Mel-Bourne Supremacy

 



ICC 2015 World Cup

India versus South Africa was the much awaited match of the 2015 world cup. The reason was obvious it was the clash of the titans or the battle Royale, a battle between two formidable teams, the favorites to win this edition of world cup. The match was publicized as the fight between the Proteas feisty bowlers and one of the strongest batting lineup of team India. The clash was expected to be a humdinger of a match, but it turned out to be a damp squib. The Proteas had no match to the clinical performance by the men in blue. The Proteas folded to a meager total of 177 as against 307 posted by the Indians. The India vs. South Africa scorecard was not something a South African fan would enjoy. The chokers tag associated with them raised the ugly head again.

 

The Virat Step 

 

The men in blue are on a roll with two thumping wins over arch rivals Pakistan and the Proteas. What stands out is the way Indians worked clinically to run through the opposition. Thorough professionalism, the trait is very rarely associated with the Indian cricket team, but with the recent wins the detractors had to bite the humble pie. After a long time, impeccable planning and implementation is for everyone to see in Indian cricket team. Suddenly having a battery of coaches, managers, support staff has gained significance and justified. The Virat (Huge) steps the team has taken will surely help them reach the Shikhar (Zenith) and make them Ajinkya (Invincible). The highlight of the India vs. south Africa match were, vaunted performance by Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and the bowlers who were considered a weak link in the famed line up. The South Africans lost their way in the first 20 overs or so when the Indian top order paid no respect to the famed Proteas bowling, and scored at will.

 

The Sea of Blue

 

The big Sunday match between South Africa and India which was played at MCG on 22nd Feb witnessed a sea of blue. More than 80 thousand fans supporting the Indian team engulfed the arena, waving the Indian flags and cheering the team vociferously. Small pockets of the Proteas supporters wearing the green jersey were in no competition to the huge gathering of blue jerseys. Was it Melbourne Cricket Ground or Mumbai Cricket Ground (MCG), many commented.  The “Bharat Army” the Indian answer to English Barmy Army was in full swing shouting, cheering the Indian team. They wore Indian flag on their cheeks, hands, head, and shirts and flaunted their painted faces and their head gears (Pheta, Pagadi). To see Indian tri-color flutter high and handsome, brought tears to many eyes. The sea of blue is omnipresent and is seen in every cricket stadium across the globe. Believe me their presence in such huge numbers would intimidate any opposition.

 

India vs. S Africa: India break a World Cup jinx

 

Besides being one of the most sought after match for various reasons, for the men in blue it was the time to settle scores with the Proteas. Proteas had cent percent success rate against the Indians in the world cup encounters. They lead 3 – nil until the Sunday match. This was something which was playing on their minds and they had to better the result which they did emphatically on Sunday. In doing so they have sent warning signals to other teams. So far the famed batting line up has come good, in fact good bowling performance has been the revelation. It’s too early though to jump the bandwagon and declare the team the winner. The men in blue has taken special liking to the green jerseys, first it was Pakistan and more recently South Africa. It’s time to bleed blue, every Indian fan must be wishing this purple or more appropriately the BLUE patch continues and we retain the world cup. 

Men in Blue On A Roll

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