“The New Face of Indian Cricket – Young, Vibrant, Aggressive & Fearless”

Twent20 Cricket brings a new look & feel to International Cricket. The great atmosphere, the entertainment added with a dash of music & dance provides one of the greatest spectacle ever & what better stage than the inaugural world cup. But the most refreshing & heartening view for every Indian is the new face of Team India – Young, Vibrant, Aggressive & Fearless.

A format of the game neither the players nor the board officials seem to have embraced has shown the biggest turnarounds ever to Indian cricket especially after the World Cup debacle. The most passionate & ardent cricket followers in India would also have not given a chance to this team without the legends – in a game that is fast, furious & ferocious. But, this in the face attitude team has proved all critics wrong, surpassed the expectations & left the cricketing fraternity gasping for breath.

Mahi has led the side with example – He is calm, composed, aggressive & shows the ability to take calculative risks when needed. The fielding has shown a paradigm shift with the youngsters throwing themselves around – Catches by Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh & the run-out of Justin Kemp by Rohit Sharma were of world class standards – some thing that would lift any side.

The batsmen – Gambhir, Sehwag, Uthappa, Yuvraj, Dhoni & Rohit Sharma all of them have portrayed great temperament & have cleared the boundaries with penultimate ease. Even during difficult circumstances, under trying conditions they have backed themselves & played their natural game. Some one rightly put it – When there is no reputation to lose, people come out with their best performances. The way Rohit Sharma batted against SA & his crucial cameo against Pakistan was an example of the same.

In the bowling department, Irfan & Bhajji have come back with very good performances. R P Singh is improving with every game & Sreesanth – with his natural aggressiveness & ability to pick up wickets looks deadly – Especially his spell against Aus is one of the best by an Indian against the World Champs. Joginder Sharma is yet to establish himself but his last over against the Aussies & his spell against Pakistan proved he has what it takes to be in the international arena & most importantly a part of this new face of India.

Cricket they say is played in the minds & hearts first then comes the skill, talent & experience – this young lot has proved this. They beat Pakistan in the bowl-out where their body language never showed any signs of nervousness. Against NZ they almost got home chasing 190. They made mince meat of the Englishman. The games against SA & Aus, the 2 best teams in world cricket, they came out with their heads held high & made us all feel proud with their power packed performances.

The finale against Pakistan was a true test of their mettle & character & they came through this one unscathed. What is important to notice is that they have come through even though Yuvi & Dhoni failed with the bat as also Sreesanth & Bhajji did not have a good outing with the ball. 157 in 20 overs was not going to be enough but they bowled & fielded splendidly to restrict Pakistan. Gambhir’s knock was sheer class & Pathan & R P Singh made sure India restricted Pakistan below the competitive total.

Ajay Jadeja rightly mentioned in one of his interview “It does not matter whether they win or lose against Pakistan but I want to see this Indian team playing!” The aussies having lost to India in the Twenty20 World Cup would come back strongly. Are the young guys ready for this acid test? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, like Ajay Jadeja, every Indian would love to see this team playing – the new face of Indian Cricket – The way forward…