A Wake up Call

When India embarked on the New Zealand tour, everyone had tipped India to be the favourites to win both the T20, ODI and the Test series. Even the New Zealand coach had expressed his view that India are the favourites. But looking at the way in which Dhoni and his boys took played the first T20 international, it looks like India has got complacent. Let us not forget that New Zealand literally  gave Australia a run for their money in their own backyard. The Australian series was tied at 2-2 and the T20 match was a close one, but for the favours of the rain God, Australia wouldn't have won. So what did really go wrong for India in the first T20 match?

The main reason for the Indian team to taste success in this format is the game has been the attitude to keep wickets and go for thebig shots in the last 12 overs. Ideally, the first 8 overs should be played at 7-8 as the run rate, without losing any wicket. It then lays a very good platform for the batsmen coming in for the onslaught. This is the formula that was adopted in all the matches in the T20 world Cup. Even against Australia, India had scored only 5 an over after 8 overs. But with wickets in hand, it really does give an opportunity for the batsmen to follow. 

Where as in this match, Gautam Gambhir started with a flurry of shots. The first ball he faced, he walked down the pitch and wanted to hoist the ball. But he just couldn't succeed. He still hadn't calmed down after Sehwag slammed 3 successive sixes. Ideally Gambhir should have rotated the strike and given more to Sehwag. Agreed, Gambhir has been in excellent form. But this is a new game, totally new conditions. Just doesn't make sense to slog it out in the first over. 

Yuvraj Singh is known to have a weakness against slower bowlers. Before even settling, he played an awful shot to be trapped in front. Television replays might suggest that the ball pitched outside leg, but poor umpires, they don't have rulers to see, whether the ball pitched outside leg or not. ICC might come up with a crease marking wicket to wicket, which the umpires can use while adjudging LBWs.

At some point of time, India were awfully 73 for the loss of 5 wickets. No wicket was a genuinely earned wicket. Indians had thrown away their wickets going after some reckless batting. Looking at the pitch, which was a batting paradise, any batsman would have been enticed to go after the bowling, but when 2 wickets had fallen within the power play, Indians should have just played a couple of overs quitely. 

Rohit Sharma proved yet again that he is more of a hype than genuine hope. Despite some gutsy hitting by Raina, the score of 163 couldn't have been reached.

Chasing 163 on a wicket like this and a ground, which is as much the size of a municipal ground in Indian streets is always going to easy for any team. Ishant sharma was really unlucky, when the umpire didn't raise his finger for Guptill. It may not have been written in the law book to give out for padding balls pitched outside off stump, but umpires these days are very strict while adjudging LBWs for such cases. The ball Ishant bowled to Guptill was a beauty of a delivery, pitched outside off, swung in and hit him just outside off. Any other Umpire would have raised his hand but the NZ umpire, didn't. There is a long standing record of Kiwi umpires being partial to their home team. Sunil Gavaskar wouldn't disgree, for he had to appeal to the umpire to declare a batsman out, when he bowled. 

Another let down of the game was Irfan Pathan. Normally, India always missed the 5th bowler. But in this game, even the 4th bowler was missed. Irfan either sprayed the ball to legs of the batsmen or gave width on the offside. He didn't even match the shadow of what he was 3 years ago. His strength has been his banana loop inswinger coming into the batsmen. But the kookaboora ball never swung. It is high time, he goes back to nets to get his zip back, or India would still suffer for keeping him in the side.

Nevertheless, there are more games to the tour and India has another opportunity to maintain the reputation of the World Champs in T20 cricket. It is a wake up call.