Sportsnob – Critics Corner

The time has come again when the two most entertaining nations clash for what could be a turning point in contemporary Test Match Cricket. The much-anticipated Test series between India and Australia gets underway in Bangalore on Thursday. A number of players on the Indian side are heading towards retirement and this is a brilliant opportunity for these cricketers to bow out on a high.  Beating Australia in a test series irrespective of the location is something not many cricketers have experienced. For India this is the last series where the fab four will be playing together and it will be interesting to see if they can come good and guide India to a comprehensive test series victory. It has been over 10 years since a country has beaten Australia comprehensively in Test Cricket.

For a change, after a decade India has been tipped to be the favourites for the test series. With the Australians relatively inexperienced to the sub-continent conditions it throws open a big opportunity for India to repeat the performance of 2001. 6 players who took part in that great series are still present whereas there are only 2 from the Australian side.

India’s Chances

Despite the old age, the batting strength and the experience is with India. Gambhir and Sehwag have been in good form recently. Although there is some pressure on Rahul Dravid; he is due some runs and there is no better time to get them. Sachin Tendulkar is 77 runs behind Lara’s world record of scoring the maximum number of Runs in Test Cricket. Sachin will have a special place for himself in Test Cricket and the whole country is waiting to witness this moment. Very Very Special Laxman who has been the main nemesis for Australia over the years will try to continue to haunt his favourite opponents. He has always been behind the shadows of the Sachin and Dravid but would like to his list of marquee performances against the Australians.The Batting is completed by Saurav Ganguly who would like to finish on a high and only time will answer this. As usual India’s arsenal is strengthened by the presence of the two spinning stalwarts who are yet again India’s main hope in a home series. Dhoni, Zaheer and Ishant complete the line up and all are potential threats to the Aussies. Overall a great squad and should do exceedingly well if they play to their potential. 

Australia’s Chances

Australia is definitely the weaker of the two teams and this is a true test of Australia’s reserve pool of players. The scene is perfect for the young cricketers to prove themselves. They have been in the country for over 2 weeks and they will look to up the tempo. Bangalore has never been favourable to India and this could is probably the best venue where the visitors could have started. The batting has plenty of class with the likes of Hayden, Ponting, Clarke and Hussey. They are the batting mainstay and it is very vital that two of these four players click every game if they want to compete.  With only 4 players ever playing a test in India the team needs collective performances if they are to pull off a series winSimon Katich has been in great nick and the team management will be looking to him to give the team good starts. Watson and White are multi-faceted players who can change the course of the match. None of the bowlers have ever played a Test in India and it is going to be a tough challenge for them to bowl under these conditions. Lee leads the pace attack and will be raring to get some wickets in the bag. The Australians are in transition mode and are looking to fill the gaps left by Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist. The following four tests will show the resilience of this great cricketing nation.

Predictions: 

I am guessing it will be a closely fought series which should end in a deadlock with the series score reading 1-1. My mind says India could clinch the series 2-1 but my heart says that the Australians will probably nick it 2-1

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.

In a brilliant display of teamwork, commitment, and maturity, the Indian cricket team beat Australia 2-0 in the best of three finals to lift the Commonwealth Bank triseries in Australia. The second final in particular was an absolute humdinger and the manner in which youngsters responded in the pressure cooker situation was nothing short of remarkable. This is definitely the Indian team’s most notable achievement in the 50 over format in years and should prove to be a fantastic springboard for more success over the next couple of years.

All round performance gives India vital victory:

It is true that the Indian victory at the SCG and at the Gabba was set up by the little champion Sachin Tendulkar, but it is heartening to see that several individuals contributed over the two matches. From Rohit Sharma’s patient 50 that helped India chase down 240 in the final to Harbhajan’s crucial blows in the middle overs to Praveen Kumar’s spectacular 4 for 46 in the second final, both the finals had enough instances of Indian players stepping up during crucial moments. What was so remarkable about the matches is the fact that not one Australian player barring James Hopes was able to lift their game in either of the games.

Vindication of selection policy:

India’s success in the triseries is not just a vindication of MS Dhoni’s captaincy skills but is also a shot in the arm for the selection committee that has been trumpeting the need to promote rookies at the expense of experienced warhorses. There has been a lot of criticism of the policy that has led to the introduction of several youngsters at one time rather than in phases. But, to the credit of the selection committee it has to be said that they gave the captain the team he wanted.

Fantastic climax to a long tour:

With this victory, an eventful Australian tour that will go down in history not for the runs scored but for the insults traded finally come to an end in a moment of triumph for Indian cricket. This victory will also hopefully give the Indian and Australian medias enough things to write about without having to resort to articles about the childish behaviour of the two sides. But mostly, I am hoping that this is not another false dawn for Indian cricket, and that this team can start putting together good performances consistently and is more than just a mere collection of several stars as has been the case for many years.