Opinion Better side won

India crashed out of the World Cup on Thursday as Australia stood unrivaled at the SCG. (Source: AP)

India’s march to the World Cup semi-final on the heels of a seven-match winning run had an unexpected streak to it. No one had predicted a journey so deep into the tournament before the start of the Cup, especially after the thumping they received in the Test series and tri-series Down Under. India raised their game for the big event. M.S. Dhoni’s captaincy that looked so stale and reactive in the lead-up to the tournament, got a new lease of life thanks to the bowlers bowling to a field and the fielders raising the standard. It all seemed to be falling into place for the Indians. Shikhar Dhawan returned to form with a 76-ball 73 in the opening game against Pakistan and continued his good work to finish with 412 runs at 51.50. While the fielding was electric, the bowlers stepped up to the plate, taking 70 wickets in the run-up to the semi-final. But for the first time in this World Cup on Thursday, they failed to bowl out the opposition.

India lost to the far better team on the day. A target of 329 in a World Cup semi-final always looked daunting. Australia posted such a big total because Steve Smith was unbreachable once again. It has happened all summer and Thursday was no different. India, then, succumbed to the pressure. Without a big knock upfront, they never had a chance. By the halfway stage of their innings, India were out of the contest — outbowled and outbatted by their rivals.

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It was a bad day in office but it doesn’t erase the team’s overall performance in the World Cup. The selectors showed courage in leaving out fading stars like Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, and picking a relatively younger team for the tournament. Their decision stood vindicated. It still rankles that over the course of their four-month tour of Australia, India couldn’t beat the hosts even once. The upside is that these young players have enough talent to take Indian cricket forward. Dhoni himself is looking to lead the side in the shorter formats, at least till the end of the World T-20, to be held next year at home.