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.

The interest in the lives of the Bachchan family, India’s continued love affair with King Shahrukh Khan,the effigy burning in Kolkotta every time time Saurav Ganguly is dropped and Bangalore’s continued infrastructure problems. There are some things that never stop and now one can safely add one more to that list- the juvenile almost moronic tussle between the Indian and Australian teams.

In the latest episode, Australian opener Matthew Hayden referred to Indian spinner as an obnoxious weed further adding fuel to the fire that has raged through the summer. To be fair to Hayden, it is easy to understand where all the frustration was coming from- the fact that Andrew Symonds and him are state mates and best friends. But for a man who is 37 (thats right 37!) and who is not exactly known for good on-field behaviour to make such a remark is simply astounding. And why was it necessary to make this comment in such a turbulent time just speaks volumes of Hayden’s maturity. He would do well to learn from his opening partner- Adam Gilchrist.

Further, in the same radio interview, Matthew Hayden went on to wind up Ishant Sharma (a 19 year old to put things in context) by challenging him to a boxing match. Pure mental disintegration if you ask me and I am just hoping that Ishant doesn’t catch the bait and turn up in the one-day finals, emotionally wound up. And you can be certain that if either Harbhajan or Ishant react to this on the field, Hayden and Ponting will run up to the umpires and complain.

Petty behavior showing both teams in poor light:

There is not much that can be done about the influence of BCCI on world cricket, but both teams can behave better. Over the past decade, the Australian team’s performances on the field have probably made it the best in the history of the game but in their behaviour, they have more resembled the classroom bully (and I am not exaggerating here) than world champions. Their behavior is purely shaped to provoke the opposition (and Hayden’s remark has taken it off the field as well) but their response to criticism is standard- “we play the game hard but play it fair”.

India’s bunch of tyros (Sreesanth, Harbhajan and the likes) needlessly get into verbal spars with the Australian team and continuously go to the media making needless remarks. They would do well to learn from men like Dhoni and Kumble who continue to perform without mouthing off at every given opportunity. Again, I am all for aggressive cricketers who wear their hearts on their sleeve but again their behaviour has frankly been over the top.

Not looking forward to the October tour:

In case you didn’t know, the Australian team is touring Indian this October playing four tests in all. Somehow, the events of the past three months have made me realize that I am just not looking forward to the tour. The cricket is going to be exciting but the whole tour is just going to be full of insults, accusations and counter accusations. Further, I am dead sure that the BCCI will instruct the curators to create complete spinning wickets to ensure that the Indian team wins (news flash: our best performance in Australia was on a wicket that offered swing). I am all for spin and turn but not on the first day!

A sledging ban in the offing:

There is no other sport in the world where teams from such diverse cultures play each other with so much regularity while representing their national teams (you cant say Football cause International Football takes place for about 30 days every calendar year). What continues to amaze me is that neither the Australian team or the Indian team tries and understands the way of life of the other. What is perceived as personal banter in one culture is an insult in the other. Call it mental disintegration or sledging, personal attacks should not be a part of the game- be it on or off the field and this must go. And considering the clout of the BCCI and the subcontinent teams, chances are that it will be banned sooner rather than later.

If the ICC continues to shove things under the carpet, sooner rather than later this whole thing is going to explode just like the Harbhajan controversy a month back. Till then, Cricket Australia and the BCCI will do well to instruct their players to keep their lips sealed.

9
Anil Kumble

20 wickets with a wicket every 54 balls and 179 runs at 30 do not reflect the entire story. For this series will be remembered for the way Anil Kumble captained the Indian team. After the surprise resignation of Rahul Dravid as captain it seemed for a while that MS Dhoni would be unfairly given the burden of the test team captaincy as well till common sense prevailed and the selectors saw the fact that a true leader had been present in the team all these years. The way Kumble handled himself through the Sydney fiasco, his handling of the young pace bowlers and the decision to bring back Sehwag have all but proved that Indian cricket will have a lot of stability and intelligence at the top for the next twenty four months.

8.5
Sachin Tendulkar:

There are some sportsmen who transcend trivialities such as rivalry, competition and nationality to be loved by fans all over. The manner in which Australian fans treated the little champion is not only an indicator of Sachin’s talent but also of the way he has carried himself over the past two decades. Sachin had a fabulous series with two hundreds and a couple of fifties but the failure to see out the last day in Sydney must still rankle him. There is talk that he might do another tour in 2012 and if he can somehow find the right balance between one-day and test cricket, who can knock the master out of the team.

8
RP Singh

Indian fans owe a big thank you to the coach and staff of Leicestershire. For it was at a short stint in the county that RP Singh was able to hone his action. The results since then have been remarkable. And 13 wickets at a strike rate of 54 in three test matches have proved that he has what it takes to succeed at this level. Whether he can stay fit remains to be seen.

Ishant Sharma

The find of the series! If you haven’t watched the way he troubled Ponting already do it now! Sharma reminds me a lot of Mohammed Asif; tall, lanky and the ability to hit the deck repeatedly. Again, the management and selectors will need to ensure that he doesn’t go the way of men like L Balaji and Asish Nehra or go through the same phase that Pathan did. A real talent and one for the future.

7.5
VVS Laxman

Laxman continued his fairy tale romance with the Australian bowling and the Sydney Cricket Ground. A glorious hundred and a couple of fine fifties defined Laxman’s series. There should be no more questions regarding his slot in the test squad. He has been If only India could play Australia all the time

7
Irfan Pathan

A wonderful return for the poster boy of Indian secularism and diversity. And its so good to see the smiles back. Pathan deserved the man of the match award for his performance at Perth but then the decision of the team to open with him in the final test just showed the incredible pressure that is always placed on his shoulders. His ideal position is 7 or 8 and he should continue there.

Virender Sehwag:

Sehwag could just be the Find of the series II. After a disappointing year, where he was left out of both the test and one-day sides, Sehwag was a surprise inclusion for the Australian series despite poor performances in domestic cricket. The brilliant 151 at Adelaide should just be the foundation for his second stint in international cricket. And the incredible maturity he showed could just mean that the second stint is just as successful as the first one.

6
Rahul Dravid:

Barring a fighting 93 at Perth which proved crucial in the final analysis, Rahul Dravid had a rather forgettable series. The Wall came undone more due to a mental barrier rather than incisive bowling. The series against South Africa will be crucial in order to prove the doubters wrong.

5.5
Sourav Ganguly:

235 runs in 4 matches at an average of 30 does not reflect the kind of form that Ganguly has been in. 2007 was a brilliant year for Dada but the failure to convert starts into big scores ensured that he had a very mixed series. Again, his exclusion from the one-day side is baffling considering the form he has been in but now that the selectors have made a decision, they should continue to back new blood in the shorter formats. Dada’s position in the test side is secure and he should definitely be around for another 18 months.

4.5
Harbhajan Singh:

All the talk post the series will revolve around racism controversy in the Sydney Test. Harbhajan has (rightly) been acquitted of all charges in the light of a lack of evidence (something Mike Procter conveniently overlooked). Harbhajan also played a couple of fine innings under pressure, something that will give him and the team management a lot of confidence. However, his continued lack of success with the ball will mean that there will be opportunities for youngsters like Piyush Chawla. Harbhajan might still be the better spinner but a wicket every 91 , 93 in 2006 and 2007 is enough evidence that he might benefit from a stint in domestic cricket or at the MAC spin foundation in Chennai. However, considering the packed schedule, it might just be that he will have to sort out the deficiencies in full view of the cricketing world.

MS Dhoni:

With the retirement of Adam Gilchrist, MS Dhoni’s position as the best wicket keeping batsman in the world is a lot more secure (South Africa’s Mark Boucher is nearing the end of his career as well). Donning the gloves, scoring fast hundreds and captaining the team is going to take a lot out of Dhoni and it will be up to the next coach and the board to ensure that one of India’s best talents doesn’t go to waste. Dhoni had a good series with the gloves but struggled to score runs and he will be looking to put that right in the shorter format.

3
Yuvraj Singh

A very disappointing first two tests when you consider the fact that Dravid was promoted to the openers slot in order to accommodate Yuvraj. The test hundred in Bangalore seems a long time back now and questions have been asked whether he has the game to step up to test cricket. Personally, I think he does but its going to be a year before he can break into the main eleven. How he performs in the one day series is going to be very interesting to watch.

Wasim Jaffer:

A very disappointing series for Wasim Jaffer and a return of 49 runs from six innings do not reflect his ability. Coming off a great 2007, more was expected from the Mumbai opener. But greater players have found Australia a tough frontier to conquer. Jaffer will do well to learn from Rahul Dravid who had a horrendous first tour of Australia in 1999 and yet came back to conquer the continent in 2003.

The fortress has finally been breached. As expected it was not one or two individuals who stormed the fortress but an entire team led by a very able general.

India beat Australia in Perth after playing some fantastic cricket over four days. This has to be without a doubt India’s most memorable victory overseas. For all the brouhaha about being such a dangerous venue for India, Perth has been kind to the Indian team- Kapil Dev got his 400th wicket here, Tendulkar took one giant step forward in his career when he hit 114 in 1992, Kumble took his 600th wicket on the second day and now we have beaten the Australians.

Consider the odds- full strength (barring Hayden) Australian line up, four dangerous fast bowlers, a fast pitch and coming off a very emotional two weeks after accusations and counter accusations have been bouncing off the two teams. And India had two players coming in after a full year away from the side, a very inexperienced bowling line up, and yet managed to win the game in four bloody days!

Team Performance

What is most heartening about the test win is that almost every player contributed: Jaffer and Sehwag gave us two good starts and Sehwag took those two crucial wickets on the fourth day. Dravid made that fine 93 in the first innings and reminded us why he is considered to be one of the best at the number 3 in the line up. Tendulkar made a crucial 71 in the first innings. Laxman made a top class 79 in the second innings and continued to be a big thorn in the Australian plans.

Ishanth Sharma has been bowling so well in all three test matches he has played that it seems to me that Sreesanth is going to find it tough to get his spot back. His first spell on the fourth day was absolutely top class and the way he tormented Ricky Ponting will be a talking point for years to come. RP Singh was fantastic in the first innings, swinging the ball both ways and pitched in with two crucial wickets in the second.

Irfan Pathan- it is so good to see the smile back on his face. Crucial wickets in both the innings and pitching in with an invaluable 40 in the second innings as a night watchman. The decision to keep him out of the final eleven in the first two matches seems utterly ridiculous now.

And Anil Kumble, at the age of 37, he hits his first 100, he takes his six hundreth wicket and leads India to such a victory. It couldn’t have happened to a more committed cricketer and the way he is going, it looks like he definitely has another two years of test cricket in him. Expect a post about him soon.

The Australian Performance:

The Australian team never really got out of second gear in this test match. Barring Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, and Michael Clarke to a certain extent, none of the other players established their authority in the course of the four days. Shaun Tait looked totally out of sorts and surely there must have been tremendous pressure on him considering all the expectations. One feels for Chris Rogers, Hayden will come straight back into the squad in Adelaide and he will probably continue there for another couple of years.

Ricky Ponting’s dream run over the past two years has ended and it looks like the law of averages has finally caught up with him. The 16 overs which Symonds and Clark bowled on the third day as Ponting tried to catch up with the over rate clearly made a big difference in the final result.

The Final Result:

The Perth test couldn’t have come at a better time for both the test series and world cricket. All the nonsense that has been come out of the Indian and Australian medias finally stopped as everybody started to take stock of the drama that was unfolding at the WACA. More importantly, this victory should give heart to the other teams that Australia can be beaten and beaten at home, but as Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark showed in that fantastic partnership, the Australians fight and fight hard till the last man.

On to Adelaide. Can the Indians do the unthinkable and make it in two in a row? Or will the Aussies revert to the status quo and kill the series at the Oval. It all remains to be seen.

Watch the video of Ponting struggle Ishant Sharma here

The BCCI is repeatedly being criticized by the western press for its appeal against Harbhajan but I strongly believe it isn’t doing enough. The BCCI is an extremely strong organization but it will ultimately acquiesce to the ICC. That’s how it works and the Indian team will have no option but to continue this tour and continue playing in such disgraceful conditions. The BCCI will make noises and try and force the ICC to revoke the Harbhajan suspension but I am not convinced any of it will happen.

Indian cricket getting screwed:

The manner in which the match referee has suspended the Harbhajan Singh without taking into account the fact that he was provoked into making such a statement is frankly absurd. Besides, there is still NO EVIDENCE that Harbhajan made that statement. And why not take the sledge in context of the way the Australians were winding Harbhajan up? If it did happen that is.

Men of honour and true servants of the country like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar will continue to maintain silence and play out the rest of the tour. We as fans will forget all of this and move on to the new games and continue to pump cash into the game. And yet, I get the uneasy we are getting screwed by the ICC. Why does Ricky Ponting, a man who has no credibility whatsoever get such a say in things and somebody like Tendulkar doesn’t?

I won’t be shocked if Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist put on false PR facades over the next 2 months and start to charm us Indians. The money these cricketers stand to make from Indian sponsorship and especially the Indian Premier League is too important for them to worry about national pride. That is going to absolutely make me sick.

The defeat at Sydney:

Yes, the defeat hurts and its adding to the pain leading to increased outrage. Anil Kumble’s decision to sign an off-field pact with Ricky Ponting is frankly laughable, this is like signing something with your spouse that says ,”When either of us cheats on the other we will warn the other party accordingly .” Are you kidding me ? And with Ricky Ponting?!

The team made us proud by fighting through incredibly poor decisions in the first innings. we fought really hard to take the first innings lead. And we could have very well saved the test match if not for unbelievable decisions on the final day. Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly could have well saved the match. And who the hell made Ricky Ponting the umpire? Men like RP Singh and Ishanth Sharma fought so hard after years of toiling playing in front of 20 people and a dog and yet their efforts ended up in a defeat and not an honourable draw.

You made me proud with your performance in the SCG test. As fans, while we would like to see victories, what we really want is to that you guys tried your best, applied yourselves and gave us good cricket.Australia is hard enough to beat (especially at home) playing eleven men against eleven. But when the men in black and white play for them, victory is almost impossible. Almost all umpiring errors went in their favour but the team still fought manfully and that’s all I ask for.

Dravid, Laxman, Sachin & Ganguly: You have given us such joy over the last few years. We have been quick to praise good batting and even quicker to criticize and bay for your blood at each failure. Each one of you has been written off as being over the hill and you have taken the criticism in your stride and responded beautifully with the bat. Though I would love to have seen atleast one of you save this match, I think to blame you would be unfair given the fashion in which you were dismissed (all except Sachin, that is). Sachin, I love the way you have been batting in this series. The SCG dismissal to an indecisive shot was disappointing. I hope that won’t stop you from playing like you did in Perth, 1991.

Yuvraj, Jaffer: I don’t know what has happened to the form you displayed just last month. I know Australia is a hard place to play cricket but you are picturing demons where none exist. It is disappointing that you haven’t even managed to stay at the crease for some period of time. The absolute lack of willingness to fight it out in the middle irks me. I am not suggesting you be dropped right away but I think the tether is short. There are fighters like Karthik on the bench and you would need to do something with the next opportunity, if you get one. My simple advice: watch how Dravid has played and look at Dhoni’s second innings performance.

Dhoni: It was good to see some fight from you in the second innings of the match. But the shouldering the arms dismissal left much to be desired. Hope to see some better sense and blistering batting in the matches to come.

Harbhajan: I have always been critical of playing you in the team outside the subcontinent because I believe your bowling has lacked consistency. You have rarely shown us glimpses of the 2001 Harbhajan. But I liked the way you bowled for parts of this match: the flight and the bounce, mixing the top spinners well with the offies and not over using the doosra. Your batting style is quite comical really and I am always nervy when you are at the crease. The half-century in the first innings was no different but the determination to hang in (in both innings) was refreshing. I hope you can consistently show us some of the magic we have seen you produce.

R.P. Singh, Ishant: You guys should pat yourselves in the back and make these bowling spots your own. The first day effort from you guys was brilliant, especially you Mr. Singh. But you guys would do well to study the careers of pacers in recent times: Irfan Pathan, L. Balaji, Ashish Nehra (to name a few) and ensure you don’t repeat what these guys did. You have a captain that will back you. It is now upto you to put your heads down and work towards a long India career. Focus on your bowling and fitness instead of the bells and whistles that come with a spot in the Indian team.

Anil Kumble: You have shouldered the burden of bowling India to victory for over 15 years now. In return, we have criticized your bowling, dropped you from the squad, ridiculed your overseas record and tried to take the sheen off your home performances. You have continued wheeling away and picking up wickets in the bagful. In this match, you again displayed the grit, determination and talent that helped you recover from each of those setbacks. In addition to the bowling and batting, I admired the way you made no excuses at the end of the match, refusing to be drawn into controversy on the umpiring. Anil, take a bow. I can’t think of a more dignified person to lead this Indian team.

Guys, I’m realistic enough to realize that we will probably not be even tying this series. I just hope for two more performances like the one I saw in this match and if we still lose, we know you guys tried your best. The Aussies know that without the umpires, this game could have gone any which way. They will try to stamp their superiority coming hard at you in the next game at Perth. Show them that you pack a few punches too.

Best,

Prof

What did you think of the match? Did umpiring decisions cost us or were Australia simply the better team?

Over the past decade Indian cricket fans have been absolutely and utterly spoilt by the exploits of the team. True we have suffered some big setbacks (the World Cup this year) but by and large since 2000 we have been the second best team in the World. It is a fact that some meaningless one-day performances in between have removed the shine off what has been a fantastic seven years. Our performances in Australia, Pakistan, England, South Africa and even West Indies would have been hailed as brilliant in any other decade, but thanks to the incredible benchmark set by Australia we have not enjoyed our successes. All Indian fans want is for us to compete with Australia and if possible just knock them over. Very small expectations indeed.

After the Melbourne defeat I felt that we would have a tough time avoiding a three nil spanking (a draw in Adelaide of course!) and watching Symonds and Hogg tear apart our bowling attack didn’t make things any brighter.

And then Mr. Very Very Special Laxman got into the picture. Laxman showed us exactly why many believe that he has underperformed at the international level despite a test average of nearly 45. In his innings of 109, Laxman played every shot in the book and left men like Richie Benaud mumbling “extraordinary talent”. The cover drive, the pull, the little push that goes all the way to the long on boundary and of course the little flick of those rubber wrists- we saw them all. And he absolutely tore into Michael Johnson (who must have been thinking that test cricket was a piece of cake till then). Backed by a gritty Rahul Dravid at the other end (the pair brilliantly titled as Will and Grace by Sid V), Laxman turned the clock back and reminded us why exactly the Australians treat him with so much reverence. 167 in 1999, 178 in 2004 and now a 109 in 2008. How Laxman must wish the next two tests were played at Sydney too.

You can the video of Laxman’s innings here

Turn back the clock: You can also watch the videos of the 178 and the 167

Four years back, Sachin produced one of the greatest displays of grit and determination when he scored that fabulous innings of 241 at the same ground. In doing so, he almost stole the show from the real hero of that test match- Steve Waugh. Just last week I was left wondering whether he would even score another test century and as ever he went and did just that. A fantastic 154 gave the fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground full paisa vasool. And also led to what will go down as one of the most memorable banners ever- “Commit all your crimes when Sachin is bating. They will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching”. He was superbly assisted by Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma who showed Yuvraj and Dhoni that Lee and co. can be conquered.

Watching Sachin and Laxman bat (and Ganguly to a certain extent), I was left wondering how things could have been different in the first test if only these guys could have gotten more match practice before Melbourne. And also watching them left me a bit depressed cause I know that they aren’t going to be around the next time India travels to Australia to conquer the final frontier.

Watch Sachin’s video here

Watch Sachin’s 148 ( in 1991 ! against McDermott and co.) and his epic 241. 

Melbourne: Australian juggernaut rolls on

Here is an idea, I suggest the ICC ban this Australian team from Test match cricket for a period of two years. It seems ridiculous? Well, they did ban Zimbabwe for an entire year to give the team to get its act together. This ban might just do the trick and help the rest of the world catch up with Australia. Cause frankly, it has all got really really boring. Fifteen consecutive test victories is an amazing stat but what it hides is the fact that how dominant Australia has been in those victories. The only thing that is unpredictable about test matches involving Australia is how long the team takes to pummel the opposition into the ground.

The Melbourne test match just went to prove what a lot of Indian fans knew before hand- this team was under prepared and didn’t have the mental strength to stand up to the Australians. The BCCI in its infinite wisdom decided one warm match up would be enough practice for the Indian team. This is Australia for heavens sake!- not England or Pakistan. Its a bit like going into a heavy weight bout against Mohammed Ali with a week’s preparation.

The Rahul Dravid we have come to love and admire, decided that this was the stage for him to go into to his little shell. Yuvraj Singh’s performance again raised questions on whether he is going to be India’s best answer to Michael Bevan. Sachin Tendulkar left me wondering when was the last time he got a test century against a good bowling attack- he seems to get a phenomenal number of fifties and sixties but hardly goes on to hit a hundred anymore. Ganguly’s performance in both the innings suggested that men like Dravid and Tendulkar could do well by taking a six month sabbatical.

Much has been spoken about how weak our bowling attack is but the bowlers (barring Harbhajan) deserve a lot of credit. A 337 victory doesn’t do any justice to their performance. I thought Zaheer bowled well and so did RP Singh in patches. Kumble was absolutely brilliant and led from the front and the only way we are going to get anything from this tour is if this man can take a bagful of wickets. Harbhajan seems to be going through the motions and is living on the performances in Kolkotta and Chennai in 2001.

I don’t care if we end up losing 4-0, that might not be such a shock at all but what I guess every Indian cricket fan is hoping for is a fight. We saw that on the first day when we did brilliantly to restrict the Australian team to less than 400. Can we do that over five days? Stranger things have happened. West Indies just won a test match!

Port Elizabeth: West Indies pulls off a shock win

The utter shambles that West Indies cricket has found itself in over the past few years can be best described by the fact that the victory in Port Elizabeth represents their first test victory in three years. But what a test match it was, West Indies absolutely dominated the Springboks and after four days of action completed a memorable victory.

What stood out for me was the character which the West Indies batsman showed to post a huge first innings score. Men like Marlon Samuels have flattered to deceive time and time again, fantastic talent no doubt but without the appetite to go on and make the big centuries. Chanderpaul showed again why in the absence of Lara and Sarwan that he is the mainstay of the lineup. The pace attack of Powell,Taylor and Edwards backed up by Bravo bowled consistently through the match. If all this is the result of Gayle’s captaincy and the coaching of John Dyson- then long may it continue.

But the West Indies team should be warned- not long ago another team showed pulled off a shock victory against this same South African team and then went on to blow it all away in the remaining two test matches.

With less than 3 weeks left for the Boxing day Test match the hype machine for India’s tour down under has just started. It looks like it is going to be a hard fought series.

The obvious choices:

The team for Australia is going to be picked in a couple of days time and I thought I would play selector and pick a squad that could give the Aussies a run for their money. Its obvious that certain players pick themselves and these include the big four Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman- the four will form the middle order while Anil Kumble,Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan should be automatic selections for delivering with the ball. MS Dhoni will be the first choice player to wield the gloves behind the stumps. That leaves us with eight more spots to fill.

With Yuvaraj Singh in sublime form and Wasim Jaffer a rock solid opener, they will have to be picked to counter the in-form Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson. Irfan Pathan with his superb hundred in Bangalore in the third test against Pakistan must have convinced the selectors for a place in the squad.

The other five slots:

There are 5 spots now up for grabs. Surely with such a long tour there must be a reserve wicketkeeper, Parthiv Patel with his experience from the last tour could be an option while Dinesh Karthick’s agility and the ability to open the innings could play to his advantage. I will strongly go for Karthick since he has proved that he can bat in England and asking Parthiv to open is not a good idea.

Despite their non-inclusion in the initial list of 24, S. Badrinath and Virendra Sehwag are in the running for the last batting slot along with Gautham Gambhir. Ian Chappell has claimed that the selectors have erred by not picking Sehwag. But then again he is not in form and it can work both ways for India. He can either demolish the attack or get out in the first over as he has done ever so often over the last two years. Gambhir and Badrinath have been performing consistently at the domestic level and it is going to be a tough call for the selectors. Knowing their aversion towards Tamil Nadu Cricketers I am sure that Gambhir will get the nod while Badrinath will be left in the cold.

The bowlers

The bowlers seem to be lacking in fitness and it is going to be a tough ask to see them pick 20 wickets. With Sydney and Adelaide suiting the Indian Spinners the onus is going to be on Kumble and Harbhajan to do the trick.

With the current injury scenario it looks like only Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, VRV singh and RP Singh are fit enough to take the burden. So I guess VRV Singh will be omitted which gives the remaining 3 pacers a spot. And Ishant Sharma’s good performance in Bangalore should ensure that he gets the ticket. I guess this is the best possible squad to tour down under and this will give India a good opportunity to try beating the Aussies in their own den.