Guyana: Despite two long rain interruptions totalting two hours and 47 minutes, a lost crucial toss, the continued Virat Kohli nightmare, and a see-saw struggle for runs amid falling wickets, India constructed a commendable, heart-in-the-mouth but gritty innings to surge to 171-7, setting a defendable total for their bowlers in their semifinal match against England.
The highlight of the innings was the emergence of a different side of Hitman Rohit – more sound than aggressive, more cautious than adventurous. He focused on rotation and negating chances, prioritizing precision over pyrotechnics to keep India alive in the competition.
Sharma’s 50 came in the 13th over, taking 36 deliveries with six 4s and two sixes. However, just when the half-empty stadium had started breathing easier, heartbreak came unannounced when, in a momentary lapse of caution, he was bowled by Rashid as he tried to cross-bat sweep a googly that needed urgent inspection.
This brought an end to the 73-run partnership when India was 113 and had just started gaining momentum by the 14th over, making a 19-run kill off Sam Curran. The skipper made a well-earned 57 in 39 balls but took a dejected walk back.
Urgently required cameos by Pandya raised hopes for a defendable total, with the score surging from 115-3 to 146-6 to 170-7. In 15 overs, India managed 115 for 3, putting heavy-duty responsibility on the death overs and Hardik Pandya to catch up on the scoreboard. However, Surya Kumar Yadav tried to take charge, only to be nabbed at the long-on boundary for 47 in 36 deliveries when he tried to clear the boundary but just looped up into the hands of a waiting Jordan off a slower one from Archer.
Pandya fuelled the proceedings with two cheeky sixes in his quickfire 24 but fell short and into the hands of Jordan at long-on in the 18th over. Dube went meekly in the next at a duck, bringing Jordan on a hat-trick ball. India was suddenly 147-6 at the end of the 18th over, demanding a big ask from Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja on a pitch that was keeping low and slow.
But for the 19-run over given away by Curran, India was kept overly quiet, measuring its chances and counting its pennies, giving respect to the English bowling line-up that seldom strayed.
England struck first blood early in the powerplay when Reece Topley flattened Kohli’s leg stump as he swung his bat in a failed bid at aggression, walking yet again to a single-digit 9 in 9 balls as his nightmare run continued unabated.
After 5 overs and the end of the powerplay, India was 46-2. As the black clouds gathered over the stadium, Rishabh Pant hit Curran straight into the hands of Jonny Bairstow at mid-wicket, walking at 4 in six balls and making the task more difficult for his skipper. A tame and unappealing presence in the middle when India needed him most.
As the skipper and Surya Kumar Yadav worked hard at steadying the Indian innings, the game had to go into a rain break with 66 on board for India at the loss of two wickets, including Pant’s tame ouster at 4 runs, more cheaply than Kohli’s nine. A quiet and cautious start by the skipper with just a six-run one boundary edged safely to third man in the opening over by Reece Topley. The ball kept low, not allowing the Hitman to be in full play though a cheeky four, heartstoppingly close to the man at backward point.
From here on, it is for the Bumrahs and the Kuldeeps to pave the path to Barbados and the Final on a total that is above par on this surface and under the conditions.
