After The IPL Shindig, The More Serious World Cup!

As the IPL has offered a mixed bag of fortunes, introspection is the key for Kohli’s men before they board the flight to England for the World Cup.

- Hari Kishore M

As the IPL has offered a mixed bag of fortunes, introspection is the key for Kohli’s men before they board the flight to England for the World Cup.

Mumbai Indians created history when it became the first team to win four Indian Premier League titles. Meticulous planning and excellent execution, with the champion players seizing the crucial moments, were the perfect ingredients which resulted in a fourth title.

The Rohit Sharma-led men were clinical from the word go. Known to peak late, they reserved the best for the crunch situations and finished the league engagements on the pinnacle. While decimating eventual finalist Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier was a dress rehearsal, pipping CSK in the final, by the narrowest of margins, was the icing on the cake.

IPL and World Cup

This is the first time the IPL is preceding a World Cup. Although the two formats are like apples and oranges, the IPL has been instrumental in fast-trackingmany international careers.

As many as eight players from the teams that played this final would be figuring in the World Cup at the end of the month.

Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was exemplary. In trusting Lasith Malinga to bowl the final over despite the paceman’s shoddy three overs earlier speaks a lot of Rohit’s acumen. The Mumbai skipper isn’t the one to shyaway fromtaking chances and that served the team well.

AlthoughHardik Pandya had amediocre outing in the IPL final, the league has been a learning curve for the all-rounder in handling crunch situations. Hardik’s ability to clear the ropes at will and send down economical overs in the middle should augur well for India.