The Fantastico 3 who made 2-1 Come-From-Behind Series Win against Sri Lanka Possible!!

India needed to win both the games in Ranchi and Vizag after their meltdown in Pune to the swinging ball on a green pitch. And win they did, in style, securing a come from behind 2-1 victory over the depleted Sri Lankan side in the three match T20I series. This series win was very important because it gives them the bragging rights ahead of the bigger and tougher multi nation events like the Asia Cup T20I's and the World T20 where they might again run into the Lankan side.

There were several architects who made this series win possible for India. Let us look at the Fantastico 3 who made the greatest impact on the Lankans with their skills.

R Ashwin

India did not have a big score to defend at Pune and the pitch was green, aiding the pace bowlers, but that did not stop Ashwin from spinning a web around the Lankan batsmen. He claimed 3-0-13-2 to scare the Lankan's and made sure that they did not stroll to a victory. At Ranchi, on a dry pitch which offered him assistance, Dhoni called on him to open the bowling. He responded in style picking up the dangerous Dilshan in his first over and returned later to claim Shanaka and Perera to return with astounding figures of 4-0-14-3.

But it was at Vizag that he showed his full repertoire after Dhoni decided to bowl first on a batting pitch. Ashwin claimed Dilshan and Dickwella in his first over while snaffling their captain, Chandimal in his second and Gunaratne in his third over to kill the Lankan innings. His figures of 4-1-8-4 were the best ever in T20I's by an Indian bowler. He had a Fantastico series and kept the Lankan batsmen on a tight leash, they failed to read and decipher his variations completely.

Ashwin is a bowler who is at the peak of his powers, able to land the ball in the right areas with flight and guile using the multitude of variations to fool the opposition batsmen. He bowled 11 overs in total taking 9 wickets at a strike rate of only 7 while giving away only 35 runs in the bargain. He was the most impact player for India who played the biggest part in the 2-1 victory.

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan is probably the weakest link in this Indian batting line, who had a modest T20I record prior to this series but he was the highest run getter in this series and sealed his spot at the top of the order with his big hitting which helped India seize the initiative in both their victories. He blasted a 25 ball 51 at Ranchi to give them a rousing start while Rohit was struggling at the other end while making an unbeaten 46 in 46 balls while chasing the small total in the last T20I.

He made 103 runs at an average of 53 with a strike rate of 126 runs per hundred balls on pitches which were not easy to bat on this playing a very important role in India's series victory.

Ashish Nehra

He had made a dream comeback against Australia last month and had impressed with his swing and wicket taking ability with the new ball playing an important role in India's whitewash over the Australian team. But question marks remained if he would be able to bowl well on the flat Indian pitches and he responded in style by picking up 5 wickets in the three games.

He swung the new ball and provided India with an early breakthrough in every game thus pegging the Lankans back at the very start of their innings.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Impact of Indian Pace Bowling in the WT20 2016, India

It is the spin bowlers that are expected to do the bulk of the damage when it comes to Indian pitches and the sub-continental conditions in general but the importance of having good pace bowlers who can give you a few handy overs to begin with and who can bowl accurately at the death are priceless. Most of the teams in the ICC WT20 2016 will play 2 frontline pace bowlers and they will have to give their respective teams a good start so that the spinners are not under pressure when they come in. Out of the two likely pacers that India will play, one is almost a 37 year old making a dream comeback while the other is a starry eyed 22 year old peppy youngster who’s just made his international debut.

Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra made his international debut for India in 1999 but he has thus far played in only 17 tests and 120 ODI’s for India, a very low number of games indeed for someone of his calibre. But his career was marred by several injuries and despite of numerous good performances he would always be side-lined due to his long breaks away from the game. He was recalled to the Indian side for their 3 match T20 series against Australia last month and he showed that he still retained the pace and wiles of old.

He thuds in to the bowling crease and possesses all the variations with a prominent and vicious in-swinger that can defeat even the most accomplished batsman. Possessing the natural left-arm seamers angle he can be a difficult customer for a right hand batsman to negotiate when the ball is doing a bit off the pitch or in the air. Although he picked up only 2 wickets in the T20I series down under, his experience of playing on the Indian tracks will be invaluable.

Impact Rating – 6.5/10

Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah made his T20 debut against Australia down under and immediately impressed everybody who saw him. Owing to a bustling run up and a unique bowling action he hurried even the Australian batsmen who are accustomed to facing quick bowlers. The most impressive aspect of his bowling was that he seemed unfazed by the pressure and maintained his cool even in the death overs. His yorkers, which he landed at the base of the leg stump and was accurate with them, made life difficult for every Australian batsman batting at the death. He was the highest wicket taker in the three match series with 6 wickets and was hailed by the Indian skipper as the find of the tour.

He will be a key impact player for India as they have always struggled to control the leakage of runs at the death and Bumrah with his skiddy action and a penetrative yorker can well provide the answer to Dhoni’s call in that regards.

Impact rating – 7/10

India also have Mohammed Shami who is the third pacer in the squad but he is still not a certainty for the mega event as he is recovering from an injury. India have two very good fast bowling options who can deliver match winning spells for them even in the Indian conditions.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.