By Kulbhushan Kain
Today is the final of the T20 World Cup. In most countries it is merely a sporting event. In India, it is something far deeper — almost a collective emotion, a shared heartbeat. Cricket in our country is not just a game; it is a religion. Stadiums become temples, players are elevated to demi-gods, and every delivery is watched with the devotion usually reserved for sacred rituals.
Sachin Tendulkar once said, “Sometimes people throw stones at you and you convert them into milestones.” That perhaps captures the strange intensity of cricket in India. A victory sends the nation into raptures; a defeat can plunge millions into gloom. The writer CLR James famously asked, “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” In India the answer is simple — we know life itself through cricket.
And today, the emotional temperature of the nation will be at boiling point.
Imagine the spectacle. A packed stadium of nearly a lakh people. Floodlights blazing. Music blaring. The who’s who of India in attendance — politicians, industrialists, Bollywood stars, and legendary cricketers from around the world. The air will be thick with anticipation, anxiety, and the hysteria that only cricket can produce in this country.
The cameras will pan across the crowd. Flags waving. Faces painted. Thousands chanting in unison. Somewhere in the middle of this carnival of nerves and excitement, the voice of Ravi Shastri will boom across the stadium as he strides out for the toss — that moment of theatre which he has turned into an art form.
“Ladies and gentlemen… it’s time for the toss!”
For the knowledgeable cricket lover, the toss itself may hold the key to the match.
To the casual viewer it seems trivial. To those who understand the subtleties of the game, it is often decisive. Should a team bat first or bowl first? The answer depends on two factors — the nature of the pitch and the mysterious but powerful role of the dew.
Many people do not fully understand how dew affects a cricket match. Let me try to explain.
Dew normally begins to settle after sunset and grows heavier as the evening progresses. In a night match this usually means the team batting second plays when the dew is at its peak. What does that do to the game?
First, the ball becomes wet and slippery. Bowlers struggle to grip it, particularly spinners whose art depends on finger control. Fielding too becomes tricky — catches slip, throws skid, and the entire exercise becomes a slightly hazardous business.
Secondly, dew settles on the pitch itself. When this happens the ball tends to skid on, coming beautifully onto the bat. A delivery that might normally grip or turn now slides invitingly into the hitting arc of the batsman.
Thirdly, the outfield becomes quicker. On a slightly damp surface the ball tends to race to the boundary even faster. What might have been a well-fielded two suddenly becomes four.
Thus the pitch, the ball, and the outfield are all subtly transformed by dew. In a T20 match — where the margins are wafer thin — these small advantages can tilt the balance decisively in favour of the team batting second.
This is why captains sometimes appear oddly relieved to lose the toss. As the great Australian captain Allan Border once quipped, “The only time you’re completely relaxed is when the toss is over.”
However, things are not so simple anymore. Groundsmen nowadays spray anti-dew chemicals on the outfield to neutralise the problem.
Assuming the dew factor is neutralised, the old debate returns: Should one set a target or chase one?
Personally, I would bat first.
There is a psychological advantage in putting runs on the board. The pressure of chasing in a World Cup final can be enormous. As the scoreboard ticks along relentlessly, the required rate begins to climb and anxiety creeps into the dressing room.
The disadvantage, of course, is that you do not know the exact target you should aim for. You cannot plan the innings with mathematical precision. Many captains would rather avoid that dilemma altogether.
But finals are not always won by logic — they are won by nerve.
Which brings us to the composition of the team.
There has been a great deal of buzz on social media suggesting that India should drop Abhishek Sharma, who has had a difficult tournament so far, and Varun Chakravarthy, who was taken apart in the last two matches.
My answer to that suggestion is an emphatic no.
Abhishek Sharma is far too gifted a player to suddenly lose faith in him on the eve of a final. Let us not forget that not very long ago he was ranked among the most dangerous batsmen in the world. Yes, he is slightly out of touch, but cricket history is full of stories where a great player rises at the most unexpected moment.
One innings — just one — can change everything.
Players of his calibre can win a match single-handedly.
The only argument for replacing him with someone like Rinku Singh would be fielding. Rinku is electric in the field. Even if he scores only 10 or 15 runs, he might save 20 with his athleticism and safe catching.
But this is not the moment to disturb the balance of a settled side.
As for Varun Chakravarthy, one must remember the nature of the pitch in the last game. Nearly 500 runs were scored. On such a surface no bowler — spinner or fast — was going to look good. It was a nightmare evening for bowlers.
There was however one tactical move in the semi-final that impressed me greatly — the promotion of Shivam Dube in the batting order.
Personally, I am not a great admirer of Suryakumar Yadav in this format at the moment. His strike rate has not been what the situation demands, yet he continues to hold his place. Perhaps the management feels that in a final one cannot change horses midstream.Even so, he should not be promoted above Ishan, Dube, or Hardik.
Let us turn to the opposition.
The New Zealand national cricket team enters the final as a formidable and disciplined side, captained by the calm and intelligent Mitchell Santner. Their strengths lie in a solid top-order batting lineup and a versatile bowling attack suited to Indian conditions. Explosive openers like Finn Allen provide quick starts, after a rapid semi-final century. Middle-order stability from Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, and Glenn Phillips offers depth. We need to be cautious of NZ’s disciplined pace attack and spin in the middle overs, which could choke scoring in Ahmedabad.
Ultimately – catches win matches! The difference could lie in who fields better. Here one must admit that New Zealand is a far superior fielding side. They throw the ball quicker, chase it faster and pluck it out of the air. Our team has some weak links – Dube, Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma… We can’t afford to drop catches or miss run outs. An underrated aspect of our win in the semifinal was our outstanding fielding. The catches and the run out were surreal.
If we can replicate it – then the Cup is coming home!
(Kulbhushan Kain is an award winning educationist with more than 4 decades of working in schools in India and abroad. He is a prolific writer who loves cricket, travelling and cooking. He can be reached at kulbhushan.kain@gmail.com)
