THE WORLD CUP SHOWDOWN
By Srian Obeyesekere
Cricket’s Fast Fad Fistful in a Swipe Hamburger is the Name of the Game Change to the world that has sped in a sizzler to the ICC’s T20 World Cup’s India versus New Zealand face off tonight holding out a Blockbuster decisive final at India’s Ahemadabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium of two side’s chasing fame, India back to back titles, and New Zealand’s dream of a major maiden world cup in white ball cricket in a gripping journey of the near invincibles ready to crack the other.
It is the very oneness of the two finalists seething in the gripping fire power the short format is known for, hosts India in an impregnable insulation off setting the absence of its super stars former captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli when they won it last time to a new exciting mixture of explosive batsmen holding forth, and New Zealand in a new found thrust of a whiz kid batter in a firing from the hip Finn Allen, typically symbolising the cowboy cricket the T20 defines that has taken the big show by storm in the Kiwis looking near unstoppable by the mannerism of thundering to the finals.
Indeed, it is this lurking explosive action the 10th edition of the extravaganza holds to cricket immersed millions of two great teams all set to bleed the other to cup destiny of different reasons of making history that has electrified the pre-match momentum to cup glory.
That India, marshalled by Sharma’s successor Suryakumar Yadav has swept through to a step away from a historic successive world cup on the strength of a largely new young order that has found a spring in its step in a last minute fusion of a player brought in from the cold in Sanju Samson to whom just before that it looked the end of a career to becoming India’s new kid in town taking over the torch from a sudden form dipping explosive Abhishek Sharma to slashing two sizzling match winning knocks of 97 and 84 that stopped a threatening England and West Indies in their tracks, has certainly muscled the host team in a high octane showdown pitch to throwing the gauntlet at New Zealand.
Samson India’s answer to New Zealand’s Finn Allen .
While Samson has risen as the leader in a pack of the volatile where it can yet be the explosive No 1 rated T20 batter, Abhishek Sharma’s day, the brutal willow works of Allen’s 33 ball record smashing knock that put Chris Gayle into oblivion, has added the thunder to the hype as to the ultimate winner takes all showdown. The Kiwis in like manner boast of a compatible batting side capable of changing the course of a game.
Overly, both sides are tempered with an awesome spread of all-round talent capable of dictating terms.
Courtesy Sri Lanka Cricket