India show courage and conviction when pushed to a familiar corner

It took only twelve balls for KL Rahul, India's No.5, to be ushered right back into the cauldron. A substitute fielder ran in alongside him with a bottle of electrolyte water for the other batter waiting in the middle, Virat Kohli. Rahul helped himself to a swig too before tapping gloves with his partner and beginning his own pre-batting rituals. He had made different plans for 6.45 PM. A refreshing shower after 49.3 overs of 'keeping was among them. He'd hoped there would then be some time to put his feet up. But there he was, out to handle the heat in the kitchen once more.

It was a sweltering evening in Chennai to mark the start of India's World Cup campaign, the kind that is never understood unless it is experienced. Sweat drips everywhere, off the forehead, the eyebrows, behind the knee caps. All this when you are just standing. On Sunday afternoon, support staff members walked around the boundary with towels, offering to dry the fielders' shirts. It was muggy heat of the kind that can muddle thoughts and cloud judgements. Throw into this vessel of discomfort a tricky two-paced wicket and bowlers of the ilk of Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc and it was a fertile land for latent peril.

As it was for Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, who tried to attack and counter-attack respectively. There was understandable apprehension that the softer ball would prove to be tougher to score against later in the innings against Adam Zampa and Co. as it had been in the game between these two sides here in March. All of this jeopardy combined to leave India at 2 for 3, the first time in their ODI history when three of their top-four batters were dismissed without scoring.

This is the kind of trouble India have slipped into in decisive closing junctures of ICC tournaments.