CHENNAI, India, (Reuters) – As if suffering from a mystery ailment, India have developed an inexplicable tendency to collapse in a heap and they need to recover fast and beat West Indies in Sunday’s Group B match to secure their place in the World Cup last eight.
India will be through to the knockout stage irrespective of the outcome of the match if South Africa beat Bangladesh on Saturday but the World Cup co-hosts badly need to win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to banish some of the self-doubts creeping into their minds.
The first step could be to guard against losing quick wickets that undid several of their strong foundations in the tournament so far.
Against England, India were cruising merrily at 305-3 and few imagined they would collapse for 338 in that tied match.
Even against teams of limited bowling resource like Ireland and the Netherlands, India lost the entire top order by the time they reached the 100-mark and Saturday’s defeat by South Africa further exposed the vulnerability.
At 267-1 after 39 overs, India threatened to bat their opponents out of the contest before somehow managing to lose nine wickets in as many overs to fold for 296 with two balls to spare.
This is a particularly disturbing trend for a team considered title favourites.
BATTING COLLAPSE
Even when Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are on song, a batting collapse seems always lurking round the corner, an uneasy thought for any captain.
Another fallout is that the opponent’s bowlers, even when bleeding boundaries, take heart from the fact that they may not be far away from triggering a batting collapse India are increasingly known for.
As a captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has not shown the tactical flexibility required to win tournaments like this either.
His steadfast belief in leg-spinner Piyush Chawla’s superiority over leg-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin borders on obduracy.
In fact, the Indian cricket board had to come out with a denial today, dismissing reports that claimed Dhoni exchanged “harsh” words with chief selector Krishnamachari Shrikkanth after being told to rejig the squad.
West Indies, meanwhile, grapple with their own set of problems.
Darren Sammy and his men have easily beaten the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Ireland but have been found wanting against top-flight teams like South Africa and England.
Against quality attacks, their batting looked one-dimensional.
Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Kieron Pollard all can tear apart any attack but what West Indies now want is someone who can bat deep to anchor their innings, be it setting a target or chasing one.
“We were in a great position but what it needed at the end was someone to see us home and that didn’t happen,” coach Ottis Gibson rued after Thursday’s defeat by England.
He is optimistic that West Indies would not have the same problem against India.
“We haven’t beaten a top team in some 20 months. We would like to do that.
“We had another opportunity (against England), we didn’t take it but we are getting closer.”
