I'm not emotionally invested in this team as I used to be with teams of the past. When no player in the squad is older than you are, this is what happens I suppose. And I'm certainly not following the game with the same intensity from earlier days. But cometh the hour, cometh the toss, when people in white turn up on the green, I'm automatically drawn to the TV computer. I followed the score over four days. And I had to watch the live stream on day five. And when it was over, my wife couldn't understand why I was having a long face on a Friday night.
First off, what a game! It had all the ingredients of a great India-Australia test: sad but high drama in the days leading up, great teams (at least on paper), the beautiful Adelaide oval, fantastic weather except for day 3, some on field banter and an intense contest that came down to the final hour on the last day.
The better team won. The team that deserved to win, even if only ever so slightly more, eventually prevailed. I would have preferred India to romp home with Kohli finishing it off with a boundary. It would have been a great start to the tour. But it was really pleasing to see the way they approached the total. At the start, with Dhawan and Che Pu (Thanks cricinfo!) back in the pavilion, an Aussie win seemed inevitable. But the way Vijay and Virat went about chipping away at the target, it seemed the game was being played on a different surface. Lyon did bother Vijay but not Kohli. There were no demons in the strip. The scoreboard kept ticking and suddenly there was hope. As the second session progressed, a victory seemed within reach. An Indian victory. But this is Australia. We are playing against a team that is ruthless. Relentless. And can hang in there by their nails just a bit longer than the opponent. Five wickets for 38 runs. In 10 overs. And as the dust settled, it was the usual result. 1-0 Australia.
To win in Australia takes something special. It isn't over until it is. I'm not sure if it is the land or the people but time and space appear to be stretched out just a touch. If you are shooting for the draw, the final day seems just a bit dragged out. If you aim to play out the day, the hours seem a tad longer than 60 minutes. The men in the baggy green caps seem to possess that extra bit of time to go at you relentlessly. If you aim for the win, the boundaries seem to be pushed back. The ground seems to have grown and the Aussies can easily cover it. There is always a safe pair of hands under the catches. And there is always someone to extract a bit more out of the pitch than you could.
To state an obvious fact of life, bowlers win test matches. Based on what was on display, I doubt this bowling unit has enough firepower to take 20 Australian wickets. Or even bowl them out at least once, Michael Clarke's bad back notwithstanding. Nathan Lyon proved to be the difference between the two sides. And what a performance. I don't think Karn would have been able to exploit the surface like Nathan did even if we had bowled last. This format calls for all round excellence and I suspect the bowlers may be a baggage to carry on this tour.
There was a time not so distant in the past when my generation was used to watching spectacular collapses. And the team going through the motions of a tour. It was called the nineties. The nineties of the walking dead. There would be that Sachin's one-man show book ended by mediocre capitulation. There wouldn't be even a semblance of a fight to call it a contest. Game after game. Yet another knock that would be described by R Mohan as "valiant", "in vain" in the next day's papers. Things changed in this century. Ganguly helped turn things around with the help of a better team. A group that actually began to believe in being able to compete. To be able to fight and give it back as good as it got. And this current team has managed to not fall into the old habits. I haven't watched Kohli in action very much. I'm limited to reading about him, catching up on earlier performances. But I think the team can scale great heights under him. He had spoken about aggression and intent before the game began. While they were missing when we were leather hunting, it came out in full splendor on day five. I hope this team has the mettle to rally around this guy. And that Kohli does not end up becoming the 21st century version of Sachin.
I now look forward to Brisbane. I look forward to another fight. Another contest. And I hope India becomes deserving to win at the Gabba and beyond. Good luck guys!
First off, what a game! It had all the ingredients of a great India-Australia test: sad but high drama in the days leading up, great teams (at least on paper), the beautiful Adelaide oval, fantastic weather except for day 3, some on field banter and an intense contest that came down to the final hour on the last day.
The better team won. The team that deserved to win, even if only ever so slightly more, eventually prevailed. I would have preferred India to romp home with Kohli finishing it off with a boundary. It would have been a great start to the tour. But it was really pleasing to see the way they approached the total. At the start, with Dhawan and Che Pu (Thanks cricinfo!) back in the pavilion, an Aussie win seemed inevitable. But the way Vijay and Virat went about chipping away at the target, it seemed the game was being played on a different surface. Lyon did bother Vijay but not Kohli. There were no demons in the strip. The scoreboard kept ticking and suddenly there was hope. As the second session progressed, a victory seemed within reach. An Indian victory. But this is Australia. We are playing against a team that is ruthless. Relentless. And can hang in there by their nails just a bit longer than the opponent. Five wickets for 38 runs. In 10 overs. And as the dust settled, it was the usual result. 1-0 Australia.
To win in Australia takes something special. It isn't over until it is. I'm not sure if it is the land or the people but time and space appear to be stretched out just a touch. If you are shooting for the draw, the final day seems just a bit dragged out. If you aim to play out the day, the hours seem a tad longer than 60 minutes. The men in the baggy green caps seem to possess that extra bit of time to go at you relentlessly. If you aim for the win, the boundaries seem to be pushed back. The ground seems to have grown and the Aussies can easily cover it. There is always a safe pair of hands under the catches. And there is always someone to extract a bit more out of the pitch than you could.
To state an obvious fact of life, bowlers win test matches. Based on what was on display, I doubt this bowling unit has enough firepower to take 20 Australian wickets. Or even bowl them out at least once, Michael Clarke's bad back notwithstanding. Nathan Lyon proved to be the difference between the two sides. And what a performance. I don't think Karn would have been able to exploit the surface like Nathan did even if we had bowled last. This format calls for all round excellence and I suspect the bowlers may be a baggage to carry on this tour.
There was a time not so distant in the past when my generation was used to watching spectacular collapses. And the team going through the motions of a tour. It was called the nineties. The nineties of the walking dead. There would be that Sachin's one-man show book ended by mediocre capitulation. There wouldn't be even a semblance of a fight to call it a contest. Game after game. Yet another knock that would be described by R Mohan as "valiant", "in vain" in the next day's papers. Things changed in this century. Ganguly helped turn things around with the help of a better team. A group that actually began to believe in being able to compete. To be able to fight and give it back as good as it got. And this current team has managed to not fall into the old habits. I haven't watched Kohli in action very much. I'm limited to reading about him, catching up on earlier performances. But I think the team can scale great heights under him. He had spoken about aggression and intent before the game began. While they were missing when we were leather hunting, it came out in full splendor on day five. I hope this team has the mettle to rally around this guy. And that Kohli does not end up becoming the 21st century version of Sachin.
I now look forward to Brisbane. I look forward to another fight. Another contest. And I hope India becomes deserving to win at the Gabba and beyond. Good luck guys!
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