To the semis

India had 3 matches in the Super 8s. Against NZ, England & SA. Having lost to the Kiwis in an unremarkable display, there was no way out but to win the remaining 2 matches against formidable opposition - the two most experienced teams in the T20 format. Don't forget the tours India had been on before this tournament, to SA & England where they'd lost 4-0 & 4-3 respectively in the ODI series.

So this was a chance at levelling the score.

England had been dispatched on Wednesday night. And redeem themselves India did against SA last night. What was remarkable was the fight they showed. On a green brand new pitch, tailor-made for the Protean quicks, it was India (33-3 at one stage) who managed to post a credible 153 batting first & then turned it on during the Proteas' chase. As Ravi Shatri said, the SAs "were caught with their pants down in their own den". A remarkable fielding & bowling performance it was, totally uncharacteristic going by India's past performances.

I stayed up till 1:30 in the morning on a weekday to watch the whole match & loved every moment of it. What has also been remarkable in these last few days is my sense of premonition. I've predicted the defeat to NZ & the wins against England & SA correctly. As well as the 6 6s by Yuvraj if you go by my previous post. And Dhoni becoming ODI captain.

Having said that I'll go on print with my next prediction .... since the semi final line up is Ind vs Aus & Pak vs NZ, the final will be between India & NZ. NZ had beaten India in the final of the ICC Chamions' Trophy of 2000. This final will be India's moment of redemption.