The more things change, the more they remain the same..

So in a little under four days, the Indian team is back on familiar territory. At the end of the first test in an away series outside of the subcontinent, they find themselves 0-1 down. And the pattern of their defeat is strikingly similar to many in the past i.e. the bowlers keeping them in the hunt throughout only for the batsmen to squander away the chance. And here in Melbourne, it happened not once, but in both innings.

Can India bounce back after this ? I think it can. They have got the most difficult part of the series out of the way. The first test has always been a stumbling block for the Indians. And this time, like the last, it was at their least favourite venue. India now has lost its last 5 tests at the MCG (from 1991-92 onwards). So MSD and his men would want to believe that things can only get better from here. If one were to look at the entire match, the first sessions on Day 3 and 4 turned out to be key ones. One over before the end of day 2, India were 214/2, just 119 behind. This was as good a position as they will ever get. From there to be all out of 282 was criminal, especially against a team like Australia who, irrespective of the quality of their team, do not give you a second chance. Surprise surprise, the Australians actually gave us a second chance, by being 27/4 and then 166/8 in their second innings. But what I saw early today morning was absolutely baffling. The No. 10 batsmen James Pattinson looked around and saw a deep extra cover, deep point etc. He would have felt he was a No. 3 batsman at 150*. Once the Australians escaped from jail a second time, the match was as good as over as our batting came apart in the second innings. While I am not an expert on batting technique, there are a couple of things I obseved. Gautam Gambhir tends to poke at those short ones outside the off, possibly as an effect of one-day cricket where he so loves to just tap it on the off side and take a single. But in a Test match in Australia, the bounce ensures that the ball goes to the slips. His manner of dismissal was similar in both games, just that today, he got a much better ball. Then there is VVS Laxman. For a person as experienced as him to score 2 of 21 and 1 of 14 balls betrayed a lack of form. I think he tends to stay on the backfoot far too much at the start of the innings (ever remember a Laxman straight drive ?). And with the ball on a full length and at pace, he becomes vulnerable, in my opinion.  He goes to his favourite venue, the SCG now and must be hoping for a big one there. Kohli can be excused since this is his first experience of Australian conditions. What was encouraging, though, was to see Ishant and Ashwin put a price on their wicket and score some runs.

Now onto the positives. I mentioned in my pre-series post that a lot will depend on the fitness and form of Zaheer and Ishant. And they have made a very good Test match comeback. Hopefully, they will keep that fitness for the remainder of the series. I mentioned that Umesh Yadav would provide decent backup but he turned out to be India's find of the game. He is a big lad with broad shoulders and seems to get good pace and bounce. The speed gun was not shown on Star Cricket but I have read that he was regularly clocking 145kmph. In Zaheer, Ishant and Yadav, India have a very good attack capable of paying back the Aussies in their own coin should they prepare fast tracks in places like Perth. And while Ashwin was below par in the game, especially in the 2nd innings where, from the little I saw of the innings, he bowled too short. He should get much better as the series progresses, starting with the spinner-friendly track at Sydney.

To sum up, while the result was not what India wanted, the series is still not over yet. The Australian top order looks vulnerable against Zaheer and co. and India need to make early inroads in every innings. And most importantly, the batsmen need to step up to the task. Personally, I do not see any changes happening for the New Year test. Rohit in place of Kohli might be one option but may not change things that much.

Happy New Year to everyone !!

Cheers
Amit

And on to Boxing Day and the G !!

It is that time of the year ahead. Santa has met us riding his sleigh and has (hopefully) delivered us our wishes and promises. Today is time of the Christmas lunch and Down Under, atleast as far as the cricketing fraternity is concerned, the venue is Melbourne and it is a day ahead of one of the most venerated traditions in cricket: The Boxing Day test match at the G (as the MCG is fondly called) !!. And today, as MS Dhoni and Micheal Clarke look ahead to tommorow and the coming month of Test Cricket, both would do well to also dwell on the larger picture surrounding the teams that they command.

That the Aussies are in a rebuilding phase is now known to all. With an Ashes defeat last summer that would have most certainly hurt, they come back to the MCG against an opponent with whom they have had several wonderful duels over the past decade. The fact that they have handed nearly a dozen Test caps this year tells us something about the state of Aussie cricket. A top 3 of Warner, Cowan and Shaun Marsh with a grand total of 5 Test caps between them should surely be making the opening bowlers on the opposition rub their hands in anticipation. Then come the ageing warhorses in the middle, Ponting and Hussey, with the captain sandwiched in between. This might well turn out to be their final summer of Test cricket if they fail to fire against the Indians. But then, only a very brave man would bet on that happening. Expect Ponting and Hussey to come back hungrier and more motivated. Moving on, Haddin has never turned out to be next Gilchrist (can there ever be one ?) as was half-expected. Coming to the bowling, we have Hilfenhaus and Siddle to open the attack. Both good bowlers, honest triers but not in the McGrath-Gillespie bracket. James Pattinson has had an exciting start to his career (14 wickets in 2 Tests) and, aged 21, looks like he might have great things ahead of him. His first real examination would begin tommorow. Nathan Lyon also has a better record than most of the dozen odd spinners in the post-Warne era. All in all, while the Australian team is young, bursting with talent and have only one way to go - up - atleast as far as this series is concerned, they look more vulnerable than they have been onver the past few years. The Kiwis exposed this vulnerability at Hobart, and will the next opposition take the cue from them ?

If only the next opposition did not have problems of its own. And topping that list of issues would be conditions of their lead pace bowlers. The Aussie top order with 5 tests between them can be exposed only if you have a couple of good pace bowlers upfront bowling at full tilt. For India, unfortunately, the part about bowling full-tilt is a great concern. More than anyone else, it will be Zaheer and Ishant who hold the key to India's fortunes in this series. If they can, firstly, play all 4 Tests without any injury concerns and, then, be close to their best, India will be a different unit altogether. Umesh Yadav should provide good backup and Ashwin's height should give him decent bounce to trouble the Aussies. One favour that MSD would be looking for is for Sehwag and Kohli to consistently give him 12-15 overs a day. If his shoulder is doing well, Sehwag is a better bowlers than his record - 39 wickets at 44 each- suggests. The batting of course, should not worry the Indian fan too much. It is hard to see the Aussie bowling consistenly troubling Sehwag, Gambhir and co. And in Rohit and Rahane, they seem to have adequate backup. So India have their troubles in fast bowling, and it is alarming to think that, should either of Zaheer or Ishant break down, the replacements are miles behind. If such a thing should happen, it will be interesting to see if Dhoni asks for Irfan Pathan to come down and then gambles with 5 bowlers. It might be a gamble worth taking, especially at the SCG or Adelaide.

Finally, coming to the test match. The Aussies would be glad that the venue is the MCG, one of their happy hunting grounds in recent times (their innings defeat last year not withstanding). It is also a venue where the Indians have struggled in their recent past, comfortably losing their last 4 tests here. The big boxing day crowd, with a healthy contingent of the Swami Army, should provide a great atmosphere tomorow. The playing XIs of both teams look decided, barring any last-minute injuries. It should be a win toss- bat first decision for either captain. Winning the toss might be a good start for Dhoni. All in all, it promises to be an exciting match and series between two equally-matched teams (the Aussies top order and Indian pace attack matching each for brittleness) and that itself should provide excellent viewing over the next month or so.

Its 5 am tommorow then !!! See you all there...

Cheers

Amit

A new beginning...

Dear Reader...

It has been quite a while (nearly 9 months now) that I have written about our favourite pastime and obsession. A lot has happened during that while. India reached the pinaccle of success by winning the ICC World Cup at home in front of a delirious crowd in my city of Mumbai. That euphoria took a beating a few months later in England, when an injury-hit Indian team tasted their first whitewash in 11 years, losing 0-4. Fair to say, that this year had seen more than its fair share of ups and downs. Now, as we approach a new year and with another potentially mouth-watering series (after England, one should be careful about using such words :) starting in couple of days time, I thought it was time to rejevenuate my blog.

But then, as they say, if you are beginning anew, then go the whole hog. So I thought of giving a completely new identity to my blog. A new titla as well as a new address (http://amitoncricket.blogspot.com/). Hopefully, this new identity will spur me to be more active on this forum and hopefully, reach out to a wider audience with better quality writing. And, as always, I count on you, dear reader, for your continued support and endorsement. Will post shortly with my preview on the Boxing Day test.

Till then, be safe and keep reading...

Cheers

Amit