52 RUNS IN NINE INNINGS! (Links to other three posts for day three are below this post)

Well, that has been the total contribution of Dhoni, Yuvraj and Jaffer in this series so far. Of the top seven batsmen who were expected to play a big role, only these three have not been able to distinguish themselves in this series. Even Dravid, after a failure in the 1st test, chipped in with a valuable half-century to help resurrect India.

Wasim Jaffer, with 22 runs from his three innings, leads this unwanted pack, followed by Yuvraj with 17, and then Dhoni with 13 from his three innings.

These three batsmen, whose abilities were to be tested on the juicer tracks of Australia, have been found wanting and will need some big knocks in the second innings to justify their places in the touring party ahead of the likes of Sehwag and Karthik. Their combined average of 5.8 per innings is really a shame considering how the older ones, who were in the firing line before, have been performing.

Dravid may have been a disappointment in his unfamiliar role as opener with just one half century in three outings and a combined score of 74, Ganguly has got good starts and decent scores in all the three innings (43, 40, 67). Tendulkar has come good in both the matches with scores of 62, 15 and now a century at Sydney.

The most important knock of this series was played by Laxman yesterday, who is normally the first in the firing line to accommodate an extra bowler. He started India’s revival at Sydney with a Century, after an average outing at Melbourne with scores of 26 and 42.

So, the age and experience is still on India’s side, bailing them out of a crisis situation. However, the youth has betrayed them.

At the time of writing this post, Harbhajan is on 40, with a good chance of getting past the combined series scores of 52 of Dhoni, Jaffer and Yuvraj!

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.