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Friday, June 21, 2013

'It's all about team effort, says Ishant


BIRMINGHAN: "Ishant, can you please explain what the conditions were like? India have played a match in Cardiff before, but this time the pitch looked different. There was swing."

This was a question posed to the lanky Ishant Sharma after his three-wicket haul at the Sophia Gardens against Sri Lanka in the second semifinal on Thursday. "Well, if you want to discuss swing, you have to ask Bhuvneshwar (Kumar) about it. He's the one who's been so good at it," said the bowler candidly.


Another question followed. "What makes this Indian team look so good right now? Is it just the way they've batted and bowled?"


Ishant said, "It's the fielding too. The way we've fielded inside the 30-yard circle and even in the deep during Powerplays have helped a lot. It gives us (the bowlers) a lot of confidence when there's such a great effort."


There was something more than just "good performances" that Ishant was trying to talk about. He laid a lot of effort on the players complementing each others' efforts.


We're talking about a team that isn't the most experienced of the lot. Some of these cricketers are playing their first major ICC trophy; a few hadn't even played a big-ticket tournament outside India before this. There can be ups and downs, and they're all learning to deal with it together.


It's the kind of setting that perhaps any up-and-coming cricketer would like to be in.


"I think everyone is sticking to his plan and helping each other out the way we can. So I think that's a good thing for us," says Ishant, stressing that it was about team effort and camaraderie.


India's bowlers look up to skipper MS Dhoni not just for advice but a great deal of support and confidence too. Their captain has been their biggest source of strength.


"The support from the captain is very crucial for any team, not just me or any individual player," he says. "I think MS is always supporting every youngster in the team and he's been tremendous with everyone. So I think what I can say about him is we are really pleased to have him on our side as a captain."


It's an opinion that even senior international cricketers who have shared the dressing room with Dhoni - or played against him in the IPL - will agree with.


Be it Dwayne Bravo or Angelo Mathews, AB de Villiers or any other international star, they undoubtedly have high regard for Dhoni and it automatically seems to spill over to this young Indian team.


"It's really tremendous," says Ishant, "The kind of fielders we have at the moment." It's a bunch that Dhoni had been talking about and asking the national selectors for a long time now. "Everyone is charged up and wants to have the ball in their hand. The moment you see the ball coming off the bat, there are at least three to four fielders charging at it, that gives bowlers huge confidence," he says.


India face their toughest opponent in the final in England. On most counts - seam bowling, quality spin and some capable batsmen - both teams go into the title clash on even terms.


What gives India the edge, perhaps, is their electric effort on the field and the 'pat-on-the-back' attitude that has allowed the players to express themselves so well.






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Shweta Pandey

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