WT20: Battle for glory begins

Harsha Bhogle shares his views on the action from the ICC World Twenty20 all the way from the Caribbean.

So an easy workout for India with not much to gain really. It was one of those tricky matches where you have everything to lose and people are waiting to see you embarrassed. But while Afghanistan did show some ability they were not going to trouble India.

Noor Ali looked good, composed, and a couple of spinners impressed in the little we saw of them. But I suspect they will struggle more against South Africa since that will be a different kind of cricket; ball will bounce at them a lot more (already we saw they didn’t like it). But I guess that is part of fun of being on the big stage, you are always learning.

Couple of things for India. Ashish Nehra looked in decent nick though the way he ambled in for the first couple of deliveries was a bit worrisome. Murali Vijay got in and must have dispelled nerves. He really does hit the ball a long way. In fact, that is going to emerge as the biggest factor in the big games on Sunday.

A large boundary means a six is not a go-to shot as it can sometimes be on small grounds but even more important, the outfield is very slow. Underneath, the grass is a lot of sand to enable the ground to dry early but it also means the ball doesn’t travel very fast. It means twos and threes enter the picture and so you have to run smartly between wickets. It also means that your deep fielders don’t only have to be quick but possessed of good throwing arms. That is where I fear India might start a bit on the backfoot. Athleticism will be tested here and that has never been India’s strong suit.

And having watched Pakistan against Bangladesh, I think the learning will be critical for them against Australia. I fear the Aussies might struggle against the slowness of the pitch. But it will also be our first look at what Pakistan will be like against tough opposition. Against Bangladesh, the batting looked good (Salman Butt was a big bonus) but when the opposition went after the bowling they looked a little short. The fact that their key bowler is their youngest bowler must worry them a bit though!