00:00Sonny Gavaskar to join us live on our broadcast to talk about the win that the Indian team has just
00:06put together.
00:07Sonny Bhai, yes, we are all celebrating, as you saw the pictures there on our screen,
00:12we're all celebrating this particular win, but you'd have to say, I'm sure, like me,
00:17you may have been biting your nails too, narrow escape for the Indian team in the end?
00:24Yes, you can say it's a narrow escape, because, look, when you score over 250, most teams generally win,
00:32and therefore, win comfortably, but because this is such a good pitch, this is such a good pitch to bat
00:37on,
00:37and England also had depth in batting, that's why the result was such a close one.
00:43Okay, yes, it was a good pitch to bat on, as Mr. Gavaskar there is suggesting,
00:48and that wouldn't have been easy then.
00:51Because you're talking about the good pitch and the amount of runs that India has leaked,
00:55I'll get to the batting, which was the positive for India,
00:58but let's talk about the runs that India leaked.
01:01Lots of questions there, then, for the Indian bowlers to answer after this performance?
01:10Yes, I think the question could be that, you know, I think they didn't get,
01:13they have to decide which line to attack.
01:16And the first six overs are very difficult, first six overs become crucial.
01:20That is where they've got to get their line absolutely right.
01:23If they can get their line right, they can maybe not go for 15, 20 runs and over.
01:28But if you start to go for 15 runs and over, at the start itself,
01:32that when you're talking about in the first six overs,
01:34you're looking at 70 runs, 80 runs being taken off your bowling,
01:37and that means that the opposition has got off to a good start.
01:41One very interesting thing, Sahiba, and I'll share this with our viewers as well.
01:44When India were cruising, they had got 253, then got quick wickets of England.
01:49I was on a WhatsApp with you discussing that, you know, maybe the game will be early.
01:54Maybe we'll do our show pretty early.
01:56And you warned me, you said, no, wait and watch.
01:58This is going to be a close game.
02:00Who knows, England might win too.
02:02I want to know, in that scenario where I think the win predictor was probably
02:06not even giving 1% chance to England,
02:09you were the one who said, no, this is going to be a close encounter.
02:13What prompted you to say that?
02:14What is it that you were watching on the ground that you thought,
02:17this can be close from there?
02:21Well, what prompted me is the fact that, you know,
02:24England has got also backing debt.
02:26And because of the backing debt,
02:28what they needed was a couple of partnerships.
02:30When you're chasing in a partnership where, you know,
02:33you're scoring at almost two runs a ball.
02:36So, I mean, if you've got a, you get 60 or 30 deliveries,
02:40a partnership with 60 or 30 deliveries,
02:42that kind of a partnership was needed.
02:44And you wanted somebody to play the innings of his life.
02:46And I think that is exactly what happened.
02:51That's true.
02:52That's true.
02:52You needed some sort of a partnership.
02:54England got that together.
02:55But I think they'd lost too many wickets by the end.
02:58And, of course, India also notched up a record total.
03:01It was never going to be easy.
03:03Fair to say, Sahibai, once again,
03:05that man, every time I look at India's performance with the ball,
03:08he stands out, Jaspreet Bumrah.
03:10Today picks up one wickets.
03:12Also, economy, eight and a half,
03:14according to his standards, may be high.
03:16But I'm looking at a game where 500 runs have been scored.
03:19And he bowls the tough overs,
03:21the crucial overs for India,
03:22and goes with that economy.
03:24Was Jaspreet Bumrah the difference today, once again?
03:30Jaspreet Bumrah was the difference,
03:32because he is the kind of bowler
03:33who will occasionally be taken in an over for some runs,
03:36but he will also get you wickets.
03:38And he'll bowl you the most important over.
03:40So, therefore, I think he was the big difference.
03:43And I think that is somewhere where
03:45I think the other bowlers should be learning.
03:48Arspreet also bowled one good over.
03:49But always, you know, after the fifth,
03:52the sixth ball is the one which actually sets the batters free.
03:55And that is something that India really needs to work on.
03:59That you bowl five good deliveries,
04:00but the sixth ball goes for a sixth.
04:02That means that the all over has been,
04:05you know, the opposition has made up for that.
04:08Yeah, that's the other thing is a very pertinent point
04:10that Mr. Gavaskar is alluding to.
04:13You bowl a few good deliveries,
04:14but it's those one or two bad balls in an over
04:17that actually puts pay to all the previous efforts
04:20that you've had.
04:21But Saiwai, you know, we look at the scorecard.
04:24I spoke to you about Jaspreet Bhumra,
04:27his economy rate.
04:28I'm going to talk to you about Sanju Samsung, 89.
04:31Now, these are standout performers
04:33that you can look at the scorecard and say,
04:35yes, great contribution.
04:37One thing that will not be shown on the scorecard
04:40was Akshar Patel's contribution while fielding.
04:43Now, fielding has been that one area
04:45that was India's problem leading up to this semifinal.
04:48I know you are one of those rare players
04:50that is, I don't think a lot of our viewers know,
04:53he got a man of the match for catching,
04:55for taking multiple catches in a game.
04:58I don't think Akshar will, Saiwai,
04:59get a man of the match today
05:00because there are better performers there
05:02like Sanju Samsung.
05:04But just tell us a bit about those catches
05:06that Akshar took and that,
05:09how did that contribute to India's win?
05:13Yes, big, big contribution.
05:15Particularly that catch of Will Jax,
05:17because he ran 24 meters to his left,
05:19took the catch at the presence of mind
05:21to toss the ball up to Shivam Dubey,
05:23who also had the presence of mind
05:25to converge on the ball and to take that catch.
05:29So, I think that was the big difference.
05:31Yes, I think the earlier catch also
05:32was an outstanding catch.
05:34But that time,
05:35when the partnership between Betel
05:37and Jax were taking the game away from India,
05:40for Akshar Patel to complete that catch
05:42was absolutely out of this world.
05:45Saiwai, I promised to our viewers
05:47that we'll also talk about Sanju Samsung.
05:50You know, consistency is that attribute.
05:52We don't look at Sanju Samsung for,
05:55or we don't, you know,
05:56appreciate that bit of his batting.
05:58We know that he's got stroke play.
06:00He looks very attractive to the eye
06:01when he's really timing it well.
06:03But consistency is something
06:05that we've seen from him in this tournament.
06:07That virtual quarterfinal versus West Indies,
06:09now 89 versus England in a semifinal.
06:13Fair to say, at the moment,
06:14he's just batting on a different planet?
06:21Batting on a different planet, you could say.
06:23He's batting, you know,
06:23as if he's seeing the ball as big as the planet,
06:26as if he's seeing the ball as big as the full moon today.
06:29Because, you know,
06:30some of the shots were just outstanding.
06:31There was that front foot pole
06:33of a Joppa archer for a six,
06:35which went into the first floor
06:37of the Tendulkar stand.
06:39It just tells you,
06:40and that ball wasn't a slow delivery.
06:42It was goal at about 148 kilometers per hour.
06:44And yet, Sanju Samsung at the time,
06:47he get under it and hit it
06:48over that wide long on
06:49for a massive six.
06:51Then, with the drives along the ground,
06:54with the cut shots that he played,
06:55you know, the full shots,
06:57of course, he's very, very good at that.
06:59He gave you an exhibition of pure batting.
07:01And, you know, in T20 cricket,
07:03purity in batting is very seldom seen.
07:05Because there's a lot of cross-tap charts, etc.
07:08A lot of, you know, sort of slug shots.
07:11But in Sanju Samsung's innings,
07:12you hardly ever saw that.
07:14You didn't see that
07:15against the West Indies in Kolkata.
07:17And you didn't see that today as well.
07:19Brilliant batting.
07:21I can't help but think of the occasions,
07:24and the venue.
07:26And you'd get what I'm trying to get to.
07:29The last time India-England played
07:31such an important semifinal of a World Cup
07:34on this particular venue,
07:36you were part of that team.
07:37In fact, that was your last game
07:39for the Indian team.
07:40That semifinal,
07:41everyone was backing India in 1987.
07:44India lost to England
07:46in that semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium.
07:48Since then,
07:49this is the first time India has played England
07:51in a World Cup semifinal
07:53at the Wankhede.
07:54That time you were there as a player,
07:56faced disappointment.
07:57This time as a commentator.
07:59I know not the same thing,
08:01but some sort of retribution
08:02you'd consider this one?
08:07Yes, I think I don't have my happy memories
08:10of my last ever match for India,
08:12where in the semifinal,
08:14England beat India
08:15in the first World Cup
08:16that was played away from England
08:18under the Lions World Cup at home.
08:19So I don't have many happy memories.
08:21And therefore, you know,
08:23whenever there's a semifinal
08:25in Mumbai,
08:26in the Wankhede Stadium,
08:27you just tend to feel a little bit nervous
08:29that this was an outstanding performance.
08:31to keep your nerve the way that they did,
08:35despite the fact that
08:36they were getting a hammering
08:36in the middle of us,
08:38it really speaks volumes
08:39of this team's character.
08:42Today, of course,
08:42India's won the game,
08:44and we'll obviously analyse
08:46what are the areas
08:49that India will have to work on
08:50ahead of that final.
08:51But just briefly,
08:52if I could pick your braids
08:54after this semifinal,
08:55any areas that worry you a bit
08:58about this Indian team
08:59ahead of that final?
09:04I think it's the bowling
09:05in the power play.
09:08And, you know,
09:09because the bowlers
09:09are not bowling to their field.
09:11I might say it's difficult
09:12to just two fielders
09:13outside the 30-metre circle
09:15to be able to restrict the runs.
09:17But one can understand
09:19the shots that are played.
09:20But, you know,
09:21when you are allowing the batters
09:22to play all the reverse sweep
09:24on all the different shots,
09:25because you're bowling
09:26a different line,
09:27that makes it difficult
09:28to then control the flow of runs.
09:31I know you've been
09:32very generous with your time,
09:33but one final question
09:34before we let you go.
09:36I know this 100 by Jacob Bethel
09:38comes in a losing cause.
09:41Nonetheless,
09:42talk to us a bit
09:43about this youngster,
09:44just, what,
09:4522 years of age.
09:47He's been in the IPL as well,
09:49an all-rounder.
09:50But the kind of knock
09:51that he played
09:52at such a young age
09:53on such a big stage,
09:55what does this tell you
09:56about Jacob Bethel?
09:59Oh, it's a brilliant 100.
10:00I mean,
10:01from somebody
10:02who's been talked about
10:03so highly in England
10:05as the future of England
10:06batting along
10:07with their skipper,
10:07Harry Brook.
10:09Brilliant, absolutely.
10:10Because, again,
10:11the kind of renovativeness
10:12that he showed,
10:13some of the shots
10:13that he played,
10:14some of the control
10:15that he had
10:15over the shots
10:17that he played,
10:17some of the shots
10:18that were up in the air
10:19for sixes
10:20and some of the shots
10:21that he played
10:21along the ground
10:22for boundaries.
10:23Basically,
10:24he just seemed to know
10:25where the fielders
10:26were not standing.
10:27And he was hitting the ball
10:28between those fielders
10:30and getting the boundaries.
10:32So,
10:32outstanding batting.
10:34And really,
10:35I think 100
10:36in any form of the game
10:38is amazing.
10:39But 100 in a T20
10:40where you hardly ever
10:42get too many deliveries
10:43to play,
10:43play yourself in
10:44who is out of the world.
10:47Right.
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