Australia must have been unwelcoming to the early settlers. Gritty
people who must have overcome tremendous challenges from nature to survive and
thrive there. Generally speaking, every visiting team today is a group of settlers
who will have to show they are made of a tougher fiber to overcome the
challenges of a cricketing talent of a different order, unforgiving weather and
a sense of occasion. I’m sure cricketing captains of any stripe will admit that
a test win in the Antipodes is special and is savored more than any. As a
cricket fan, a test win against Australia will secure bragging rights, better
productivity at work and more joy in the family. At least for a few days.
The final score line of 2-0 hardly conveys how well fought
this series was. Or how it should have been 1-0 to India or at least 1-1. Anything
but 2-0. But it will be so. As an Indian fan picking through the debris, here
are my takes from the series.
Watching cricket in Australia is always a pleasant
experience. Big grounds with imposing stands, longer boundaries and all-run-fours,
sea gulls in the outfield parting for the scorching cover drive, wooden trimmed
scorecards on channel 9, the crisp crunch of the bowler's shoes as the ball is
delivered and the sound of ball against wood - bat or the stumps and of course,
the brilliance of Sachin and VVS. Call me a romantic, but all these made for exiting
watching, sitting in a living room thousands of miles away. The 1992 edition of
the World Cup was easily the most pleasant for a TV fan and I look forward to the
2015 edition.
The Indian bowling was an embarrassment. In every single
test. I would trade this entire attack in a heartbeat for Z.Khan, J. Srinath,
Agarkar and Kumble. Yes, Agarkar. Granted, this series was a run feast and batters made a
habit of hitting centuries. All things considered, being outplayed, ironically,
by a spinner in the one test that we should really
have won, was the low for me. Ashwin is not a match winner. Definitely not with
the ball. And Karn Singh who? If our bowling pipeline is really that dry, I’m
glad that there aren’t any away tours on the horizon. The sight of Anil Kumble
bowling in tandem with Harbhajan Singh is now strictly for serving nostalgic
needs via youtube.
The finds: M Vijay and KL Rahul as an opening combination
could be a long term plan. It may not provide fiery starts like Warner but I
would rather take 60-0 at lunch rather than 100-2 any day. Che Pu, Kohli and
Rahane could be a middle order that bats as good as it looks on paper. Throw in
Saha as the keeper, our batting order looks solid. And none of them is pushing
retirement any time soon. S Dhawan and Raina should not be in any test XI on
general principles.
Limits of what is humanly possible is often tested in sport.
Imagine playing to save a test that is all but lost on day five. Unless you
have previous experience, it is difficult to simulate a bruised and battered
body with sagging spirits. Or the ability to extract that extra ounce of
strength and concentration to change the course of a match. Skipping the Ranji
Trophy grind in the international off-season and opting for two-day games where
you “retire hurt” upon reaching a fifty as practice is not going to help. But are
practice and preparation alone enough?
Which brings us to my next complaint: temperament. Batting
for time is an art honed over extended sessions with patience and intent. Barring
Vijay, Kohli and Rahane, I found that missing among their colleagues. I find it
difficult to rationalize the shot selection of Saha on the final day of the
first test in Adelaide. Or of KL Rahul in the 2nd innings of the
Melbourne test. Attack may be a better form of defence. But Rahul Dravid, who
has stonewalled his way past many formidable attacks across the world, would
perhaps agree that defending one’s wicket as a skill is being grossly undervalued.
Is the T20 game influencing the thinking of the modern cricketer?
Finally aggression. When he finally hangs up his boots, Kohli, could well be regarded as Ganguly 2.0. But at the moment, I don’t like the brand of
aggression he is pursuing. Send offs, banter and blowing kisses don’t quite go
well when the score line reads 0-2. Ask any fan chewing his nails out at an
ungodly hour if you don’t believe me. We’ll take a quiet 100, a dignified
five-for and no send offs. I'm not advocating meekness or turning the other cheek here but aggression is more powerful if conveyed through
cricketing actions rather than comical behavior. I’m talking about the
difference between a comeback ripper from Ambrose and the antics of a certain
Sreesanth. The difference between a disdainful pull shot by a gum-chewing Richards
and the bat swinging antcis of, bear with me, a Sreesanth.
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