The Indians lock horns with England for the second time in the limited over series, which should have legitimately been the third one. With Rain Gods claiming the first match and the Indian hunting down the hosts in the second, the last two matches of the series are up for grabs. If the Indians manage to take this one too, they won’t be smiling, but will atleast be sighing relief.
The Indians went into the series in the ebbs of their tide. Test series lost, three matches forgone in a row, and a bruised and battered in a row, the beginning wasn’t easy. The second match was their ultimate revenge, blowing the hosts off with a massive 133-run win. The top order continues to be a problem area, with Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli continuing their sloppy, sad form. The one spark of hope, however, was Rohit Sharma, who played a patient innings, scoring a half century and giving the team a perfect cushion to set stage for the massive total. The bad news however, for the Indian camp, would be the fact that he is injured and will be out of action. Big blow. The other positive for the Indians is the emergence of Suresh Raina, who took off and slammed that century which would have put the Indians slightly more at ease. Dhoni, like always, has been the backbone that the Indians needed.
The bowling department did fairly well too, given the kind of comfort score that the batsmen were able to provide. The standouts, clearly, were Jadeja and Ashwin, whose performance will be critical today. Mohit Sharma was a big let down, and the Indian dressing room would be hoping to see some mean ones from him today.
If we look at the English camp, Chris Woakes, who claimed three of the visitors scalps was particularly sharp. The hosts need him to continue the momentum if they hope to clinch this one. Other than Tredwell, no other bowler was able to contain the Indian scoring. That, for them, is a cause for concern. Buoyed by a great score in the second match, the Indian would be in great nick and England would need their bowlers to perform. Their batting department just crumbled like a coconut cookie, under the pressure of the target and the Indian bowling, which wasn’t extremely lethal, to be honest. They need to buck up to ensure that this isn’t unfinished business.
Overall, there’s a lot at stake today. Whoever takes this, can be pretty proud.
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