Winning, yet wanting: India beat Netherlands to maintain all-win record but batting fluency remains elusive

There was literally one box left to be ticked when India took on Netherlands in their final opening-round match. With nothing on the line and the toss won, it was a perfect time for Abhishek Sharma to spend some time in the middle and get himself back among the runs. That wish lasted three balls as an airy swipe across the line ensured he stayed on zero runs from three outings in this tournament.

The team will not worry because Abhishek came into the World Cup on the back of a run of form that was too good to be true. Not only was he striking at a rate of 200, Abhishek was scoring virtually every time he went out to bat. In that sense, it was only statistically normal that he endure a patch where the runs would not come, no matter what he tried. Even then, three ducks is a pretty extreme event

This will leave Abhishek anxious. No matter how much he knows that the team back him, and that he is not going to be dropped, he will want the familiar feel of ball on bat and then ball disappearing into the stands.


Abhishek’s lack of runs has certainly affected the overall performance of the batting unit. While there is so much depth that one person scoring does not make a difference between winning and losing — at least this far — there has been a sense that something was missing.

India were not quite fluent, in the sense of all the pieces coming together as one unit. Against USA, in the first game of the campaign, there was enough in the pitch to ensure that India had to recalibrate. But, Suryakumar Yadav bailed the team out with a masterclass in adapting to the conditions and playing the ball late.

That, however, was understandable. India had played on some very true pitches in the two series leading in to the World Cup and the sudden change of surface was bound to produce a misstep.

Then, against Namibia, the doubts still lingered. But, this was put down to the lack of pace in the opposition bowling. Against Pakistan, the runs were on the board — after being put in to bat — but here again something was off. Ishan Kishan played out of his skin, scoring at a clip that nobody else from either team could replicate.

Kishan’s innings came in the middle of Tilak Varma struggling to time the ball fluently and even Surya being unable to come to terms with the Premadasa Stadium and perhaps the newness of the bowling action of Usman Tariq. A mixture of off breaks, leg breaks and googlies, all delivered with that stop-start action, meant that batsmen could not quite line up the bowler and be ready to take full toll when the opportunity presented itself.

In their final match, against the Netherlands, it again took one unusual knock to make the difference between a middling score and a good one. Shivam Dube’s long levers came to the rescue and his belligerent knock at the end of the innings ensured that India reached yet another score that their bowling would not have difficulty defending.

At the end of the first round, the points table will show India dominating. This is a reflection of just how strong this team is and why it is rated so highly. India are favourites in this tournament because even when they are not at their batting best they have enough firepower to come out on top.

In that sense, India will not mind how their tournament has gone so far. With the right results in the bag, they have been stretched and each time they have found a different person good enough to raise the game and get them across the line.

In the Super 8s, though, there’s less room for this. A misstep could be punished far more severely and there will be the added pressure at the back of the mind that they need to win each game. And, along the way, they will hope their batting unit finds fluency and gets on song.

The day that happens, Surya will rest a touch easier, because it will take some pressure off the bowling unit. A time will certainly come when the bowlers have an off day, or when one batsman in the opposition runs away with the game. And, then, if India’s batting is not firing on all cylinders, the result could be a different one altogether.