Serial winners

Second trophy in three weeks adds to Indias aura as they overcome batting collapse to beat SL in tri-series final

The players balcony at the Queens Park Oval holds terrible memories for Indian cricket. It was here six years ago that Rahul Dravid and his teammates sat disconsolately after being knocked out of the 2007 World Cup in its preliminary stage. It also brought to an end the troubled Greg Chappell era. It had also begun what we can now call the Dhoni era.

It was Sri Lanka who had hammered the final nail in Indias coffin then. They had batted first and scored 254. India were all out for 185. On Thursday,India were slipping into trouble once again,against the same opponents. The venue was the same,but the pitch was far more difficult to bat on. Sri Lanka,again,had batted first. They had made 201. Indias chase,again,was slipping into trouble. The eighth wicket fell with 35 to get,the ninth with 20 required. The yellow and blue seats at the Queens Park Ovals balcony were filled with anxious Indian faces all over again. But among them this time,there were no ageing stars mulling over their futures.

During one of the practice sessions in Kingston,team manager MV Sridhar had expressed his shock to the India skipper upon realising that the 32-year-old Dhoni was the oldest member of the squad. Dhoni,in response,had claimed that he was getting used to it. Now,in Port-of-Spain,he was in a situation he was rather more used to: keeping India in the game in a difficult run-chase. Soon,he walked back to his team having completed another familiar task: winning the match with a six.

A settled side

That it eventually took a Dhoni special to take India home might have pricked their egos a tad,considering the strong position that Rohit Sharmas 58 had put them in. But they had won the tournament,after a difficult beginning,and carried on the momentum from their Champions Trophy triumph. In the process,they had maintained a settled side,with an average age in the mid-twenties. Team India,in the 50-overs format,look in good shape.

Virat Kohli had begun his career rubbing shoulders with some of the heavyweights of Indian cricket. Now as a senior member of the squad and second-in-command to Dhoni,Kohli emphasised the bond between the players and their hunger to win as the most pleasing aspects of the current squad. He also spoke about the stable look of the side,with a number of individuals contributing to the success.

And though there were a couple of failures in the Caribbean,the pluses overshadowed the minuses. The batting lineup has mostly remained the same starting from the Champions Trophy,except for Murali Vijay having to replace Dhoni when he was out with a hamstring injury.

Rohit Sharma finished as the top run-getter,scoring 217 runs at 54.25,and displayed grit and temperament qualities he hasnt always been known for on tricky pitches. Shikhar Dhawan continued to show glimpses of his ability despite being inconsistent,Suresh Raina played important,aggressive knocks and Kohli proved his match-winning class yet again.

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The bowling is what stood out with Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the way. While his ability to swing the ball,in nearly all conditions,wasnt a surprise,the lanky UP seamer also showed that has grown in confidence over the last couple of months. From seeming almost reclusive at the start of his career,hes begun playing a more vocal role,especially in demanding the fields he wants. He also continued to build on his reputation for being a prolific wicket-taker,snaring 10 at 9.70 apiece,and looked unplayable at times.

Ishant Sharma,despite nearly giving up the final with his helter-skelter running,proved an improved ODI bowler. His consistency improved as the tournament went on and he took key wickets.

With pitches assisting turn,R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja relished the opportunity and have established themselves as Indias premier spin duo in the ODI format. Jadeja came in for some stick against Johnson Charles but was regularly among the wickets. Ashwin also gave a fair account of himself in the slips,and is getting closer to filling the vacancy left by the exits of the seniors.

The individuals have taken the responsibility. Its not just about making the changes. What was critical was that individuals have been rising to the occasion, said Dhoni.

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While its unlikely that they have erased the bad taste of 2007,Dhoni and his young cohorts have left Queens Park Oval with some fond memories and shown that this could well be a promising age for Indian cricket.