New hopes, new horizons

The celebrations have ended; the aftertaste of victory lingers on. 

If the winning margins were emphatic, the effort of Team India was extraordinary. Batsmen read the match situations to perfection. They batted like cautious stock brokers when the chips were down. Batting powerplay and death overs saw them bat like gamblers at the table — going for broke. Bowlers, especially seamers, may have strayed occasionally but as a unit they carried out the demolition job with great relish. Fielding had altogether a different grammar to it; the team gave the impression of being refitted with the latest V8 engine. It looked more aerodynamic and had a lot more vroom.

Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to survey the new grounds gained. India have discovered two new fast bowlers — Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron — an aspect of the game where its cupboard was almost bare. The duo may look a tad raw but they are bound to grow wings under a shrewd captain like MS Dhoni.

The skipper’s prayers seem to have been answered. He had been looking for a bowling allrounder for a while and Ravindra Jadeja seems to be that elusive piece of the puzzle. He bowled like a dream in Kolkata, tormenting English batsmen and finishing with a delicious figure of 4 for 33 in 8 overs. The classic dismissal of a technically accomplished batsman like Jonathan Trott, whom he beat with his flight and turn, reflects an astute mind that goes to work to outfox a batsman. With three seamers, one specialist spinner and a bowling allrounder, the bowling department will surely acquire more balance and bite.

If Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli reaffirmed their credentials to shoulder the stresses of the middle order, Ajinkya Rahane proved he had the mettle to flourish at the highest level. To carve out a fantastic 5-0 win against England, without the services of Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj and Zaheer, goes to show this team has the essential ingredients to go into the 2015 World Cup as a worthy defending champion.

Of the riches regained, perhaps, the most heart warming sight of the series was the return of Dhoni’s form. Reduced to a mere shadow of himself in the last England tour, he came roaring back in a fashion only a champion does. When the ODI series was done and dusted, he remained unconquered both as a captain and batsman (212 runs in 4 innings).

I still skip a beat or two while watching Dhoni the keeper but under his captaincy the team will hopefully continue to find greater summits and ways to conquer them. Next mission: Win a Test series in Australia. Will the Fletcher-Dhoni duo finally plot the Aussie downfall Down Under? Well, I’ll wait and watch and secretly hope they do. So will India.