Four years ago it was expected. On home soil, and in what was almost certain to be Sachin Tendulkar’s last stab at adding a World Cup to his resumé, anything short of of an India triumph would have been deemed a failure. A nation demanded victory; they were not to be denied. The taste of success as MS Dhoni launched the winning six into a delirious Mumbai crowd was sweeter than anything sold by a Halwai (sweet-seller).
The prospect of those scenes being repeated in Melbourne in 2015 were, in the lead-up to the tournament, considered slim by even the most profound optimistsem dash—a viewpoint that would only have been amplified by their disastrous tri-series against Australia and England in January.
But as the group stages drew to a close on Sunday, Dhoni’s men had not just achieved a perfect record in Pool B, but they had done so rather effortlessly. After dispatching Pakistan by 76 runs in their opening fixture, they dished out a 130-run hammering to highly-fancied South Africa inside the cauldron of the MCG, which for one day had switched its allegiance to India. Crushing wins over United Arab Emirates, West Indies and Ireland followed, and an expert partnership between Dhoni and Suresh Raina ensured they cruised in pursuit of 288 despite Zimbabwe poaching four early wickets.
Hope has returned, belief has been revived. Unshackled from the burden of a struggling Test side, the white-ball playground has afforded Dhoni the opportunity to escape from the unforgiving pressure cooker that is the Indian media. His team are now just three games away from retaining their World Cup title, and the manner in which they have made the knockout stages paints them as serious contenders, rather than also-rans. India have a habit of performing at ICC events. In the past four years they have won a World Cup, a Champions Trophy, and reached the final of a World Twenty20. Their one blemish came with a first-round exit at the 2012 edition of the last-mentioned, but their win in 2007 ensured Dhoni would later become the first captain to have a full cabinet of ICC trophies. Winning runs richly through his veins.
Much has changed from the squad that brought India their 2011 glory. Only three from the side who played in that World Cup final remain today—Dhoni, Raina and Virat Kohli. A new era has been ushered in, a transition that was completed when Tendulkar called time in 2013. During this period Kohli has grown from a pup into a fully-fledged Alsatian. The likes of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are popular, but neither have created the fervour Kohli has. While SRT oozed calm and grace, India’s new poster boy adopts a more confrontational style. He hasn’t always got it right. His foul-mouthed spat with a journalist earlier in the tournament courted controversy, and a mature approach will be needed if he seeks to be his country’s long-term leader. But as always, with smoke comes fire. Kohli’s love affair with the Adelaide Oval has shown his excellence in recent months. Twin-centuries on Test captaincy debut in December, and his 107 against arch-rivals Pakistan at this World Cup, signal a man who thrives in big occasions as much as he does South Australia. He is the prime candidate to deal with the rigours of knockout cricket. His impact in the remainder of this competition may determine whether India retain their title or not.
India’s batsmen have historically been revered but their fast bowlers are the ones who have attracted the attention of cricket connoisseurs over the past month. Mohammed Shami’s haul of fifteen wickets from five games is closely matched by Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav, who have ten apiece. Pace bowlers have been responsible for 60 percent of the wickets India have taken, and they have bowled the opposition out in all six games. Wicket-taking remains continues to be the most effective way to stifle run rates, and India’s quicks look as assured in this department as any team left in the tournament.
Topping the group presents India with a somewhat less threatening quarter-final bout in Bangladesh than if they had placed otherwise. Their Asian neighbours have only beaten them three times in ODIs, although one of Bangladesh’s scalps came humiliatingly at the 2007 World Cup. While India will have to be on their guard, they are superior to their opponents in all areas and the big match situation could well get the better of the Tigers—they will be playing the biggest match in their relatively short international history.
From there a much tougher challenge could await in the semis against either hosts Australia or a resurgent Pakistan. The former would likely begin that encounter as favourites, while Pakistan’s 0-6 record against India in World Cups speaks volumes for that potential match-up. But it would be foolhardy to predict the outcome of matches which don’t yet exist. However, few know how to cross winning lines like a team led by Dhoni. This one-day juggernaut are as mentally secure as any. The chances of underperforming when it matters are minimal.
The reversal of form has not quite mirrored that of the cricketers in the Bollywood epic Lagaan, but their transformation in a mere six-week period has been astonishing—they were even losing to England in January. The hype has surrounded the Oceanic hosts, but cricket’s Asian powerhouse may just saunter off with a third world crown.
