There were signs of this happening before. There were signs that India's jaw-dropping run might hit a roadblock once, if not more, in this T20 World Cup. And it has happened against a team that is as much complete as this Indian team is.
On Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India were not only defeated by South Africa by 76 runs but were also handed a reality check. A check that their batting juggernaut might have not been prepared for pitches like these. Might not have encountered conditions like these in the past bilateral series.
The bilateral illusion that never prepared India
In several bilateral series before this World Cup, India were thrashing opponents one after the other. India were ramping up scores in excess of 220 for fun. They were chasing targets for fun. But the fun seemed to be an illusion that might not have prepared for what is on offer in this World Cup. The pitches that India played on in their last few games before the tournament were all flat, filled with runs left, right and center.
India have put scored over 200 runs in four of their previous six games with three of them batting first. They made 231/5 against South Africa in Ahmedabad, 238/7 against New Zealand and a 271/5 against the Kiwis batting first. They chased down 209 with 28 balls remaining and 154 with 10 overs in hand.
These were some jaw-dropping batting efforts chalked in by a monstrous unit which has mostly been equipped with playing on flat pitches. The pitches in the T20 World Cup, overseen by the ICC, are different. These are the ones that are not that flat, have enough in it for the bowlers and are on the slower side despite these pitches being part of the Indian venues.
The heat that is on with title defence in jeopardy
The heat is now on. India might have just lost one game in this T20 World Cup, and first after winning 12 in a row. But such is the format of this tournament that even a loss can put you in danger of getting knocked out and India fear just that.
They will face Zimbabwe and the West Indies in their upcoming two clashes, and while many feel they will win both, even that won't guarantee them a spot in the next round as their huge loss to South Africa has taken a hit on their NRR.
India find themselves in a situation hardly ever seen before. They were not tested for these waters; their sails were sailing the boat pretty comfortably, until now, when they encounter home conditions that seem completely alien and one that they are not prepared for. The title defence is in danger, and India need to wake up pretty quickly, or else the dreams would be over in a blink.
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