On a bowlers’ day at the Rose Bowl it was Rohit Sharma who stood out as a batsman who had the grit to grind his way past the difficulties and make a fighting century that settled the issue. Even then, it was Jasprit Bumrah who was the star as he created the day for Team India to shine in a great start in the World Cup. Not the least worse off for the rustiness of a three-week layover after he last bowled in the IPL final on May 12, the pacer began with such intent as to show he meant to go for wickets from the word go.
Bumrah’s phenomenal opening overs were an index of the difficulties South Africa got into after being forced into choosing to bat first in the early part of the day. Having lost two in a row, Faf could not possibly risk bowling first and giving away a 300+ plus total against which there would have been no hope. But in batting first he was up against Bumrah and the opening burst of two wickets that established the advantage for India. There was to be only a late recovery from there after Yuzvendra Chahal got into the act of spreading uncertainty with some probing leg spin.
The awesome thing about this Indian team is it has a bowling attack that can win ODIs by dominating proceedings and looking for wickets. The task may be harder on flatter wickets and brighter weather conditions than on Southampton by the coast, but this set of bowlers promises to give India the edge irrespective of the conditions. And Bumrah as the world’s top-rated will be spearheading the attack with his creative unorthodoxy and that ever-so-high bowling arm that lets the ball climb off a length even as it zips off the seam.
The chokehold established by Bumrah was sufficient to seal South Africa’s fate in a third defeat on the trot. It took one back 20 years to the 1999 World Cup when the old Dukes ball used to move around as if with a will of its own. If the Proteas put up a fight by making a fair total in the conditions, they had to thank some dedicated IPL performers of the late order. And Kagiso Rabada was not that far behind Bumrah as he bowled like a champion, his opening overs so full of sting that Rohit Sharma was extremely lucky to survive, all those gloved and edged strokes falling teasingly beyond the grasp of fielders.
The charm of a World Cup in an English summer is the conditions can vary by the day, sometimes by the hour. By sticking in there and waiting for the new ball to stop nipping around and picking the soft ones to strike, Rohit demonstrated why he is rated so high as an ODI batsman. In a Test match in the same conditions he may have been an early goner. Here he could stoop to conquer as it were after looking so uncertain at the start. His captain’s praise was warm and wholesome. He knew firsthand what the conditions were at the beginning of the innings in which he too was a victim to that great one-handed catch by Mumbai Indians team mate Quinton de Kock.
With the mood geed up by a good start after a teasingly long gap before getting into the heat of World Cup action, Team India must be looking forward to the electric clash with the Australians who downed them in the last ODI series they played, that too in their own den in India. Given the conditions of the first half of June, the Indians will on Sunday be playing the Australians who will be even more awesome, what with the return of Warner and Smith and their pacers too likely to get a lively response from the pitch and conditions as Bumrah did.
Meanwhile, there was praise online for Mahendra Singh Dhoni who wore the Indian Army’s sacrifice insignia on his wicket-keeping gloves. The insignia came out boldly as Dhoni stumped Phehlukwayo and the twitterati were quick to latch on to the symbolism. Team India were the toast of Twitter as the heroes of the day.
