A simple answer to the question is yes. This team has that tenacity to do well in adverse conditions as they have shown in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. I do not think any Indian team has managed to win all the matches of a particular ICC tournament. There was an argument in sections of media that this team might be better than the one which won the World Cup in 2011. I think there is merit in this argument.
If you think about the heroes of 2011 World Cup triumph, a certain Yuvraj Singh will come straight to the mind. He ended up with the Man of the Series award in the premiere ICC tournament. Zaheer Khan who finished up being the joint highest wicket taker alongside Shahid Afridi. Gautam Gambhir who narrowly missed being the Man of the Match award in that World Cup final played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Virender Sehwag who has been the fear factor for last so many years for the opposition bowlers. Harbhajan Singh, the turbanator, picked up the crucial wicket of Umar Akmal in the Semi final to turn the match in India’s favor. Does India miss these set of players anymore? I think not.
Let’s look at the guys who have replaced these yesteryear stars. Shikhar Dhawan is fast developing the reputation of instilling that fear factor for the bowlers around the globe. It only augurs well for Indian cricket. Rohit Sharma once again showing the kind of talent and skills he possesses with amassing 177 runs in 5 innings. He was overshadowed by the free flowing southpaw from Delhi who aggregated 363 runs in as many innings. Virat Kohli, the vice captain, collected 176 runs to continue his good run of form. These 3 players were in the list of top 5 run getters in the competition which has been a huge factor in avenging the short ball threat which was omnipresent in the minds of erstwhile players. All of these are terrific cutters and pullers of the ball emphasizing the importance of employing the horizontal bat shots to good effect.
Ishant Sharma often gets clobbered around in the final stages of a one day innings simply because he doesn’t have an effective yorker in his repertoire. Despite that he grabbed 10 wickets in the series with his nagging length and high arm action. He along with Ravindra Jadeja made the list of top 5 wicket takers in this edition of the event. Who would have predicted this at the beginning of the Champions Trophy? Jadeja was adjudged Man of the Match for his all round show with the bat and the ball. He has come up leaps and bounds in the shorter version of the game and he has the backing of the captain too. He became the highest wicket taker with 12 wickets at an average of 12.83 and economy rate of 3.75. He also contributed with the bat against South Africa in the closing stages of the innings as he did in the final against England. Astonishing feat indeed when you think that he was the only bowler to grab a five wicket haul in the entire tournament.
This win has come without any significant contribution from the skipper M S Dhoni. It is also a big plus as it tells the other teams that this team is a serious contender for the World Cup title down under in 2015. He now has the distinction of being the only captain in the world to have won all ICC trophies. The selectors also need to be congratulated for their foresight and fearless approach. Keeping in mind, the pace and bounce of the Australian pitches, the selectors will be well advised to make sure that the fast bowlers are given enough rest in between tours to keep them fresh for the Kangaroo sojourn as they are crucial cog in the wheel for that particular event. For now though, well done to Team India.
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