kohli, Jadeja, R. Ashwin, and a few others may be closer to their twilight in white-ball cricket. But on the evidence of what was seen at the World Cup, India can build afresh with Gill, Shreyas, Rahul, Suryakumar, Ishan Kishan, Hardik, Siraj, and the rest.

Bumrah needs to be watched, too, but a nucleus to nurture is very much there. Till the final stretch, India offered unbridled joy, and coach Rahul Dravid calmly steered the ship from the background. He is most likely to move on, and with some senior players also making way for youngsters, the transition is inevitable, especially with the 2024 T20 World Cup scheduled in the West Indies and the United States of America.

Picture-perfect: Kane Williamson is dejected after being caught off the bowling of Mohammed Shami in the first semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.  | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Still, perfection is elusive. Just like a fairytale finish never materialised, India does have an area of concern. Fielding can be much better. The effort was good overall, but India should aspire to field like Australia did in the final. Boundaries were cut, dot-balls were imposed, and Indian batters were constantly put under pressure. Kohli, Jadeja, Gill, and Shreyas were all good, and with the team about to have new personnel in the coming months, a strong fielding culture is non-negotiable.

Years down the line, this particular Indian unit will be looked upon with awe.

The cricket was exhilarating, and this legacy needs to be emulated with perhaps one vital addition: performing better in the finals. Now grief is washing over the Indian dressing room, but months down the line, these men will realise the kind of cricket they played, which was all sunshine and swagger. The Australians were deserving champions; the Indians, though, won hearts.