And now we cross to Mumbai...
A semifinal preview with keys to victory and the best of the links ($)
India might be fielding one of the greatest ODI teams in history when they face New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium tonight.
In terms of balance and star power, only the Clive Lloyd-led West Indies of the late-70s and early-80s, and the Australian team that shifted seamlessly between the Waugh and Ponting eras can compare.
What those two sides had were World Cup titles, something this Indian team needs as validation. Whereas many teams seem to have run campaigns that are almost incidental to their wider cricketing output (particularly England and Australia), India’s campaign has been meticulously thought out.
Which leads as unerringly as a Jasprit Bumrah yorker to the toe-crusher of a question: Can New Zealand do anything to get in the way of India’s manifest destiny?
The brilliant thing about cricket, particularly the short forms, is the best team doesn’t always win.
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