The Knockout Stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Here is a brief summary , how India fared in the knockout stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Quarter Final : India vs Bangladesh , 19th March 2015 at Melbourne

Both the captains , were welcomed with a huge roar from their contingent at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. India won the toss and chose to bat . India went into the game with the same XI. Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan , were at their fluent best and raced off to 75 in 16.2 overs, when the latter misread Shakib al Hasan , only to get stumped, some good work from Bangladesh's ex-captain , Mushfiqur Rahim. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane , both fell to lose shots , to leave India reeling at 115-3 at the end of the 28th over. In walked Suresh Raina , fresh from his magnificent century against Zimbabwe, which proved to be a mach winning knock. Meanwhile , Rohit Sharma raced to a fifty, his first in a knockout game. Raina started cautiously , rotating singles. He unleashed his army of shots in the end overs of the batting power play , getting to his fifty. The two had shared a 122 runs stand , before Raina , top edged one off Mortaza , the skier pouched by Rahim. Rohit Sharma, began to unleash his shots as well . He brought up his century with a push through covers. It was his first World Cup Century. After getting to the landmark , he played flamboyantly. One shot which I loved was the loft over long off , which went for a huge six. It was so effortless. Eventually he was bowled by an inswinging yorker. Ravindra Jadeja , blazed his way to 23 off 10 deliveries to give India the finishing touch. India finished with 302 for the loss of 6 wickets.

303 was always a tough ask , that too in a high pressure game. But Tamim Iqbal started positively , hitting 3 boundaries of Mohammed Shami in the 4th over. But he got out to Umesh Yadav , thanks to a good low catch from MS Dhoni. Imrul Kayes was the next man to go , in the very next ball , thanks to a brilliant fielding effort from Jadeja. All the middle order batsmen got starts , but none could convert it to a big knock or a fifty. Bangladesh were tottering at 139 for 6 , with their star players Mushfiqur Rahim and all rounder Shakib al Hasan back in the hut. Nasir Hossain and big hitter Sabir Rahman shared a 50 run stand. Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 193.Yadav was the pick of the bowlers, picking up 4 wickets , bowling with good pace and bowling some absolutely unplayable deliveries.
Rohit Sharma was adjudged the Man of the Match for his magnificent 137. There was some controversy when he was caught at the fence , when he was on 91, but it was adjudged a no-ball. It was a full toss , around waist height which got the Bangladeshi fans , expressing their dismay , both in the ground and on social networking websites , but little did they realise that , Imrul Kayes also got a nick , which wasn't adjudged out.

Semifinal : India was Australia , March 26th 2015 at Sydney

Many Indians , bunked school and colleges , took a day off from work , only to watch the high octane clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground , where India have a very poor record , managing only one win out of the 14 games played. About 70% of the crowd were Indian supporters. Australia qualified for the semifinals , after surviving an intimidating spell from Wahab Riaz against Pakistan. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Any captain , on such a high pressure match would've opted to bat. MS Dhoni also added that he would've chosen to bat as well. In came David Warner and Aaron Finch. Mohammed Shami bowled a brilliant first over. Umesh Yaadav gave a few runs in his first over but got the wicket of David Warner in his next over. In came Steven Smith who had a good summer against India , in the test series. Both Finch and Smith started off rotating singles , and managing a boundary in every 3-4 overs thereby keeping the scoreboard ticking . Smith got to his half century , so did Aaron Finch. Smith started playing freely and his shots were graceful to watch, not for an Indian cricket fan though , as he got to his first World Cup Century against India. He got out to Yadav , trying to up the ante after adding 182 for the second wicket in 31 overs. Maxwell , who had earlier asked India to remember what Australia did them to in the triangular series , started off well , but got out to Ashwin , some brilliant captaincy from MS Dhoni having all his fielders on the leg side. It was a dismissal which was well planned. His captaincy was lauded by the commentators as well. Finch followed Maxwell in quick succession. India had come back in to the game. India also got the wicket of skipper Michael Clarke. But India failed to capitalise on Australia's collapse as Faulkner , Johnson and Haddin gave the finishing touch to Australia's innings as they scored  70 runs in their last 6 overs.

India got off to a very good start. Yes , there was an opportunity , for Haddin , but he failed to pouch it. Dhawan started to play his shots as Rohit played the anchor role. Dhawan flicked a six over mid-wicket off Faulkner. It pitched on middle and off , and he flicked it over mid-wicket. I just loved that shot. He did the same against South Africa too , but it went over fine leg. India blazed its way to 76 in the 13th over before Dhawan got out to a needless shot , only to get caught at deep covers. Virat Kohli was the next one to follow , as he got a snorter . He miscued his pull shot. It was a needless shot from India's talisman who has scored as many as 14 centuries in a successful chase. Rohit smacked Johnson for a six , but got out to Johnson in the very next ball, nicking it on to the stumps. Raina in his brief stay scored a boundary but got out , to Faulkner trying to guide the ball to third man , only to find Haddin pouching a simple catch. In came India's captain , MS Dhoni . Indian hopes rested on him. Rahane and MS Dhoni , rotated singles even as Run Rate rose up to 9 an over. They kept calm and scored boundaries very occasionally. Rahane was adjudged out caught behind , thanks to DRS as no one appealed except Smith and Maxwell who were stationed at Mid On and point respectively. It was faintest of edges. Ravindra Jadeja was the next man to go as he was run out , thanks to a brilliant direct hit from Smith who was at point. MS Dhoni smacked two consecutive huge sixes of Watson , as he got to his fifty , but it was too much to ask for from the Indian skipper as he was run out , courtesy, Maxwell's powerful direct hit. India's lower order couldn't offer resistance as India were eventually bowled out for 233 in 46.5 overs. Faulkner picked up 3 and Hazlewood was brilliant at the start.
Steven Smith won the Man of the Match award for his 105.

Australia will face New Zealand in the finals after New Zealand won a cliffhanger against South Africa leaving AB de Villiers , Faf du Plessis , Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel devastated and in tears.

It was a very good World Cup for India as one couldn't have imagined 7 wins on the trot after not managing even a single win under the belt in the triangular series just before the World Cup. Indian bowlers , who were scrutinised  and criticised showed their skills and armoury as they picked up 77 wickets in 8 matches. Captaincy was top class from MS Dhoni, who 'might' have played his last World Cup innings. Well , I just can't imagine how Indian cricket would move on after he retires from all forms of international cricket. 11 consecutive wins for India in World Cup matches. Yes , we couldn't defend our World Cup , Yes , we gave it back, but I am proud of my lads. Keep your heads held high!

India's Route to the Quarter Finals !

Hey People! Its exactly a month since the epic clash against Pakistan. India have all but qualified for the Quarterfinals of the cricketing extravaganza, the ICC Cricket World Cup. India have showed their mettle and class , and the players have risen to the occasion . Not to forget , the excellent captaincy by MS Dhoni! Here's how we reached the Quarter Finals!

First Match : 15th February 2015. India vs Pakistan , at Adelaide.
The most anticipated clash of the World Cup , started off in India's favour. MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar , who was supposedly fit , did not make it to the XI. The pace attack comprised of Mohit Sharma , Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. India got off to a good start , scoring 33 in the first 7 overs , before Rohot Sharma miscued a pull. In came , Virat Kohli , India's talisman. He along with Shikhar Dhawan , stabilised the innings. Dhawan notched up his fifty off 54 balls before being run out for 73. Kohli went on to score a century, thereby becoming the first Indian to score a century against Pakistan in World Cup encounter. Suresh Raina also smashed the Pakistan bowling attack , before both of them getting out in quick succession trying to accelerate the run rate in the final overs. India finished with a score of 300/7 in their 50 overs. Sohail Khan was the star performer for Pakistan , picking up 5 wickets.
Pakistan , opened with Ahmed Shehzad and Younis Khan , as they didn't play a specialist opener.They got off to a very bad start , losing Younis Khan in the fourth over. Haris Sohail and Shehzad stitched up a 68 run partnership before the former got out to Ashwin. 5 overs later , Shehzad and Maqsood went in quick succession , falling prey to Umesh Yaadav. Pakistan's middle order collapsed and they were stuttering at 154/7 at the end of the 35th over. Misbah ul Haq tried hard , but couldn't do enough as Pakistan lost by 76 runs, thereby keeping the record clean. The record being,  all wins for India against Pakistan in all World Cup Matches. Virat Kohli was awarded the Man of the Match.

Second Match : 22nd February 2015, India vs South Africa at Melbourne.
In the battle of the favourites, India won the toss and chose to bat. India got off to a bad start losing Rohit Sharma for a duck , courtesy , brilliant fielding from the captain, AB de Villiers. Virat Kohli and Dhawan , stabilised the innings , just like they did against Pakistan. Virat Kohli miscued a pull off Imran Tahir , only to find du Plessis at short mid wicket. Ajinkya Rahane , who got out for a golden duck against Pakistan in the last over of the Indian innings , started to play his shots. Meanwhile , Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden World Cup Century. Rahane got to his fifty in quick time and both of them started playing freely . One of the best moments , was , Shikhar Dhawan flicking Morne Morkel for a six , over fine leg , picking up the ball from off stump. That was something special .India were kept in check after the duo got out and could manage 307, after being 271/4 at the end of the 45th over.
South Africa's Quentin de Kock , got out to Mohammad Shami , for a nothing shot , only to see himself getting aught by Virat Kohli at mid off. Amla and du Plessis put 28 runs for the second wicket before the former got out. The 68 run stand between du Plessis and AB de Villiers looked threatening. Thanks to Mohit Sharma's brilliance in the field , AB de Villiers was run out for 30. du Plessis scored slowly and got to his 50 before getting out to Mohit Sharma. The duo of Miller and Duminy who saved South Africa against Zimbabwe from a humiliation , failed to fire. South Africa were bundled out for 177 , giving India their first victory against South Africa in all World Cup encounters. Dhawan was adjudged the Man Of the Match for his brilliant 137.

Third Match : 28th February 2015 , India vs UAE at Perth
The associate Nation , UAE , won the toss and chose to bat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar , replaced Mohammed Shami , after the latter suffered some niggles. He started off the proceedings quite well. Umesh Yadav prized out UAE's Berenger for 4. It was an almost unplayable bouncer. Bhuvneshwar Kumar , removed the other opener. Ravichandran Ashwin , ripped UAE's middle order , picking up 4 wickets. UAE did not have any clue against Ashwin , Jadeja and Yaadav. Anwar, UAE's top run scorer in the World Cup , was the standout performer scoring 35 before getting out to a peach from Yaadav.
India , finished off the chase quite easily , with Rohit Sharma scoring 57* and Virat Kohli scoring 33*. India won by 9 wickets and 187 balls to spare. Ravichandran Ashwin was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 4-25.

Fourth Match : March 6th 2015, India vs West Indies at Perth.
West Indies won the toss and chose to bat. Mohammed Shami was fit and he replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Chris Gayle who scored 215 against Zimbabwe failed to fire as he got out only for 21. West Indies saw their top order and middle order skittle out. They were 85-7 at one stage, when Sammy and captain Jason Holder stitched a 39 run partnership before the former got out. Jason Holder blazed his way to a second consecutive half century . Courtesy , Jason Holder , West Indies managed a mere 182. Shami who made his comeback , scalped 3 . Yadav and Jadeja took 2 apiece
India's start got off to a bad start , yet again with both the batsmen in the pavilion with just 20 runs on the board. Kohli and Rahane stitched a 43 run partnership , before Kohli top edged to long leg , to find Samuels. Rahane followed the dian vice captain quickly. Raina and MS Dhoni tried to stabilise the proceedings , but Raina nicked one. Jadeja tried to be aggressive , instead of giving MS Dhoni some hope of building a partnership. He miscued a pull , only to find Samuels ,who pouched after juggling with the ball twice. India needed 49 runs with MS Dhoni and Ashwin out in the middle. MS Dhoni batted sensibly , so did ,Ashwin. A six over third man , from MS Dhoni broke the shackles .
India cruised to victory after that. Mohammed Shami was adjudged the Man of the Match , though I felt , MS Dhoni deserved it because it wasn't as easy track to bat on with the likes of Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach firing all the cylinders.

Fifth Match : March 10th 2015, India vs Ireland at Hamilton
India's first match at New Zealand , got off to a shaky start after Ireland won the toss and chose to bat. Openers Porterfield and Stirling spanked the Indian bowling attack in the first 8 overs. The openers stitched an 89 run partnership with the captain, Porterfield getting to his half century . Niall O'Brien and captain , Porterfield , rotated and scored off lose balls , before the latter got out to Mohit Sharma for 67. The duo had added 53 runs in 84 balls. Ireland started batting aggressively . They raced to 208-5 in the 40th over losing the elder one of the Brien brothers in the 40th over. Ireland managed to score 259 runs. Shami and Ashwin were the star performers with the ball picking up 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
India got off to a flyer . Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan capitalised and played freely. One could see the inexperience of the Irish bowling attack. Both the openers got to their fifties , the first time in this World Cup and they played more freely once they got to their personal landmarks , before Rohit Sharma chopped one off Thompson , after scoring 64 , adding a 174 for the first wicket. The highest opening stand for India in World Cup History. Shikhar played sensibly along with the new man Virat and got to his hundred , his second of the tournament before perishing to Thompson. Virat and Ajinkya , came together and spanked the Irish bowling attack , finishing off the match with more than 13 overs to spare. The winning shot off Kohli was a special one. That crack it made from the bat , was an awesome one to watch. Shikhar Dhawan won the man of the match!

Sixth Match : March 14th 2015 , India vs Zimbabwe at Auckland.
India won the toss , and asked Zimbabwe to bat. Shami , Yadav and Mohit Sharma , accounted fir the first three wickets. Zimbabwe were struggling at 33-3 at the end of 11 overs , when Sean Williams came in hands with Brendan Taylor , the captain , who was playing his last match for Zimbabwe. Both the players were severe on Ashwin . Williams hocked Ashwin for two consecutive sixes over mid wicket and Brendan Taylor , did a Maxwell , reverse sweeping him . Ashwin , had the last laugh though , pouching an excellent catch of his own bowling accounting Sean Williams for 50. Brendan continued and was belligerent. He hoisted Jadeja for two humongous sixes and brought up his century with a brilliant upper cut. He was severe with his batting but got out for 138. He received a standing ovation from the crowd and as well as his team. It was a brilliant innings to sign off his career as a Zimbabwe cricketer. Raza and the other players tried hard , but couldn't touch the 300 mark. They were bowled out for 287 with Shami and Yadav picking up 3 wickets apiece.
Indian openers were back in the hut with only 21 runs on the board. Virat and Rahane stitched a 50 run partnership , before the latter was run out. In came Suresh Raina , who couldn't get much opportunity after the first match. He started cautiously. Just when things were starting to fall in India's place, Virat Kohli was bowled around his legs. India were 92-4 in the 23rdover needing another 196 runs. In walked MS Dhoni , who didn't get much time in the middle , except for the previous match. Raina was the aggressor and went on to score his fifty , after Hamilton Masakadza dropped him when he was on 48. Raina continued to bat with freedom and spanked the Zimbabwean attack. Meanwhile ,Dhoni who was playing the second fiddle , got to his 57th half century. Both of them batted extremely well after the batting power play and not to forget that India didn't lose any wicket during the power play. Raia blasted his way to 5th ODI century , first in 50 over World Cup becoming the only Indian to score a century in both t20 WC and 50 over WC. Dhoni finished off the chase with a six over square leg , finishing off with 85* off 76 balls , with 8 4s and 2 6s. Suresh Raina was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant 110* which was studded with 9 4s and 4 6s.

It was a complete team performance from India in all the 6 matches. The bowling attack , which was under the scanner , before the World Cup began , fired all the cylinders , picking up all 60 wickets in 6 matches and didn't concede a score above 300 runs , a feat which no team could achieve , in this World Cup. Batting was also excellent and fielding was top class. Not to forget MS Dhoni's captaincy as mentioned above. All the batsmen are in quite good form and the bowlers are all fired up. India face Bangladesh in the quarterfinals on 19th March 2015 , Thursday at Melbourne.
We are defending the World Cup.
#WontGiveItBack. :D