India eye semi-final berth and statement win over South Africa – Sports News Portal

Boria Majumdar in Manchester

This is the big game. In fact, if India win this one against South Africa, they will have one foot in the semi-finals. Few expect Bangladesh to mount a challenge, and a victory here would mean the Australia match has little or no relevance to India’s path to the last four. Yes, it will matter in terms of who tops the group, but from the standpoint of qualification, it will carry limited significance.

In such a scenario, India will want to close things out in Manchester and not leave it to Lord’s. Against a South African side that has lost to Australia and was pushed by Pakistan, India do have an opportunity. Finish the job here and settle the debate.

India have had two solid practice days, and the most encouraging sign is their intent to play a genuine wicket-taker in Prema Rawat. It is a welcome mindset. They know Rawat is inexperienced, but they also recognise that the 24-year-old offers a genuine wicket-taking option. Against South Africa, India will need to be aggressive and pick up wickets –containment alone will not suffice.

The call to bring Rawat in immediately was a decisive one. India could have waited, assessed their options, and opted for Radha Yadav for a game. They did not. Instead, they went straight for the leg-spinner once Shreyanka Patil was ruled out. Whether it works remains to be seen, but it reflects clarity of thought – something Amol Muzumdar and his team have demonstrated impressively.

On match day minus one, there was an interesting meeting when the Indian coach and his support staff bumped into Sir Clive Lloyd, who is in Manchester as President of Lancashire. Sir Clive will be at the ground on Sunday and is very much looking forward to watching Harmanpreet Kaur bat.

As India’s training session drew to a close, I met Sir Clive at the Hilton Garden Inn for lunch. I had promised him an Indian meal, and we planned to head to Sthan M1. Just as we were about to leave, Amol, Aavishkar Salvi and others joined us and spent a fair amount of time speaking with Sir Clive. Amol even invited him to present the fielders’ medal to India’s best fielder on Sunday – an invitation Sir Clive graciously accepted. After the interaction, he told me repeatedly that if Harmanpreet scores, India will win.

Sunday, in every sense, will be the real deal. After the appetisers against Pakistan and the Netherlands, this is the main course. A strong performance will ensure India achieve their first objective – reaching the semi-finals. Anything less, and the Australia match becomes a knockout, a scenario India would prefer to avoid.

On what promises to be a lovely Father’s Day in Manchester, India’s World Cup campaign could truly come alive with a win. It would also signal that they have absorbed the Shreyanka setback and successfully executed Plan B.

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