India arrived in Raipur with a sense of rising rhythm, carried by the glow of Virat Kohli’s second successive century and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s maiden ODI hundred. Under the bright floodlights and in front of 60,000 spectators, the scoreboard read 358 for 5, a total that felt full, loud and imposing. The atmosphere suggested a night that should belong to India. But cricket, as it often does in India’s final overs, posed a question the team still cannot answer. By the time the innings closed, that seemingly commanding total felt like a promise unkept.

Dew softened the ball and the bowlers in equal measure , but it could not blur the truth India have lived with for years: they do not have a finisher they trust. Aiden Markram’s century carried assurance, Matthew Breetzke brought urgency in the

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