2
Runs made by Adam Gilchrist in his final innings before he edged Praveen Kumar and decided to walk. It brought to an end one of the most successful careers over the past decade, which has included three world cups, over 70 test victories and a world record for test dismissals for wicket keepers. But sometimes stats do not tell the entire story, because Adam Gilchrist has been one of the best entertainers the game has ever seen, and also as one of the best all rounders of all time. One can safely say that he will be the third name put down in an all time test XI (after the Don and Sobers). Gilchrist was also a fantastic ambassador for Australia and needless to say, international cricket will miss him.
5
Number of matches won by India on the tour out of a possible 8 (two were washed out). 2 against the Lankans and 3 against the Aussies.
8
The number of batsmen who finished with an average of more than 35 and yet it was one of the most fun tournaments in living memory! Who said we need flat decks and 300 runs every 50 to have exciting one-day internationals?
10
Number of wickets taken by Praveen Kumar in three matches, including 4 in the second final at the Gabba. Watching Praveen Kumar bamboozle the Australian top order with his prodigious swing, it was hard to imagine that the guy is just 21 and would have almost thrown away his international career by joining the ICL. His performances again proved what a shrewd cricketing brain Dhoni has. Few captains would have backed Praveen Kumar because of his obvious lack of pace, but Dhoni rightly spotted that he would cause problems with his swing. Another one for the future.
14
Number of wickets taken by Ishant Sharma. No doubt the find of the tour and one to watch out for. Hopefully, the selectors and the team management will groom him and not let him go the way of countless other promising youngsters before him.
24
Average age of the Indian team. Who said you don’t win anything with kids? The average of the Australian team? 33. India had one player above the age of 30 (Tendulkar) whereas the Australians had just three players under 30. As I pointed out before, this was a shot in the arm for not just the selection committee but also for Dhoni’s captaincy. Moving forward, the introduction of youth at the expense of the experienced warhorses will probably take place with less drama.
67
Runs made by Ricky Ponting in 9 innings if one removes the 124 he made against India. Thats an average of 7 runs per innings.
208
Runs made by Sachin Tendulkar in the two finals of the tournament. He had had a largely forgettable tournament till that point with just 191 runs from 8 innings leading fans and former players to wonder whether the time had come for Tendulkar to go the way of both Dravid and Ganguly. But in two fantastic innings, Tendulkar turned it all around taking India to victory. It wasn’t as glamorous as the two knocks in Sharjah over a decade back but it was memorable to watch the way Sachin use his strengths to the maximum and guide youngsters such as Uthappa and Rohit Sharma. Needless to say, I fully expect the little master to carry on till 2011.
440
Total runs scored by Gautam Gambhir in the tournament. To be very honest, I have never been a big fan of the Delhi youngster, always had the feeling that he would struggle against the top teams in tough conditions but did he prove me wrong! Gambhir had a fantastic series and topped the runs charts scoring two centuries in the process. His 113 against Australia was a innings of the highest quality and proved that he has the maturity to play at the top level. Pity that he didn’t do well in the final, but then its a good thing that a certain Mr. Tendulkar stepped up.
100000000
Amount in Rupees that the BCCI has decided is a suitable award for the Indian team for winning the tournament. If you think 10 crores is a big amount, consider this- MS Dhoni will get Rs 6 crores for turning out for Chennai Kings for the IPL.
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Great reading, that – I’ve been surprised by Gambhir too, fair play to him!
Who said you don’t win anything with kids? I think it was Alan Hansen, but the only brains he had were in his boots (they were fantastic boots btw), so I wouldn’t pay too much attention to him
There might be a correlation between the pitches in the series and Ponting’s form – he’s always needed a batsman’s track to get going, IMO. Of course, when he Does get going, it’s something else. Thankfully it hasn’t happened against India too often in the recent past.