As the tenth wicket of a crumbling Australian batting line
up fell to the vicious spin of R. Ashwin, a smiling Dhoni pumped his fist and
uprooted a stump for his souvenir collection. The Indian skipper is usually
sang-froid, but on this particular afternoon his face did not betray his
emotions. After whitewashes in England and Australia, failure in qualifying for
the finals of the Commonwealth Bank series and the Asia Cup, a mediocre
performance in the T20 World Cup and defeats suffered at the hands of England
and Pakistan at home, the sky was falling. Dhoni was lucky to have kept his job
and he knew that the Border-Gavaskar series was probably his last chance to
prove his mettle as a captain. With a convincing 2-0 lead and the manner in
which Team India has dealt with the Aussies, we are seeing flashes of our glory
days, aren’t we?
After
the memorable 2011 World Cup final, this is the first time that our side has
looked exuberant and positive. The batting clicked, the tweakers exploited the
visitors’ Achilles heel- spin bowling, and the captain played a sensational
knock- a double hundred at a strike rate
north of 85 bears eloquent testimony to this. Field placing was positive and the
skipper looked to attack from the onset. At number three, India has found an
ideal replacement for Rahul Dravid. Cheteshwar Pujara’s gargantuan knock was a
touch of class and a stamp of authority. With a no-holds-barred display of
exquisite cover drives, crafty square cuts and sublime straight drives, the
spectator could just sit and admire. A solid defence, the correct technique to
negotiate hostile fast bowling, the ability to put the bad ball away every
time- Pujara bears all the hallmarks of a perfect Test batsman, even as he
needs to improve the hook shot which proved to be his undoing in an otherwise
unblemished innings. Murali Vijay justified his selection with a magnificent
century and steadied the ship with Pujara after the early departure of Sehwag.
For those castigating Sachin Tendulkar and saying that he is past his prime,
the Little Master played a knock of 81 in the first test which had the typical
Tendulkar finesse written all over it. It’s confounding- each time you write
him off and the guy hits right between the eyes. To say that he’s a legend
would be an understatement. R Ashwin has learnt his lessons after the drubbing
by the English. There was a marked difference in his deliveries in this series
and the one against England. He did not try to bowl too many fancy deliveries
but focused on his line and length instead, with a carom ball or two slipped in
between, so that most of his deliveries hit the wicket. No wonder he is the
leading wicket taker even as he continues to torment the Australian batting
line-up with his guile and impeccable length. Ravindra Jadeja has justified his
selection ahead of Pragyan Ojha by providing excellent support to Ashwin from
the other end. The spinners, operating in tandem, have wreaked havoc among the Australian ranks
and it will be interesting to see how the Aussie think-tank, crippled due to dearth of quality spin
options and experienced batsmen, copes
with the spin menace.
Though
things are looking hunky-dory at the moment, one swallow does not make a summer.
There are issues waiting to be addressed.
THE OPENING COMBINATION
The
openers have failed consistently, both home and abroad. The opening partnership
is crucial in putting up a huge score on the board and the early departure of
the openers puts pressure on the middle order. With Sehwag and Gambhir having
faced the axe, it will be important that the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Murali
Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan improve their game realise their potential in order to
build a strong and aggressive opening combination.
BACK THE SKIPPER, HE’S OUR BEST BET!
Two
consecutive whitewashes abroad and in 9 out of 10 cases, the captain is likely
to be sacked. However, MS Dhoni found an ally in BCCI President N. Srinivasan
who intervened and helped him keep his place. Looking at the stellar
performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far, it seems that the maverick
skipper is regaining his Midas touch. And let’s face it- do we have a better
leader? MS Dhoni should continue to lead the side. Apart from being a smart captain,
he is also a dangerous batsman and a reliable wicket-keeper.
VULNERABILITY TO FAST BOWLING
One
chink in the armour which was conspicuous after the shambolic displays in
England and Australia was our susceptibility to genuine and hostile fast bowling.
Our batsmen are peppered with short pitched stuff and the whole batting line-up
capitulates. Indian batsmen are in dire need of improving their technique
against bouncers. More warm-up games prior to away tours, more India ‘A’ tours
and hours of practice will go a long way in ensuring that we put up a good
fight and do not meekly surrender on green pitches.
THE INDIAN PACE BATTERY
Barring
a couple, India doesn't have fast bowlers who can hit the 145 kmph mark
consistently and make the best use of the new ball. In comparison to our foreign counterparts, Indian fast bowling looks pedestrian. This proves to be a
liability on foreign soil many a time.
MANAGING THE TRANSITION
With
the Holy Trinity of Indian cricket- Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly
having already walked into the sunset, Sachin Tendulkar remains the only one in
the pantheon to continue playing. Even he has retired from ODIs and the onus is
on the younger players to shoulder the responsibilities and carry the legacy
forward. Ours is a team in transition and the support staff must make sure that
the senior players are phased out smoothly and young blood is infused regularly
in the side. Creating a pool of 25 competitive players is essential so that
they are given ample opportunities abroad and a winning combination is
constituted which can not only thrash visiting sides at home but also bring
laurels to the country abroad.
