Sania Mirza’s match will be the first one at Rod Laver Arena at 7.30 PM Melbourne Time (5.30 PM Perth time and 2 PM Indian Standard Time). The trend at Perth should be clear by that time!
As of now, the chance is that the 31st seed has more chance of winning against Venus Williams, than Australia has of preventing India from reducing their lead to 1-2 in the series!
Probably, even the die-hard cricket fans in India might get so much bored of the Indian domination, that they will keep surfing the channels to watch Sania in action.
It is ironical indeed that the Indian team, expected to be mauled by the rampaging Australians before the series began, is actually having the better of exchanges.
I can still recall the words of Pat Symcox on NDTV before the series began, when he had said that it was important for India to take the game into the fifth day to win. Experts on various others channels were also of the same view that India must stay in the test for long, to win it.
It is ironical that now, with 348 runs still needed, Australia might need to take the game into the fifth day to win! Though, realistically, a win for either team should come today. Considering that the Australians score at 3.5 to four runs per over irrespective of the situation, and after the 1st day dominated by batsmen, as many as 26 wickets have tumbled in next two days.
As Sunil Gavaskar had said, India must guard against complacency. The batsmen who have not scored runs, now must score them on the field. That is the point number one for India to succeed.
The second is that they must always pitch the ball up. They will get hit, but their swinging deliveries will bother the Australians more than the short-pitched stuff. Though the one that got Gilchrist in the 1st innings was a beauty, and a great surprise tactics by RP after he was hit for three consecutive fours!
It also won’t be a bad idea to try part-time bowlers in between, to unsettle the set batsmen. Michael Clarke was the second most economical Australian yesterday, while Andrew Symonds chipped in with two at critical junctures. Australia could well have been chasing 450 plus, with a tiring frontline attack, had these two not been bowling.
Even if a partnership is worth over 100 runs, India must not get ultra-defensive. One wicket on this track yields at least one to two more. Australia will need at least two very good partnerships of over 100 to win this game. And it is the fourth innings!
Even after all this, if the Australians win, Indians must join in the celebrations as that will be a tribute to their never-say-die spirit, and never ending search for excellence.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Prey Turns Predator
Thursday, January 17, 2008
India have Australia by the scruff of the neck
And they can thank the inspired selection of Sehwag and Irfan for it.
But for the initial thrust provided by Sehwag in both the innings, and two critical breakthroughs given by Irfan in first few overs, probably Australia would have been holding the initiative at Perth.
In fact, that was anticipated at the time of writing this post during the warm up match at Canberra.
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/if-india-have-to-get-in-sehwag-this-is.html
Irfan and Sehwag were also the integral part of the team suggested in this blog even before Canberra match, though the ideal thing would have been to have five bowlers and six batsmen.
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/time-to-talk-cricket-and-opening.html
Still, it is India who have Australia by the scruff of the neck. You do not get too many opportunities of Taming the Kangaroos. So India must get them fast, by totaling in excess of 400. That should be an impossible fourth innings target on this pitch.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
India must make their own statement!
Getting up at four (IST), well an hour before the Indian batsmen undertake an arduous, rather a near impossible, journey for glory at Melbourne, reminds me of the days in the eighties when we would not be able to sleep the whole night in anticipation of a great telecast from Australia.
It used to be a tremendous telecast with crystal clear pictures and mind-blowing action replays considering the telecast standards that prevailed in India at that time. One can still recall with amusement how Srikaanth backed away nonchalantly and fooled everybody after dislodging a bail. He even had the gumption to put it back on. But for those action replays, one would have never known that kind of drama. That the Indian team was almost equal to Australia in mid-eighties also helped the matters a lot.
Coming back to Melbourne, I could not sleep tonight (the whole neighbourhood is still pitch dark), because I still hope that this Indian team can leave Melbourne with a good batting display, a display which may not win them the match, but which will surely be a solid statement for the next three matches.
India will badly need to make a statement with the bat because Ponting, by setting a target of 499 when he could have easily gone for 525-550, made a statement that the Australians were brave enough to be prepared to lose, in order to win. After all, statistically speaking, a strike rate of 47 should be good enough to take India through. Even though no team has lasted hundred overs in this match.
Now the Indians must be brave enough to resist even if they lose some early wickets. As Sunil Gavaskar had said yesterday, they must not think of 180 overs or 499 runs. They must play it ball-by-ball, session-by-session and keep rotating the strike.
They will also do well to remember Steve Waugh’s words at Sydney four years ago. Faced with a daunting Indian first innings score of around 700 and in danger of losing the final test and the series, the about-to-retire skipper had said that Australia will fight till the last man standing. And they managed to escape with a draw!
Surely, a draw is impossible here unless bad weather intervenes, and an Indian defeat looks the most likely outcome, but the visitors must go down with all guns blazing. They will make their own statement this way.
Related Links
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/if-you-do-not-score-australia-will.html
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2007/12/india-look-doomed.html
Saturday, December 22, 2007
More WARNEing
And the warning this time is for the Australians. One of their own, the incomparable Shane Warne, believes that they have become ugly and arrogant which will lead to their downfall. He has come down especially hard on former coach John Buchanan and his 'radical' suggestions on increasing competition at the World level.
Below is the link to the story.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/success-has-made-aussies-arrogant-warne/54667-5.html
But the problem is, the Australian arrogance stems from the results and it will continue till some nation defies the laws of cricket to hand them a defeat in their own land.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Dravid 'may' (!) Open
(Media Watch Two for Dec 21 Morning Papers)
Dravid May Open in Tests -- It was an interesting headline in the Hindu talking about the indications that ‘’the Indian team down under is considering the option’’ of using Dravid as opener in the first test.
It was interesting as the headlines came a day after Dravid's great resilience in making 33 not out at a strike rate of less than 30 (the match against Victoria lasted just a few overs today with Dravid still playing at 38).
Probably the paper, a tremendous source of knowledge on cricket, could have been more adventurous in saying that Dravid WILL open.
The 1st session of play yesterday at Melbourne warm up match made it more than clear that the Indian batting lineup will have Jaffer and Dravid as openers for sure, with Ganguly, Tendulkar, Laxman and Yuvraj in the middle order.
India will definitely bank on its strong middle order to click, and hope Dravid shines in his new role as opener. Hope because Dravid’s average, at 33.54 (Source ToI) is his worst in this position compared to any other he has played at. Even though he may say that he will play wherever his team wants him to be.
Sacrificing your top batsman at number three (where Dravid averages a good 57) does not really make any sense just to ensure that every middle order bat is accommodated. You can't be successful overseas without a 'comfortable' opening pair. Sehwag or Karthik deserved a look in.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
What will India be banking on in Australia
(Based on quotes in Print Media)
Desperation to grab one last opportunity: Most senior cricketers are on their last tour of Australia so it is very important that we go back victorious, says Kumble.
Blog's Take: Hopefully, this desperation will be inspiration enough. The last chance should surely be the big enough motivation to give it one’s best shot. Especially for Kumble and Tendulkar, the only men from the two teams who were playing when Australia were last beaten on the home soil.
Absence of Warne: Kumble believes Australia will miss Warne so that is one area which India might be able to exploit.
Blog's Take: But that will happen only if the top order is able to play the pace effectively. That will allow the middle order to take care of any spin attack that Australia have post-Warne. But if top flops, Tait and Lee are capable of playing havoc with any batting lineup
Indian Aggression: Vice Captain Dhoni says that India is quite ready for Australian aggression on the field and ‘’We showed to them during the home series as well.’’
Blog's Take: India still lost the ODI series 4-2 though it won its twenty-20 encounter. It was not too bad, and rather creditable to take three matches out of seven, but this time the performance must exceed any upper hand in a verbal duel. After all, India is touring to win.
Adaptability: It is about playing good cricket and about adaptability, says Dhoni.
Blog's Take: Well, this adaptability will be the most important factor as just seven days remain before the battle of Melbourne takes off. The time is too little for comfort, but then Australia has never been a comfort zone for India.