Mirpur: For the second time in less than a year, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Indian team is making up for the sins of its administrators with a flawless display at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.
Ignoring the upheaval back home, India cruised into the semi-finals for the first time since triumphing in the 2007 inaugural event with three emphatic wins in group two of the Super-10s.
The players seemed unaffected by the Supreme Court’s Friday decision to replace the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s controversial chief N. Srinivasan.
When the scandal broke last June, Dhoni’s Indian team went to England and won the eight-nation Champions Trophy one-day tournament, adding to the World Cup title it won in 2011.
Having registered comprehensive wins against Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh in three successive matches to qualify for the semifinals at the World T20, the confidence of the team is at an all-time high as they face George Bailey’s Australia on Sunday.
The charismatic Dhoni said the team owed its success to a “good dressing-room atmosphere and having belief in yourself and enjoying each other’s success.”
“A lot of things happen around cricket but you have to be focused when you are representing your country,” he said. “That is one thing that this team has done really well.
“And of course it is about accepting and enjoying the challenges, trying to prove that you are one of the best when it comes to international cricket.”
Under-rated leg-spinner Amit Mishra has fashioned the three wins with seven wickets so far, bagging the man of the match awards against Pakistan and the West Indies.
Virat Kohli has yet to be dismissed in the tournament, scoring 147 runs with two half-centuries. Opener Rohit Sharma has made 142 runs, also with two 50s.
With Australia and Bangladesh virtually out of the race, Pakistan and the West Indies are likely to fight for the second semi-final spot from the group on Tuesday.
Pak eye SF spot
Pakistan will return to action after a week’s break charged up to make a move for the semi-finals by winning their two remaining games.
Mohammad Hafeez’s men must defeat hosts Bangladesh and the defending champions West Indies on Tuesday to join India in the semi-finals from the group.
“There is no scope to make mistakes.We are eager to get back on field,” said Hafeez. — Agencies
