Another day. Another India-Sri Lanka ODI. "How do they manage to play all these games and I still manage to get so excited with all of it?", that's the question I was asking today morning before the game started. India were on a very slippery slope. They were 1-0 down in a best of three match series. One tiny misstep and the series is gone. Just like that. India don't lose ODI series to Sri Lanka. At least not at home anyway. A lot was at stake.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand were flying. Not too much time had passed since India annihilated them 9-0 across formats in their own home and all they could feel at the end of the series was: "Thank God. That's over". This time around, Sri Lanka were playing better. They almost had India make the all time lowest ODI total at Dharamshala. They had avoided the white-wash in test series. They had one hand on the ODI series trophy already. From being 9-0 down, this was almost a surprise. Even for them. This is the stuff dreams usually are made of. Every Sri Lankan fan was happy. Coach was happy. Nick Pothas (Sri Lankan coach) even termed the Dharamshala win as: "We have found a winning formula." Players were high on confidence. Perera was enjoying the job of captain.
As as Indian cricket fan, Dharamshala was shameful. It was the worst batting from top order I had ever seen from any Indian team. If I had my way, I would have fired those XI guys or banned them for a year or so. I was boiling with anger. "How dare they? We don't reach 29-7. FFS, Use the brain to bat and all that". Everything coming out of my mouth was either a swear word or a disparaging remark about the performance of Indian team. It was dreadful to watch. They batted like a bunch of clown that day.
But as most of you must be aware of, the anger of a cricket fan is always ephemeral (At least most of the times). I was excited again to watch Men in blue take on the field today. The onus was on Rohit and co. to keep the series alive. Sri Lanka had finally managed to break their 12 game losing streak. No whitewash at least this time.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first as part of the plan. The winning formula as described by Nick Pothas. It was a good start to the game for them.
Sadly, the good part ended there.
Sri Lanka were caught in the jaws of the ultimate monster Rohit Sharma. Let me tell you whole tale from beginning.
It started with Dhawan-Rohit bromance. One of the best ODI partnerships in modern times. The masterstroke of putting Rohit-Dhawan together at 2013 champions trophy has been ridiculously successful. All they do is pile up hundred after hundred partnerships at the top and help India win games of cricket. Both Dhawan and Rohit complement each other so well. Dhawan gives Rohit breathing space in the infancy of the innings. One of the reasons Rohit has really clicked as an opening batsman can be attributed to the fact that Dhawan gets going quickly. Since Rohit tends to take his time, Dhawan breaks the shackles at start and Rohit joins the party later. He doesn't need field restriction or any such bullshit. When he hits the ball, it stays hit. The ball goes into the crowd or in the car parking area or wherever he wants it to. Dhawan on the other hand is a sweet timer of the ball and he has often lost his wicket in pursuit of quick runs in beginning.
Start was crucial. Rohit started cautiously. His first fifty came off 65 balls. The blade was being sharpened. Dhawan had got out after a well-made 68 off 67.
Partnership with Iyer: The plan of the duo was to tuck it around. Nudge for single or double. Keep the game moving forward. Shreyas was in good nick as well. He was desperate to get the monkey of horror debut off his back. He failed miserably in his first ODI at Dharamshala and he was determined to more than make up for that here at Mohali. He played a fine innings of well made 88 off 70 balls. For someone only playing his second ODI, I'd take that everyday of the week.
Rohit finally got to his hundred. The celebration was a bit muted. Game was still on. Sri Lanka were still in the game by virtue of keeping the run rate in check. Sadly this will be the last time, they will actually feel like being in the game. For Rohit Sharma, hundred meant his second wedding anniversary had just got a little sweeter. The missus was there in the balcony. Both were sending kisses to each other. It was dream stuff for Rohit. Everything was going as part of his plan now.
Now it was time for monster to wake up. We all know how dangerous Rohit Sharma is when he completes the hundred after 30th over. Sri Lanka had till now managed to keep their head out of the water. Runs were coming, but the scoring rate was nowhere close to being in unchaseable zone. "No worries yet", thought Thisara Perera.
Thisara perera is an interesting captain. I felt extremely sad for Angelo Mathews who had to quit captaincy because of the twin failures: First Thisara Perera drops a sitter which eliminates Sri Lanka from CT'17 and then Zimbabwe beating Sri Lanka at home in an ODI series. Imagine Perera holding onto the catch, Sri Lanka reaches the semis of an ICC tournament and suddenly Angelo wouldn't have felt pressure to resign from the best job he ever had.
Perera had a dream debut as captain at Dharamshala. Everything he was touching was turning to Gold. Win the toss: Check. Bowl first: Check. (Manage to put India to 29-7: Dream comes true) Skittle India out cheaply: Check. Win the game with oodle of overs to spare: Check.
It all came together there.
Not so much at Mohali.
Rohit Sharma was the mastermind behind it.
From first 100 to second 100, he reached at a ridiculous rate. Everything he was hitting was going for a six. Their best bowler Lakmal was torn apart by Hitman. When Lakmal was hit for 4 sixes an over, it was almost a relief for him. Nuwan Pradeep fought and fought hard. He was eyeing for that wide line Yorker. Rohit decimated him. He ended up with figures of 10-0-106-0. The highest conceded by a Sri Lankan bowler in an ODI (beating Murlitharan 10-0-99-0 in Sydney). Rohit was hitting sixes in every part of the ground. He was shuffling across the stumps and hitting it over square-leg. When the line was straighter, he was scooping them over fine-leg for six. When the fine-leg was pushed back, he was lifting them over mid-off for six. He was not playing against Sri Lanka, he was playing with them. Not even playing, rather toying with them.
In many ways, the second double hundred was inevitable. Not to boast my omniscient cricketing brain, but I had a feeling of this when he reached 120. He was hitting it as clean as whistle. The pitch had eased out and Sri Lanka doesn't have express pace. The only thing in the way was the fact that the square boundaries are huge at Mohali. But the insanity of the innings was that each one of the sixes was aimed at spectators' heads. It was as if he had a personal grudge against someone in the crowd and he was trying to hit him constantly. It was a marvelous innings to watch.
Now Rohit is having the best day of his life, while Pradeep and Lakmal are having their respective worsts. Last game at Dharamshala, Rohit was having the worst game as captain and Lakmal was having his finest. Cricket, You little beauty.
Finally, he reached from 197 to 201 with two doubles. The missus was crying now, while the whole India was applauding the Hitman show. Hardly you will see any other sport with so many emotions attached there. I can't speak from first hand experience, but I can certainly understand what she must have been going through. It is like feeling helpless as all you can do is pray. You can't change the outcome of what is going to happen next ball, whether your spouse is going to play a rubbish shot and get out, whether he will hit for a six, whether he will get hurt from a delivery. All you can do is hold your hands together and watch things unravel. That must be hard. Being so helpless. It is almost playing the innings vicariously.
This was his third double ton in ODI. It is mental to even think that all other players (around 2,300 other ones) have managed just 4 double centuries, while he sits alone at the top with 3. If everything goes as per plan, in not very far distant future, he may get another double ton. All he has got to do is to ensure that he reaches his hundred around 30 over mark and beat the hell out of the ball from then onward.
Watching this innings was a moment of utmost joy for me. This was a must win game for India and once again they managed to come back from the brink. They had managed to come back from 1-0 behind to win the series against New Zealand as well. I have a feeling that they are going to pull it off in Vizag as well. Can't wait to see that.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand were flying. Not too much time had passed since India annihilated them 9-0 across formats in their own home and all they could feel at the end of the series was: "Thank God. That's over". This time around, Sri Lanka were playing better. They almost had India make the all time lowest ODI total at Dharamshala. They had avoided the white-wash in test series. They had one hand on the ODI series trophy already. From being 9-0 down, this was almost a surprise. Even for them. This is the stuff dreams usually are made of. Every Sri Lankan fan was happy. Coach was happy. Nick Pothas (Sri Lankan coach) even termed the Dharamshala win as: "We have found a winning formula." Players were high on confidence. Perera was enjoying the job of captain.
As as Indian cricket fan, Dharamshala was shameful. It was the worst batting from top order I had ever seen from any Indian team. If I had my way, I would have fired those XI guys or banned them for a year or so. I was boiling with anger. "How dare they? We don't reach 29-7. FFS, Use the brain to bat and all that". Everything coming out of my mouth was either a swear word or a disparaging remark about the performance of Indian team. It was dreadful to watch. They batted like a bunch of clown that day.
But as most of you must be aware of, the anger of a cricket fan is always ephemeral (At least most of the times). I was excited again to watch Men in blue take on the field today. The onus was on Rohit and co. to keep the series alive. Sri Lanka had finally managed to break their 12 game losing streak. No whitewash at least this time.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first as part of the plan. The winning formula as described by Nick Pothas. It was a good start to the game for them.
Sadly, the good part ended there.
Sri Lanka were caught in the jaws of the ultimate monster Rohit Sharma. Let me tell you whole tale from beginning.
It started with Dhawan-Rohit bromance. One of the best ODI partnerships in modern times. The masterstroke of putting Rohit-Dhawan together at 2013 champions trophy has been ridiculously successful. All they do is pile up hundred after hundred partnerships at the top and help India win games of cricket. Both Dhawan and Rohit complement each other so well. Dhawan gives Rohit breathing space in the infancy of the innings. One of the reasons Rohit has really clicked as an opening batsman can be attributed to the fact that Dhawan gets going quickly. Since Rohit tends to take his time, Dhawan breaks the shackles at start and Rohit joins the party later. He doesn't need field restriction or any such bullshit. When he hits the ball, it stays hit. The ball goes into the crowd or in the car parking area or wherever he wants it to. Dhawan on the other hand is a sweet timer of the ball and he has often lost his wicket in pursuit of quick runs in beginning.
Start was crucial. Rohit started cautiously. His first fifty came off 65 balls. The blade was being sharpened. Dhawan had got out after a well-made 68 off 67.
Partnership with Iyer: The plan of the duo was to tuck it around. Nudge for single or double. Keep the game moving forward. Shreyas was in good nick as well. He was desperate to get the monkey of horror debut off his back. He failed miserably in his first ODI at Dharamshala and he was determined to more than make up for that here at Mohali. He played a fine innings of well made 88 off 70 balls. For someone only playing his second ODI, I'd take that everyday of the week.
Rohit finally got to his hundred. The celebration was a bit muted. Game was still on. Sri Lanka were still in the game by virtue of keeping the run rate in check. Sadly this will be the last time, they will actually feel like being in the game. For Rohit Sharma, hundred meant his second wedding anniversary had just got a little sweeter. The missus was there in the balcony. Both were sending kisses to each other. It was dream stuff for Rohit. Everything was going as part of his plan now.
Now it was time for monster to wake up. We all know how dangerous Rohit Sharma is when he completes the hundred after 30th over. Sri Lanka had till now managed to keep their head out of the water. Runs were coming, but the scoring rate was nowhere close to being in unchaseable zone. "No worries yet", thought Thisara Perera.
Thisara perera is an interesting captain. I felt extremely sad for Angelo Mathews who had to quit captaincy because of the twin failures: First Thisara Perera drops a sitter which eliminates Sri Lanka from CT'17 and then Zimbabwe beating Sri Lanka at home in an ODI series. Imagine Perera holding onto the catch, Sri Lanka reaches the semis of an ICC tournament and suddenly Angelo wouldn't have felt pressure to resign from the best job he ever had.
Perera had a dream debut as captain at Dharamshala. Everything he was touching was turning to Gold. Win the toss: Check. Bowl first: Check. (Manage to put India to 29-7: Dream comes true) Skittle India out cheaply: Check. Win the game with oodle of overs to spare: Check.
It all came together there.
Not so much at Mohali.
Rohit Sharma was the mastermind behind it.
From first 100 to second 100, he reached at a ridiculous rate. Everything he was hitting was going for a six. Their best bowler Lakmal was torn apart by Hitman. When Lakmal was hit for 4 sixes an over, it was almost a relief for him. Nuwan Pradeep fought and fought hard. He was eyeing for that wide line Yorker. Rohit decimated him. He ended up with figures of 10-0-106-0. The highest conceded by a Sri Lankan bowler in an ODI (beating Murlitharan 10-0-99-0 in Sydney). Rohit was hitting sixes in every part of the ground. He was shuffling across the stumps and hitting it over square-leg. When the line was straighter, he was scooping them over fine-leg for six. When the fine-leg was pushed back, he was lifting them over mid-off for six. He was not playing against Sri Lanka, he was playing with them. Not even playing, rather toying with them.
In many ways, the second double hundred was inevitable. Not to boast my omniscient cricketing brain, but I had a feeling of this when he reached 120. He was hitting it as clean as whistle. The pitch had eased out and Sri Lanka doesn't have express pace. The only thing in the way was the fact that the square boundaries are huge at Mohali. But the insanity of the innings was that each one of the sixes was aimed at spectators' heads. It was as if he had a personal grudge against someone in the crowd and he was trying to hit him constantly. It was a marvelous innings to watch.
Now Rohit is having the best day of his life, while Pradeep and Lakmal are having their respective worsts. Last game at Dharamshala, Rohit was having the worst game as captain and Lakmal was having his finest. Cricket, You little beauty.
Finally, he reached from 197 to 201 with two doubles. The missus was crying now, while the whole India was applauding the Hitman show. Hardly you will see any other sport with so many emotions attached there. I can't speak from first hand experience, but I can certainly understand what she must have been going through. It is like feeling helpless as all you can do is pray. You can't change the outcome of what is going to happen next ball, whether your spouse is going to play a rubbish shot and get out, whether he will hit for a six, whether he will get hurt from a delivery. All you can do is hold your hands together and watch things unravel. That must be hard. Being so helpless. It is almost playing the innings vicariously.
This was his third double ton in ODI. It is mental to even think that all other players (around 2,300 other ones) have managed just 4 double centuries, while he sits alone at the top with 3. If everything goes as per plan, in not very far distant future, he may get another double ton. All he has got to do is to ensure that he reaches his hundred around 30 over mark and beat the hell out of the ball from then onward.
Watching this innings was a moment of utmost joy for me. This was a must win game for India and once again they managed to come back from the brink. They had managed to come back from 1-0 behind to win the series against New Zealand as well. I have a feeling that they are going to pull it off in Vizag as well. Can't wait to see that.
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