As the dust settles on the incredible win at Edgbaston, it is time to introspect. Look back and take stock as to how it happened. A deep dive into some of India’s best wins in key games over the last decade and a half throws up some rather interesting findings.
Each of these wins saw some fascinating out-of-the-box thinking from the captain and the management, something that was yet again on view in Edgbaston.
To start with, the World T20 of 2007. Few expected that MS Dhoni would turn to Joginder Sharma to bowl the final over against Pakistan. And while he conceded a six early in the over, he managed to do the job for his captain and country, and etched himself into the history books. It was a fascinating move that paid off.
In the 2011 World Cup final, he promoted himself in the batting order ahead of in-form Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina — much to everyone’s surprise – and took India home. A third memory, not so firmly etched in the public imagination, is of how Dhoni turned the tide in the 2013 Champions Trophy final against England in Birmingham. Defending a modest 129 off 20 overs in a rain-curtailed game, Dhoni counter-intuitively for many experts, turned to Ishant Sharma, who had been singled out for harsh treatment by the English batters. It was another Edgbaston classic. In another inspired tactical move, Dhoni got Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, his frontline spinners, to bowl overs 19 and 20. It worked, and gave Dhoni the only piece of ICC silverware missing from his and India’s collection.
More recently, in Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in December 2020, it was a brave decision to play Jadeja ahead of a batsman, and he stood up to the challenge and made it count. His all-round ability proved to be an asset, and his improved batting skills meant India did not miss a specialist.
In sport, the best challenge themselves every single day.
Shubman Gill, India’s captain, has done exactly that in this series. He has surpassed every expectation and in doing so has helped set up the series. Already with 500-plus runs under his belt, Gill is batting like a man possessed. His deputy, Rishabh Pant, too, has stepped up, and that’s yet another huge positive for India. Nine out of the 11 players delivered at Edgbaston and it shows how superstars aren’t really needed to win Test matches. As long as you have a team that believes in itself, you can win a game of Test cricket. That’s what India needs to continue doing at Lord’s in three days time.
For fans too there are lessons to be learnt. Abusing the players who have done sterling service for a decade and more is sick and wrong, and speaks volumes about the mindset of the cowards that do it. The Ravindra Jadeja issue is a case in point. He was unfairly targeted on day four and that’s something that needs to stop immediately.
Edgbaston is proof that Indian cricket has moved on to a new era. It has evolved and the baton has been passed on to Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant. As I said at the start, no trophies were ever won by a team that stood still.
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