Tough times for India cricket team

India was the overwhelming favourite to become the first nation to capture the World Twenty20 trophy on two occasions.

Now, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s squad is in tough as it seeks to keep its tournament hopes alive on home soil after a stunning 47-run loss to New Zealand in the opener in Nagpur.

It was a loss of epic proportions and things aren’t going to get any better as lying in wait for the demoralized Indians is arch-rival Pakistan, who will be on a high following its 55-run stroll over Bangladesh on Wednesday.

India finds itself in a do-or-die situation. Lose one of the next three matches and it’s all over and that would send a billion fans into mourning. But it’s the next match on Saturday in Kolkata that will grip the entire Asian sub-continent. The pressure on Dhoni’s team will be huge and losing will not be an option. Pakistan’s battle, on the other hand, isn’t confined to just inside the boundary ropes. It is also played out in diplomatic offices in New Delhi and Islamabad. The team had to clear a few hurdles to get to this global event even though it’s just a short hop across the border. Before the team set foot in India a Pakistani security team nixed Dharamsala as a safe venue for its players and the match was moved to Kolkata.

The team was then grounded for two days until it obtained security assurances from the Indian government. On Wednesday, the Indian deputy high commissioner was summoned for talks in Islamabad after India banned five Pakistani diplomats from travelling for this match. Skipper Shahid Afridi was also caught up in the middle of a furore back home for saying “Indian crowds love me more than crowds back home in Pakistan.” So it has been a hectic week for Pakistan’s squad. But that didn’t bother Afridi, the charismatic 36-year-old all-rounder, as he turned in a sparkling display with bat and ball to give his team a flying start on Wednesday.

Afridi smashed a 19-ball 49 in Pakistan’s 201 for five and then captured two for 27 as Bangladesh reached 146 for six. Pakistan’s fragile batting finally clicked with Mohammad Hafeez (64) and Ahmed Shehzad (52) putting on 95 runs in 11.2 overs before Afridi slammed four sixes in his knock. For Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan remained unbeaten on 50 and became only the second cricketer to score 1,000 runs and take 50 wickets in the T20I format. The first was none other than Afridi.

Dhoni realizes that India faces a task as high and imposing as the Himalayas in a tough Group 2 that includes Pakistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Australia. Group 1 consists of Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, England and Afghanistan. The top two in each group advances to the semifinals.

“I haven’t played any match where there is no pressure on us,” Dhoni said. “Hopefully, it will bring the best out of us as we have been in similar situations in the past.”

But that embarrassing loss to the Kiwis, dubbed “a night of humiliation” by the Hindustan Times, has sent shock waves around the country as Dhoni, considered a smart tactician in the shorter format of the game, was totally outwitted by Kane Williamson on this occasion. On a wicket that had cracks in it, Williamson decided to leave out his top pace bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee and instead load up on three spinners — Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and Nathan McCullum. Many believed this was a colossal mistake on Williamson’s part, but his spinners delivered. Rookie left-armer Santner grabbed four for 11, leg-break bowler Sodhi had three for 18 and McCullum took two for 15 as India slumped to 79 after restricting the Kiwis to a mere 126.

Meanwhile Afridi said he wasn’t concerned that Pakistan faces India at a venue where it has never won.

“I don’t want to talk about the past, I don’t live in the past. I think we should learn from our mistakes. We have done well against these guys and India have been playing good cricket, even with the last loss. We won this match and everyone is feeling good after this win,” he added.

GAYLE ON SONG

West Indies proved it is still a force to be reckoned with in the shortest format of the game as it blasted England by six wickets with 11 balls to spare in Mumbai on Wednesday, thanks to opener Chris Gayle. The burly Jamaican lived up to his reputation as one of the most destructive batsmen by pummeling 100 of just 48 balls as the islanders easily chased down England’s 182 for six. Gayle’s innings included 11 sixes and five fours as the Windies totalled 183. Earlier England also got superb knocks from Joe Root (48), Jos Buttler (30), Eoin Morgan (27 not out) and Alex Hales (28) but it wasn’t enough on a day when Gayle was in such a pulverizing mood.