ICC World T20 - Afghan Pride under lights (Part 1) - Opinion
Wednesday’s encounter at the R Premadasa Stadium, in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World T20 of 2012, would be remembered due to a plethora of reasons. Amid all the media hype, it was India’s first official encounter in the tournament, and it also brought the limelight on a strong
minnow, which was brimming with excitement and flare. It was http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Afghanistan-c745 who was playing a red hot Indian side in their first game of the tournament. Prior to this encounter, the Afghans had gained notoriety for being a dangerous outfit, which was struggling
to combine raw talent into professionalism. They eventually succumbed to the guile and spin of the Indian bowlers at the end of the game, but the night belonged to 11 proud men who were representing their country and were about to achieve the unthinkable.
India’s win, seemed like a mere consolation effort, as the crowd, the viewers and the diehard Afghan fans saluted their team for playing out of their skins. It definitely was not ordinary.
They were oozing with professionalism and class, the moment they took the field and meant business from the outset. The determination of the team to do well in the tournament was reflected in their captain Nawroz Mangal’s quiet intelligence at the toss,
where he expressed his desire to spring up a few surprises. India was sent into bat first and from the outset, the bowling and ground fielding was characterized by sheer hostility from the minnows. The first delivery bowled by the left-armer Shapoor Zadran
hinted at a strange sense of inevitability, directed at how Afghanistan would perform as it was way wide. Yet that was possibly the only error that Zadran would make, as he bowled with impressive clarity of thought and gave nothing away.
To be hostile in patches is one thing, yet being fiery against the best batting line-up in the tournament on a consistent basis, was quite another. Never in any stage of the Indian innings, did the batsmen look comfortable as the run-rate hovered below six
for the most part of the innings. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Sehwag-c2739, who is notorious for his boundary hitting, went on with a few swooshes outside his off stump, before eventually faltering to the nagging line and length of Shapoor Zadran. The 25-year-old was one of the highlights
of Afghanistan’s ICC World T20, 2010 campaign, where his pace and accuracy led to raised eyebrows from various quarters. He managed to wreak havoc on the Indian top order by clocking deliveries close to 150 Km/http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hugh-Morris-c63550, yet what was most impressive was his control
over his lengths and ensuring that he gave nothing away with the ball. It was a frightening site for the Indian openers, as both http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447 and Sehwag fell prey to his hostility. Sehwag got an absolute beauty from Zadran, which nipped away from the corridor
of uncertainty, whereas Gambhir chopped on a delivery that was too close to cut and was eventually cleaned up. In a blink of an eye, India was struggling at 2 for 22 inside five overs.
It was a shocking state of affairs at that point of time, yet was a matter of pride for Afghan fans, as their bowlers kept on piling on the pressure. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 never looked like getting away with the game. Virat Kohli’s sensational form on the other hand, hit
the Afghan’s hand, but it is safe to say that barring Kohli’s performance, India was well and truly out of the game for the most part of the innings. The immaculate line and lengths bowled stifled the run flow and the spinners complemented the efforts of the
faster men by not giving any width whatsoever. The ground fielding was smooth too, as not a single fumble leaked runs for the opposition. Tumbling saves and constant pressure had eventually led to the demise of some of India’s most ferocious strikers in the
T20 format, which included http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shapoor-Zadran-c89730 as India found themselves in a serious state of bother at 68 for 3 in the eleventh over.
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