From the sanctum of India’s dressing room at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, peals of laughter, thunderous claps and whistles emanated after their rousing victory over Pakistan on Saturday. A peek was offered in a video posted on BCCI’s website where T Dilip, one of the men behind the scenes, is doing the talking. Dilip is India’s fielding coach and assigned to him after every World Cup game is the ritual of adjudging the ‘fielder of the match’.
Mohammed Siraj celebrates with Rohit Sharma and teammates after taking the lbw wicket of Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique (REUTERS)
He begins by acknowledging the fielding efforts of the specialist bowlers on a hot Saturday afternoon before going on to praise Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. For Jadeja, he says: “One thing special to see is the world’s best fielder is back doing what he is renowned to be doing. Good to see the speed and accuracy.”
Once the fielding coach is done with his brief speech, the camera pans to a TV which ends the suspense by declaring Rahul as the best fielder for Saturday’s game. It brings cheers laced with irony, claps and good-natured banter from India’s players, with Virat Kohli as expected offering the most dramatic expressions. Rahul squirms in embarrassment at it all and allows a medal to be hung around his neck by Shardul Thakur, winner of the award in India’s previous game against Afghanistan.
The video is only two minutes and seven seconds long but is enough to glean India’s happy mood and bonhomie. It is in keeping with India’s emphatic start to the tournament – they have won their first three matches – and reflective of the relief they must feel at getting the Pakistan game out of the way. Their remaining matches in the preliminary phase certainly won’t come with the hype that shrouded the build-up to the Pakistan game. Never mind Mohammed Siraj, after the experience of his first India-Pakistan ODI World Cup game, saying they were relaxed going into Saturday’s clash.
“To be honest, I didn't feel that the team was playing a match between India and Pakistan. Because this is a World Cup match, and every match is very important for us. We are talking like that. We played 3 matches and won 3-0. The environment is very good,” he told reporters on Saturday.
In another video after the game, Hardik Pandya turns anchor and draws reactions from his teammates on their victory. He starts by quizzing Rohit Sharma on his sensational strokeplay (63-ball 86) and moves on to the other protagonists. “Aisa batting kar rahe ho uska batao. Yeh kya matlab... Playstation wala feeling aa raha hai (The way you are batting, talk about that. What is this...it’s as if you are playing Playstation),” he tells Sharma.
While the players are bound to be acutely conscious of the cameras hovering, these videos are still suggestive of a strong team spirit that is boosted with each victory. To internally recognise the best fielder in each game – an aspect often ignored by broadcasters while handing out awards after a game -- is also symbolic of the group camaraderie.
Another crucial indicator of the team environment is often the demeanour of those who aren’t part of the playing eleven. Before the game against Afghanistan in Delhi, Suryakumar Yadav – he hasn’t got a chance yet -- was at his chirpy best during a net session. Having faced throwdowns and net bowlers for around 40 minutes, he ended the stint by setting himself a target of 33 off six balls against batting coach Vikram Rathour’s throwdowns. The ever-smiling Yadav brought out his range of ramps and laps, also indulging in the odd sledge at Rathour in a lively session.
Shardul Thakur has played two of India’s three games, but his spot is dependent on conditions. “No matter which game you play, you have to be ready for it. Sometimes if the conditions are not suitable and I am not part of the playing XI, that is okay. My job is to support the other players who are playing and I am always there for the team. I would like to think that way. When I am not playing, I want to help my teammates so they can give their best on the field. And when I am playing, I try to give my best and contribute in some way, whether it's batting, bowling or fielding,” he said.
As the tournament progresses and the pressure mounts, can India keep this cheery vibe intact?
Vivek Krishnan is a sports journalist who enjoys covering cricket and football among other disciplines. He wanted to be a cricketer himself but has gladly settled for watching and writing on different sports.Read More
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