NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma performed an impromptu “Dandiya” dance while gripping the stumps shortly after India won the Champions Trophy. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, hugged his wards as he moved around the field with a rare broad smile.
After such a glorious night, those scenes were not out of the ordinary.
Beyond the obvious, the troika found great inner significance in that footage.
Following the team’s mainly mediocre performance, Gambhir, Rohit, and Kohli have been harassed more than most others in the past six months.
Although there may have been some truth to the criticism, the manner in which it was aimed at them was unjustified. However, they now have a lifeline, a stronger position to govern their own fate, and a far more obvious route forward for the group.
According to Rohit, it followed complete faith in the procedure that the management had established prior to this incident.
“Someone was telling me that we’ve lost only one game in the last three ICC tournaments. So, it’s a great milestone to have. So, it shows a lot of quality in the team, a lot of depth, a lot of understanding within the group,” skipper Rohit said after the title triumph on Sunday night.
According to Rohit, the team’s mentality assisted them in resisting outside “pressure.”
“There’s too much pressure from outside. If India loses one game. There’s so much speculation that happens. But, the boys have actually managed to put that aside and focus on how to win games and how to enjoy the game,” he added.
Because of the way he left after scoring those ostensibly priceless 30s and 40s in the lengthier game versions, Rohit was the first player to be singled out.
After scoring the game-winning 76 against New Zealand in the championship match, the 37-year-old saw a different side to it.
“See, representing India is not a joke. Everyone wants to represent India with a lot of integrity. I contributed a lot in the 2019 World Cup, but we didn’t win. So, it wasn’t fun. Even if you score 30 or 40 runs and win the match, you get more satisfaction and happiness.
“So, I think it was very important for me to do something and bring the team in a position where there is a little comfort for the rest of the batting order,” he added.
However, India had to endure a great deal of criticism to get to this stage, especially after the management chose to use five spinners: Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Whether by limiting the run flow or getting wickets, the first four played and regularly helped India win.
However, the thought leaders never questioned their approach, and careful consideration of previous Dubai matches, such as ILT20, aided in their decision-making.
“We knew the conditions would be difficult, but we adapted well. We had to go with more spinners than the seamers.”
The team faced criticism without any justification for their decision to stay in Dubai for the ICC showcase.
Rohit claimed that India was astute enough to take advantage of the circumstances, disregarding such foreign discussions.
“We saw how much these surfaces were used before we came here. I knew that the slower bowlers will come into play. So, we wanted to pick the squad based on that,” he said.
However, as Gambhir already indicated, the four pitches utilized at the DICS presented the team with a variety of hurdles, thus choosing the correct team is not the same as winning the games.
“Keeping the teams under 240s under 250 is a big effort. We think that the wicket is helping the spinners. But you must have seen that in a few matches, no ball has turned in such a way that the ball is turning every time, in every over,” Rohit acknowledged.
That erratic spin may have given the bowlers a certain advantage, but it also increased the danger to the batters.
“Sometimes, one or two balls turn in between, but that is the challenge that you are facing as a batter. You don’t have to be ready for the ball that is turning. But it’s the straight ball.”
That argument was emphasized by Kohli’s departure in the final.
Playing for the turn, the master batsman, who has amassed 218 runs at an average of 54, including a century and a half to silence critics of his form, was caught in front of the wicket by off-spinner Michael Bracewell‘s stock ball, which was straighter than he had anticipated.
“The straight ball that is coming, which is 80% out of 100, or 70%, you have to be ready for that. So, I think that is the adaptation and that is what these guys have shown in the middle.
“I am proud of them because India is a bloody good team without a doubt,” he said.
They may now display two international trophies as further proof.
