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Almost everything was offered on a platter for Team India on Tuesday. The requirement was a by-no-means-impossible 20-run margin; the pitch and conditions were good enough for the batsmen; 90 for 1 with the bat, and 6 for 2 bowling the new ball.
And yet, it all came crashing down with a five-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka.
It was India's sixth defeat in as many Super Eight games in two years. And though the batsmen failed to consolidate and accelerate and the bowlers failed to bowl in the right areas, the snag should not be looked in isolation. India's prime problem in this campaign was a side built more on reputation than on form.
Gautam Gambhir is one of the best openers across formats. Yuvraj Singh, despite his poor string of poor scores running through the IPL, is a big-match player. Yusuf Pathan hit the fastest century in the IPL; and though he struggled for most part of the League, the all-rounder has the ability to grab any opposition by the scruff of the neck on a given day. Murali Vijay earned fame with his aggressive batting, and Ravindra Jadeja's all-round abilities have been obvious in the recent past.
But in a format where every game is virtually a knockout, these reputations took a long time to warm up in the Caribbean Gambhir's first knock of substance was his last in the competition, and the others did not fire till Tuesday. The men in form, meanwhile, warmed the bench: Rohit Sharma came late to the side to add cushion, R Vinay Kumar didn't enjoy the skipper's confidence till the last game, and specialist spinner Piyush Chawla was hindered by problems of combination.
Defending 163 for a consolation win, and 143 for a semi-final berth on net run rate, India failed on both batting and bowling fronts. Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews scored 46 each before Chamara Kapugedera played a cameo as Sri Lanka crossed 143 in 18.4 overs with a six off Vinay Kumar, before a last-ball six off Ashish Nehra won the match and took them to the semis.
Skipper at loss for words
Post-match, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted: "We are not performing to our potential that's for sure. Apart from that, I can't really say much about why we didn't do well."
Calling the present side the "best T20 batch you can get in India", Dhoni said, "I think the boys are giving their best. They are preparing well, but at the end of the day you cannot do much if you are outplayed by the opposition."
About sitting in the hotel before the big matches instead of spending time in the nets, Dhoni said, "We wanted the players to be fresh. If you are playing cricket throughout the year and if you see our practice sessions, one more will not make much difference. It was more important to take some time off cricket because that also helps at times."
The skipper said most of the team, and not specifically the younger lot, has the problem against pace and bounce. "We come from a place where we don't have bowlers who bowl consistently at 145 or 150 kmph, and most of the wickets don't have that kind of bounce," Dhoni said.
The other factors
Injuries also played a part in derailing India's campaign. Virender Sehwag was missed, while there were question marks over Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan fitness. The latter was 'rested' from the South Africa match as India looked for more options with spin. Dhoni's persistence with part-time options, rather than going with the specialists, also proved critical. Also surprising were his frequent rotation of bowlers, even after a particular bowler picked up a wicket, and the idea of quickly finishing the overs with part-time spinners rather than going for the kill.
Meanwhile, Dhoni is backing his team to do well ahead of the World Cup next year. "I have a side with a lot of potential," he said, "and though we had two or three tournaments where we were off-colour, we have been consistent otherwise."
Those "two or three tournament", unfortunately, have been two World T20 championships and the Champions Trophy.
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