Tactical masterclass: How India stayed a step ahead of Pakistan

T20 cricket often seems to demand extravagance but India did the simple things right on Sunday

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

Pakistan cricket team has a good think-tank — in Mike Hesson they have a coach with tactical acumen, well versed with T20 format, and their captain Salman Agha is a strong character. It showed in their results ahead of the India game ~ having won five (T201) games on the bounce, including a 3-0 whitewash of Australia.

For Sri Lanka's spin-friendly playing surfaces, they had a variety of spin options, a surprise weapon in Usman Tariq. They also had the advantage of being based in Sri Lanka from the start of the tournament.

But, all of it came a cropper against India. Captain Suryakumar Yadav was a step ahead of the opposition. India had an answer for every challenge and outplayed them.

‘Agha’s decision to bowl the first over and get Abhishek Sharma for a duck was the only move of the evening which clicked for Pakistan. From there on, they were chasing shadows. At a certain level, even Agha was wasted as he bowled just two overs out of the possible four despite getting some impressive drift.

The role clarity the India players displayed was impressive. The same, though, can't be said of Pakistan. Given the hype around the contest, the Indian players won half the battle with a calm and composed approach.

India’s spin all-rounder Axar Patel, who had an excellent game with the ball, said the team cut off the outside noise.