MUMBAI: As the sun set over the Marine Drive, fans flocked the dividers on the road by hundreds. They braved the heat and pollution just to get a glimpse of their stars. The India team was scheduled for a practice session at the Wankhede Stadium here on Tuesday a day ahead of their all important semifinal against New Zealand.
The warm reception for the India team had been the same in every city they played. Their dominance in the group has raised fervent hope of an ODI World Cup triumph. The team, ably led by Rohit Sharma, won all their nine league games and is just two wins away from lifting that trophy in Ahmedabad on Sunday. In sporting parlance, the entire team has hit form at the right time.
Though the balance is tilted in India’s favour, the hosts know they have a big challenge in hand. Beating New Zealand, the same team that had beaten them four years ago in Old Trafford. The Kiwis, despite multiple injury concerns, managed to lick their wounds and bounce back. And they would love to shed the tag of dark horses and under-dogs once and for all this winter. Consistency had been their hallmark and when they face India they would be hoping this tenet doesn’t desert them.
India, however, know they have hit a purple patch. Whether it’s the bat or ball, the hosts had been the most dominant team making mockery of contests. While there are scars of the past - several semifinal losses in the last ten years - this team is not frazzled. India skipper Sharma captures the spirit quite succinctly, “I don’t see them talking about how we won the last World Cup, how we won our first one. The focus is on how they can get better as a player, what they can bring to the team and what are the things they need to improve. So that’s the beauty of the crop of players we have. The focus is always on the present.”
For the present it’s the semifinal they are focused on.