IndVsBan failed to live up to standards, but Rohit Sharma did

For a quarter-final match, it may not have met the expected standards but there was good competition between the two teams. The end result does show the stark difference between the sides, but then India were hardly in doubt of getting past Bangladesh. The comfortable win over Bangladesh has confirmed India as the best equipped team in this tournament so far.

On the majestic Melbourne Cricket Ground, the cricketers are never short on motivation. We all saw how Rohit Sharma took his game a few notches above and delivered a superb century. The Indians had their plans in place. The instructions, obviously, were to treat the situation on merit. There was a composed approach by the openers and then the thrust came from Suresh Raina, a batsman who has made rapid strides in this World Cup. His presence in the middle order boosts India’s batting capabilities and it helps Mahendra Singh Dhoni to have a Raina around when the need is to push the scoring rate.

Good start from openers

India gained from a good start. I will rate it good because Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit realised the significance of the match and brought in discipline to their batting. The situation demanded they play the ball on merit because Bangladesh had bowlers who knew their task well. It may not have been a fascinating tussle but there were moments when the Indian supporters must have felt the pressure and tension that the team was experiencing in the middle.

The pressure of a knockout stage applies to the best of the teams. At the back of their mind the Indians must have remembered the 2007 World Cup when Bangladesh stunned the Rahul Dravid-led team.

The stage here was different. A determined India was stretched on a couple of occasions in the league stage. The match against Zimbabwe was a good wake-up call. But when they took the field on Thursday, it was evident that India was not going to take it lightly. The target was clearly 300-plus because it allows the bowlers do their job with confidence. I know Bangladesh is a competitive side but India proved to be a much stronger combination.

The innings by Rohit was in keeping with his reputation to strike the ball hard and clean. There is no doubt about his talent, and his timing of shots and overall temperament to play the big innings.

All he had to be careful was shot selection, and I must say he did extremely well. Rohit stayed calm right through the innings. I liked this innings most because he was willing to wait for the right ball to strike. It showed that he has matured as a batsman, and is a source of strength to his captain. He has emerged vital to India’s campaign.

Raina has improved with every match. True, Rohit laid the platform but Raina gave the innings the direction it needed. He walked in with little time left to take charge and immediately got into his run-scoring rhythm. This was the Raina that the team needed and he delivered in style. His wide range of shots gives him the freedom to set the pace of the innings and it was a very crucial performance by Raina. I have lot of time for him as a cricketer who loves to be involved in the thick of action.

It was a tough game for Ajinkya Rahane. He appeared tense and seemed in a hurry to get going. He was not able to pick the gaps but I know he can come good in a big match. I also liked the cameo by Ravindra Jadeja. I had some concern about his batting but he showed he was getting into his stride. These runs are surely going to give him the assurance that his batting will be crucial in the lower half when India meet a stronger opponent in the semi-finals.

Inexperience

Bangladesh may have lost but they gave a decent account of their cricket in this World Cup. They made it tough for India until the 25th over. At that stage, I was looking at India getting to 275 or so but inexperience cost Bangladesh. They allowed India to recover and then lost the race after the initial setbacks. The run out of Imrul Kayes showed how nerves can affect your game.

I respect Bangladesh for trying to make a fight of it. Cricket is followed so passionately in Bangladesh and I have seen some excellent talent emerging from this lot. I will back Bangladesh to make strides in the next couple of years because they have the nucleus to form a good international team. The sight of an animated (skipper) Mashrafe Mortaza must have surprised some but I can understand his anguish. Physically, he was not at his best and yet tried to give 100 per cent. Bangladesh tried their best but it was not good enough on a day when India was at their best.