The Australian team from its performance on Sunday proved why they are reckoned as Champions in the world of cricket. And from the same match, Indian cricket team’s ineptness surfaced once again.
Although the Indian team posted a total of 250 runs on the board, it seemed to be definitely short of 30-40 runs. These 30-40 runs is what eventually cost the Indian team the match. Not to mention the horrible bowling performance which made the team cut a sorry figure in front of buoyant fans.
The batsmen clicked but failed to learn any lesson from the previous fixtures and encounters. The team failed to string in a valuable partnership. Neither did any batsman drop the anchor and play a patient knock. Sehwag and Dravid looked in good touch but the team failed to get a big partnership.
All the players got out when the team needed them to settle down. In the process they made way for new players who took more time to settle down. All this while the Indian team kept losing wickets which meant there was nobody left to step on the accelerator at the end of the innings.
It would be unfair to some extent to blame Dhoni completely. He tried but in the absence of a cushion basmen to follow him, he too had to play cautiously and that meant fewer risks. He appeared to be a ‘lion’ in a circus, tamed by circumstances and by the follies of his team mates.
The batsmen need to take responsibility for today’s defeat as do the Indian bowlers with the lone exception of Sreesanth. I would have to admit that this lad is mentally strong and showed that he can deliver the goods even at a short notice. He took two wickets and bowled with some heart, something the other bowlers including Harbhajan seemed to have left behind in the dressing room!
Pathan needs to rethink his role in the Indian team. Is he a bowler who can bat or a batsman who has lost out his bowling prowess?? He seemed ineffectual with the bat and shoddy with the ball. The ground reality what Pathan needs to understand is that he is not an express quicky like Brett Lee. He is a genuine swing bowler and can do far more damage at his pace swinging the cricket ball rather than pitching it short and getting hammered like today. I think its time to give Pathan a break and let him settle in his groove.
Worrying news for the Indian camp with injuriy to Agarkar. The bowling looked depleted and the side looked to be defeated even before the match began. Munaf lacked pace due to an injury, Harbhajan lacked the guile and turn and Pathan as usual was spraying the ball both sides of the wicket.
Experimentation is good, when it is taken in the stride. Chappel’s experimentation has brought numerous loopholes in the teams batting and bowling departments. Now it is time to plug them, otherwise, it would hardly be a surprise if India is reduced to ashes in the next tournament too.
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