Lost Opportunities!

By: K. Gautam

New Zealand, 112/5 after 15 overs after a good fight back by the Indians through Harbhajan Singh – a sense of déjà vu was floating in the air as soon as I saw Yuvraj Singh came into bowl the 16th over. Hasn’t it happened before in 50 over matches - with the opposition taking advantage of unimaginative Indian bowling. The dreaded feeling came true like a nightmare that keeps coming time and time again. The momentum was immediately shifted once 25 runs were plundered in the 16th over, with Jacob Oram and Craig McMillan taking the game further and further away from India. Despite a good last over by RP Singh, 191 was going to be too much to chase.

Though I am tempted to criticize Dhoni’s decision to give Yuvraj Singh the 16th song, I wouldn’t do that, as he is new and he wouldn’t learn, like we all do from our mistakes.
Let me try to analyze. Why would Dhoni give the ball to Yuvraj? Had he not been belted for 5 sixes in an over by Dimitri Mascarenhas not too long ago? Why! Why! Why! I kept asking myself. Yes, Yuvraj Singh had already bowled 2 overs in the match conceding just around 10 runs. Yes, the spinners were pinning the batsmen down with their slow pace. But with Irfan Pathan having two more overs (he ended up bowling only 2 overs) and Jacob Oram the left hander on strike hungry for runs, it turned out to be a bad decision. Of course, if Yuvraj had taken a wicket or two in the over, we would have praised Dhoni as a brave captain.

The chase was a dream one for India, with Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag belting the ball around. Like Sri Lanka yesterday, India really took advantage of the off color Shane Bond, who is not himself these days, lacking the accuracy and the pace he once had. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make the great start count with Sehwag getting out at the wrong time, when the NZ bowlers were at his mercy. Jitan Patel was dealt with severely by him, going for 20 runs in the 5th over. He ended up spooning a catch of a full toss which should have been dispatched to the boundary catch. If he had managed to stay till at least the 10th over, India’s job would have been easier. After Sehwag’s exit, Daniel Vettori bowled an excellent spell (4/20) removing the dangerous Uthappa and later on Gambhir. This totally turned the tide in New Zealand’s favor. Once Dhoni was run-out in the 14th over, the rest of the batsmen were unable to cope up with the required rate, in spite of Sreesanth’s valiant effort towards the end.

India’s next outing against England on Tuesday is crucial. They have to win that match to keep their chances alive in the tournament.