Australia home tests - India beat Oz at home again...

It may not have been the whitewash everyone expected. The young team gave a fright to the Indians, even winning one test at Chennai, before going down to the hosts 0-2.

Dharamsala was a good place to finish the long domestic season and take India to the No.1 position under Kohli and Kumble.

2016 West Indies tour - Rain prevents India's continued run of No.1

India dominated the series so much that they rose to No.1 in ICC Test rankings (coupled with Australia's loss to Sri Lanka). The rain gods however decided to put an end to the good times and the final test was washed out so much that only one session was played! India finished at 2-0 but it could have been 4-0! How many such chances will Kohli's India get again?

Image Courtesy: espncricinfo site

T20 World Cup - Kohli shows Sachin qualities to steer India to semis

India versus Australia in a World Cupquarterfinal clash at Mohali. Yuvraj did it for India in the 50 over World Cup. This time, his main highlight was of getting Steven Smith early. Enough has been said about Kohli already. He is becoming the Tendulkar of this team - this is not good news for it means the other batsmen are not performing. That will be crucial in semifinal.

Australia Tour Tri-series - India bow out winless

On Twitter, Statistician Mohandas Menon posted the series where India finished winless since 2011 World Cup

• 2011 in Eng 
• 2013/14 in SA 
• 2013/14 in NZ 
• 2014/15 in Aus

They escaped a whitewash in the test series and another losing streak in the ODI series (thanks to rain) but that was no consolation to a team that has high hopes on retaining the next World Cup.

At Perth, the Indians started well. Their openers did a decent job to see off the dangerous Anderson and managed to score a 80+ partnership with both taking chances but surviving. Dhawan was back to something that resembled form. Rahane, after the initial jitters, settled down to anchor the innings. It was the failures again of Kohli, Raina that hampered India. The batting collapsed from 83-0 to 165-9 before Shami hit out to get 200 on the board.

The Indians seem to be experimenting with the batting positions and getting some answers. Stuart Binny has made Dhoni realize that he is a handy person to have in the lineup. Jadeja was rusty with bat and ball but Axar has proved that he is a good bowler to have in the middle overs. The batting depth is present on paper but that has to be translated to reality. With Ashwin in the squad, the team management must figure out what is the combination to play in the World Cup. What happens to Umesh and Bhuvi? Are they injured? Dhoni's answers in the press conference seems to suggest.

The Indian batsmen dont have a first (or even second) gear - they seem to bat only at the top gears or perish. This was the fashion few years ago when batsmen used to play defensive and rotate the strike over. But, the new generation tend to be aggressive in any situation - that is causing the problems to the Indian batsmen, like this game. No longer are they happy to score at 3-4 runs per over. They are looking at boundaries every over. This will not work - Kohli, Rahane, Rayudu, Jadeja should be told this. Rahane should have gone on and controlled the innings but could not.

The Indians fared better while bowling thanks to the pitch and an accurate bowling attack (except the comeback man Jadeja). Binny made use of the conditions to his favor and picked up wickets to put England  on the backfoot. But, the Indians could not restrict the winning team. Jadeja and some sloppy fielding (by selected fielders) meant that the Indians could not put enough pressure on the duo of Butler and Taylor. Overall, a tour that ended without a win. It can be termed as a success still if the next tour (with more or less the same players) contains few winning moments. Hopefully, the players remember and implement the lessons learnt.

Australian Tour 2014 Final Test - When draw was more enjoyable

The Indians lost 0-4 during their previous tour Down Under. This time it was 0-2 - a reflection of the progress that the team made over four years. The team transitioned on many counts during this tour. The old order moved into retirement while the new generation batsmen came after losing (if not disastrous) campaigns from New Zealand, South Africa and England. The team had come close to winning matches in the first two tours but on the last tour to England, they did win at Lords.

On this tour, there would be no wins but the two draws could be considered as morale boosters for a team that has now moved to a new captain as well during the series. The test team will no longer have a certain Mr. Dhoni. Virat Kohli seems to enjoy his captaincy considering that he has scored three centuries and a forty in his two tests as captain. Let us see how this run continues in the next series overseas.

The positives have been limited on the batting front from the Indian side - Vijay, Rahane and Kohli have been standout performers in all tests. Rahul did well in the Sydney test, showing signs of long-term promise. Shikhar Dhawan and Chet Pujara will be still in the scheme of the Indian cricket - part of a good set of batsmen for the next generation.

It is the bowling that will give the Indian management a big headache. Discipline was missing in all matches and it was very clear that the slow wickets would not help any of them. The fact that the opposition bowlers also struggled meant that the Indian bowlers were not far behind - if that was a consolation factor. Ishant Sharma did well to apply his learnings of many years but it shudders when you think that the others are in the same situation he was few years ago. Umesh Yadav looked full of promise during the last tour Down Under but he has not progressed much. Bhuvi could not do much in the last test due to injury but he needs support from the pitch and conditions to be effective. Can Aaron become more consistent is the question on everyone's lips?

Overall, the Indians lost the series but not disappointed their fans. A win would have been good but I think the next overseas series will be the one where India will start their winning streak.

Australian Tour 2014 1st Test - Same Result via different approach

The Indian team encountered a familiar result at Adelaide Oval but the approach in which they played was different and refreshing. I mean only the captain and few other players because rest of the team looked to be still thinking what they need to do this series (e.g. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Mohd. Shami).

Kohli came out with his reputation enhanced, scoring more runs than what he did in the entire Englan series. His bowlers did not do him good in either innings, bowling wide and short. David Warner, especially, was given length to punish at will. The selection of Karn Sharma was supposed to be Kohli's personal choice - one fault that could be attributed as this meant Kohli did not have a spinner who could have potentially used the wearing wicket as well as an useful batsman down the order.

Dhoni will be back the next match but Kohli has shown that he leads the team just like he wears his emotions on  the sleeve - always on the lookout for an opening. If only the bowlers and batsmen fire in unison. Vijay supported him but Kohli missed Dhoni, the batsmen, as well. Remember that MSD was the leading batsmen during England series too. It is a good exercise for the batsmen and no doubt the pitches will get tougher now. The rescheduling helped the Indians start with a docile pitch first up - good way to get used to the conditions.

Ishant bowled well but he could not get the wickets that mattered. Aaron was fast but not consistent enough. Shami seems to be still struggling while Karn was not the right person for this test. The bowlers could not put together a partnership that could either restrict runs or take wickets. Can Umesh Yadav make a difference, compared to Shami? Might be a good choice to make alongwith bringing back Ashwin for Karn.

The next three tests will not be easy as this one. Can India pull one back? They can. If they bat, bowl, catch and field well. 

End to a bizarre India Australian series

Bangalore was the venue of the frenzied end to what was a bizarre series between India and Australia. The Cricinfo has interesting statistics on the series. What is more interesting is the fact that no one can pinpoint the reason for the run-glut in this series. Few mentioned the four-fielder rule while others spoke about the smaller grounds and flat pitches. It cannot be the pitches since most of the subcontinental pitches are very similar in nature for quite a while now. The rule-change is not appropriate as the same rule applies to the ODI series in Abu Dhabi where sub-200 scores are defended easily! What else is happening?

I am not ruling out the above reasons but my contention is that these are not new or not applicable only from this series alone. It is much more than just these. The batsmen have gained extra arms and legs that have given them the power to dominate the opposition bowlers to such an extent that there is no place for hiding. Imagine the situation of Vinay Kumar in Bangalore (Local state captain conceded more than 100 runs in his 9 overs). If the T20 format showed that run-chases can be achieved on flat pitches even if they are in the realm of 8-9 runs per over, the ODI format is now evolving by stretching the same confidence over the duration of 50 overs!

No longer are teams worried about chasing 350 - they feel that if they can keep wickets in the initial overs scoring at a fair clip, they have a good chance in the later overs. If the equation for the last twenty overs mandate that a team needs to score 180 runs (with 8-9 wickets in hand), the situation is very much akin to that of a regular T20 match. To reach this position, the team has to score the similar number of runs (170) in 30 overs at a much more easy run-rate of 5.7 on a flat pitch. Isn't it easy now? I know that you must be thinking that it is easier said than done. But, teams seem to think that they can do it today.

It is the turn of the bowlers to innovate - what will they do now?

Rajkot T20I - Yuvraj leads India to victory

Chasing a big score, India reached their target thanks to a typical knock from Yuvraj Singh with a good supporting cast (Vinay and Bhuvi Kumars with the ball as well as Dhawan, Raina for their starts). The 17th over was good where as you can see below, the line dips below the expected R-E.

Whats wrong with Australia?

Consider this

• Four players get suspended from a test match because they did not submit their homework. 
• An ex-player held back the news of his retirement because he was afraid that he might be dropped.
• An official speaks openly about one of the Famous Four - stating that he is not a 'team player'. The player in question responds saying that the official didnt know him well enough.

Remember Simon Katich and his bust-up with the captain?

Whatever be the reason for the open fight, it is unprecedented in the history of cricket. Other countries who are notoriously famous for their internal team rivalries will be chuckling away to glory. This is the ultimate test therefore for the players in the playing eleven at Mohali - after Day 1, it looks like some of the reinforcements (Smith and Haddin) have done well. The skipper is obviously not happy as he promoted to No.3 and got stumped the very first ball!

The previous Oz captains used to be tough on the opponents (Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and co) while enjoying great relationships internally. But, now, the aggression has swapped sides - the Aussie team members seem to have good relations with the Indian cricketers while internally, they seem to be in a mess! 

Is the new mantra of the team to be "nice"on the field? 

Is there a problem with the coach? Many questions to be answered in the middle of a test series overseas. Really tough!

Oz series - India finish a disappointing tour

The Indian team finished their long tour to Australia in a manner that reflected their performance throughout - disappointing. Despite the valiant chase that was put up by the batsmen against Sri Lanka at Hobart, the Sri Lankan win yesterday meant that the Indians had to take the next flight back.

Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav were the best performers on either sides though Zaheer Khan did his best whenever he played. Other than these, the rest of the players faltered to deceive. Gautam Gambhir came into his own in spurts but did not achieve the consistency that would have earmarked him for further greatness.

Whether it is the senior batsmen in tests or the younger ones in ODIs, the performance was consistently depressing. The bowlers were marginally better and put the team in likely scenarios of winning only for the batsmen to fail (except the last match).

A lot more work needs to happen on the technique and temperament of the young batsmen but the focus will shift to the IPL very soon. This only highlights the focus of the Indian cricket and its administrators. The selection committee could have taken hard decisions by talking to the senior players and resting them for Asia Cup.

Other than Sehwag, the only drastic measure taken was the promotion of Kohli as the vice-captain (a sign to Gambhir that he was not right in his comments against the captain). Will the team management give the younger players (like Rahul Sharma) a chance against the minnows in Asia Cup is to be seen. If even this opportunity is not used for the betterment of the team, God only can help Indian cricket.

T20I vs Oz - Victory at last

The Indian team managed to win a match on the Australian tour - something that they could not manage during the entire English tour. A remarkable performance on the field (including four run-outs) ensured that the young Indians dismissed the younger Australian team before the quota of twenty overs.

Guided by Gambhir and cameos by Sehwag, Kohli and Dhoni, the Indian team reached the target in the final over. By the tenth over, they had managed to reduce the R-B to nil. Once done, the writing was all on the cards.

T20I vs Oz - India loses again

The Indian team once again lost on the tour Down Under. As per the graph on the left, the team was on track with the expected runs for the first 6 overs despite the loss of Sehwag.

The loss of momentum in the next 8 overs due to the rapid loss of wickets meant that the R-B rate was always high. Despite MSD and Ashwin's partnership, the difference could not be brought down by the end of the match.

The pitch gave help to the slower bowlers of Australia in the second innings making the score became larger. No wonder then that the final difference was 31 runs. The younger players were playing only their first match on the tour - they will only get better. Let us hope the next match is won by the Indians to tie the T20I series.

Australian tour - All is not well with Indian team

0-8 in consecutive overseas test matches. This is acceptable if the team in question is Bangladesh or Zimbabwe or even the current West Indian team. Not the No.3 team (which was recently No.1) in the world. The performance has led to a lot of disappointment in the hearts of Indian fans, ex-players, commentators, journalists. There have been a huge outcry to sack all the seniors of the Indian team. Why this Kolaveri? Is it justified?

Now, let us take a step back and analyse what went wrong and what (if any) did go as per plan?

1. The batsmen started the tour Down Under with a lot of expectations from their fans. There were suggestions that the team would win their first ever series in Australia. Hope, even after being white-washed in the four-test series in England, was probably not right especially without any remedial actions after the disaster.
2. There was no series of injuries as witnessed during the English series. Zaheer Khan went through an entire series without breaking down. But, this did not make a difference in the final analysis. The result was the same in both series.
3.  By the end of second day in Melbourne, India were slightly ahead of the Aussies. They could not tighten the screws on the Aussies even after half-centuries by Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid. This is where, from the 3rd day of the test, things started to turn to the Aussies. Not able to seize the opportunities that came their way was a big mistake (Hussey's dropped chance by Dravid might have tilted the scales).
4. Planning by the Australian team cannot be ignored. The plans laid out by the support staff was on the dot, be it Gautam Gambhir or the other Indian batsmen. This should not be forgotten in the hue and cry raised about the Indian seniors.
5. The previous point also raises an important point on the effectiveness of the Indian support staff. Are they not able to impose their plans on the Indian team? Or are they not able to plan at all? Are Duncan Fletcher sealed? Why has he not attended any press conferences on the tour? Is there something that the public is not aware of? The head of Eric Simons is surely going to fall but that will not solve the entire crisis the Indian team is under.
6. Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav emerged as the positives of the tour but they must now endure the feeling of a whitewash through their initial years and emerge stronger. Only then, they can travel the paths of their current colleagues.

The BCCI had, through its powers, created tests from a non-existent schedule to ensure that the test team remains No.1. Can it do the same magic and conjure test series from nowhere (even against minnows like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe) so that the younger players can start playing tests? Or have they filled up the time with their money-making ODIs and T20s already? Can 'A' tours be restarted? 

My review comments after the previous whitewash still remain - will they ever be implemented? God only knows.

Australian tour - Oz Planning - Part II

Continuing from the previous post on Gautam Gambhir's dismissals, here would like to point the planning done on other Indian batsmen.

Rahul Dravid came into this series with a rich vein of form - scoring 3 centuries on the ill-fated tour of England as well as contributing heavily against the Windies both away and home. After this series, he was left contemplating a retirement decision based on the ways he has got dismissed. Look at the details below (courtesy Cricinfo)

• 1st Test at Melbourne - he's bowled 'em! what a ball to get early in the morning, as straight as you can get, fullish length, bang on off stump, straightens enough to sneak past Dravid's push and rattles the off stump, Dravid's front foot did not come as forward as he would have liked 214/4
• cleaned him up! Dravid left a big gap between bat and pad to let the ball sneak in, Pattinson is besieged by his team-mates, it was angled in fullish and moved in further, Dravid was caught in the crease and ended up pushing way outside the line 58/3
• 2nd test at Sydney - through the gate and the malaise hasn't escaped Dravid yet! Hilfenhaus squares him up for a delivery that comes back in, Dravid gets forward but leaves a gap between bat and pad, the ball sneaks through and hits the top of the off stump 100/2
• 3rd test at Perth - Dravid is bowled, yet again! It wasn't the movement this time as it had been on previous occasions this series, that was a yorker aimed at the legs, Dravid was struck on the full outside leg and it ricocheted off the pads onto the stumps, quicker from Siddle and Dravid's bad run this series continues 32/2
• 3rd test at Perth (2nd innings) - Dravid is bowled again, yet again! Done in by a ball that swung in and was bowled full, moved in a touch further after pitching, Dravid got across to try to drive it through midwicket, he missed, it clipped the pads and then knocked out leg. 135/5
• 4th test at Adelaide - would you believe it, he's been bowled again, tad unfortunate, but full marks to Australia for sticking to a tight line and length, he was just a touch late in motioning forward, the ball bounced from a length, hit him near the elbow, and ricocheted on to the stumps 31/2

Sachin Tendulkar started and ended the series in the conquest of a 100th hundred. His technique was also tested by the opposition and his scores after a confident start went southward. Two of his dismissals were planned out very well in the series

• Melbourne test - Sachin has looked positive throughout his stay, and that is what consumes him now, he reaches out to drive this pitched up widish delivery that moves away a touch, and gully accepts the thick edge, Siddle is overjoyed, Australia are dominant, and India face a stiff defeat 81/6
• Adelaide test - Siddle strikes big, Tendulkar looking to push away from the body towards cover with a slightly open face and Ponting takes a very low catch at second slip, pitched up, the angle in to Tendulkar and the fuller length draws him forward, the open face takes the ball straight to Ponting, it was taken low enough for them to have a second look at it, looks alright 78/3

Virat Kohli enhanced his reputation in this series with a string of good knocks against the Aussies. He was one who was quick to recover from the initial errors he made in the series. Witness his dismissals in the beginning that the Oz bowlers capitalized on

• Melbourne test - Virat departs now, caught in front, front foot moving across a long way, the bat had to do a lot of work in coming around it, it even brushed the pad on its way down, and the length ball had already nipped in to strike him in front of middle, Virat looked rather cross with the decision, wonder why 69/5
• Sydney test - It landed on that crack on a good length and kept really low, the ball nipped back in sharply after pitching and as he tries to whip it to the on side he's trapped flush in front of the stumps and falls over at the crease 286/7

One can go on with similar examples of others dismissals as well but the bottom-line is that the amount of planning and execution to go along with it had been top-notch in this series. Kudos to Billy McDermott and his wards for the whitewash.

Australian tour - Planning was key for Oz win - Part I

The 2011-12 series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been finished. 4-0 is the verdict in favor of the Aussies. Convincingly won with two innings victories. There have been many talks going on about the veterans in the Indian team and how they were ineffective in the entire series. But, let us take this opportunity to congratulate the Oz team for their planning.

Let us look at the dismissals of certain players in the series and the planning becomes evident. Gautam Gambhir is the focus of this first part. His weakness outside the off stump was well exploited by the bowlers. Look at the way he has been dismissed (text courtesy Cricinfo):

1st Test at Melbourne - first innings - Gambhir once again perishes to an indiscretion outside the off stump. Top bowling from Hilfenhaus, but aided by an average shot too. Short of a length, at least a foot and a half outside off stump to start with. The ball then seamed away, and Gambhir had a good enough sight at it, to leave if he wanted to. He chose not to, and fiddled to produce a faint edge through to the keeper. Aus have a wicket. 22/1

1st Test at Melbourne - second innings - outside edge and gone, Gautam's problems outside off continue, Siddle letting it rip from just short of a good length, finding bounce, the angle and away movement taking it away from the left-hander, but importantly, making him play, would have taken a very good leave to let it go, but he ended up jerking his hands slightly to the left to poke at it, the edge loops to second slip 39/2

2nd Test at Sydney - first innings - That really squared up Gambhir, landed on middle and slightly shaped away off a good length, Gambhir was squared up with the extra bounce and movement, thick outside edge to Clarke at first slip 0/1

3rd Test at Perth - first innings - Australia in command here, they remove the set batsman, Gambhir plays a nothing shot, no footwork hangs his bat in response to a ball outside off that moves away a hint, a tickle down to the keeper, and the familiar failings of the Indian batting come to the fore once more 63/4

4th Test at Sydney - first innings - there's the outside edge, and Haddin takes a neat catch tumbling to his left, excellent line, made him play the pitched up delivery just around the off stump, and Haddin did the rest, it moved just enough away after pitching to take the edge 14/1

If the bowlers couldn't get Gambhir nicking to the slip cordon, they got him with a perfume ball. Witness these 2 dismissals

• 3rd test at Perth - second innings - What a scorcher! Banged in short and that darted away, Gambhir was taken by surprise, got on the back foot and tried to play it into the leg side, almost trying to fend it away, the ball pops up towards gully and Hussey takes a comfortable catch, an excellent short ball by Starc, India under greater pressure now. Came off the handle 24/1
• 4th test at Adelaide - first innings - Siddle all over India, Gautam falls to the bouncer, incredible delivery on this flat wicket, must have taken so much effort, Siddle bangs it in short, it gets way too big on Gautam, close to head high, he hops in the air as he has been doing all morning, wanting to bring it down, but ends up fending it away well in front of gully, Michael Hussey races forward and dives full length forward to hold on to it, what a delivery, what a catch, top stuff 87/4

The support staff of the Australian team has done their homework alright. Persistence as well as execution of the well-thought out strategy is the hallmark of great teams and this one seems to be on their way if handled well. The question that comes to mind is why the Indian support staff could not do the same? 

Next post will be about Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar's dismissals in this series.

Perth test - Warner proves to be the difference

The Indian team have won themselves two more days of break after the Perth test match, thanks to their dismal performance with the bat. It was a surprise that the Indian team managed to extend the match beyond the second day. In hindsight, David Warner was the major difference between the two teams in terms of scoring runs. The Indian bowlers did well to the other batsmen in the Oz line-up. Dhoni managed to put a brave face with the media after the 7th consecutive loss overseas but this was expected of him in the batting department. Warner proved that there was not much in the pitch that affected stroke-play. Sehwag should give up his mantle now to his shishya in world cricket (for this alone, Cricket Australia should thank IPL).

What happened wrong for the Indians? Everything mostly. Except for couple of sessions when they competed with the Aussies, nothing much worked for the Indians. Virat Kohli showed that he was well-equipped to take the Indian batting into future by his stints in both innings in this match. VVS Laxman hung around in the first innings but couldnt do much in the next. The old failings of Sehwag, Sachin and Rahul reappeared to keep their impact on the match to a minimum. Gambhir looked confident in the middle but got a nasty ball in the second stint. Dhoni disappointed as a batsman, once again giving an impression that he has a long way to go in order to counter the moving ball.

With the ball, it was an improved performance by the bowlers compared to the 2nd test match. Other than the period when Warner played a Sehwag-like innings, the Indian bowlers bowled well on lengths that would have done the Aussies proud. Vinay Kumar has played his first and last test match in his career - though he captured Hussey in the test, he does not seem to have many skills that can test batsmen around the world. Ashwin might have contributed better with bat and ball in this test - maybe bringing a spinner like him would have been a good ploy to counter Warner at his best. Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav have given hope to the Indians as symbols of the future Indian test generations.

What next for India? VVS and Rahul Dravid are too proud players to hang around further. They have seen many victories with the Indian team (drawn series in Australia & SAF & SL, wins in England, NZ, WI, Pakistan) but the disappointments in England and now Australia must hurt them more than anything. They will now have to give way to the younger batsmen. Having made up their mind, they should take up the last match as though they have nothing to lose. Will Sachin Tendulkar take up a similar route? He looks good still and can go on for longer unlike the other two but only he can answer the question.

Virender Sehwag has turned out to be a damp squib after his double-ton in the WI ODIs - his performances after turning 30 seem to be dismal. His hand-eye coordination which had given him success all over the world seems to be fading (a la Krish Srikkanth). Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwara Pujara are waiting in the wings, ready to take the Indian team to the future. They should be allowed to play for India in the next few series (which will happen on Indian soil) so that they can gain confidence and refine their technique and temperament before they start touring again.

The Indian cricket seems to be going down and under every match - SEVEN successive matches lost outside their soil now. One feels that this is the worst possible scenario that they could have encountered but one can only wait for time to say whether they can slide down further. EIGHT will be reality next week? On current evidence, it seems to be straight-forward. Will BCCI do an enquiry or will it be done by amateurs like me on my blog as I had done earlier?

Related articles

• Australia series - India lose 6th overseas test in a row (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)
• Boxing day test - Australia take 1-0 lead (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)

Oz Series - Comments on Indian team

The Indian team has been facing a hostile press Down Under but the press back home is not good to them as well.

India's ex-coach, Greg Chappell, writes in Hindu on the steps the Indian team needs to take and highlights the areas he had pointed out earlier

Personalities should not enter into it. Just pick the players who you think can do the job.

HINT - Drop VVS & Rahul Dravid and pick youngsters to replace them. 

Players will not respond to cajoling and threats from the coach alone.

HINT - Selection committee (as well as BCCI administrators) should also cajole and threat

fielding and fitness were two things that I identified nearly seven years ago that needed improvement. That it is still a problem is just not acceptable.

HINT - Younger players are the way to go forward

Greg agrees with the go-karting however - one that Sunil Gavaskar was not happy about.

Makarand Wingankar in the same paper, also points out different reasons that are contributing (as per him) to the ills of the Indian team.

newly married couples and whole lot of families with children on tour have certainly been a distraction

Makarand goes on to take a dig at the Master and his son

If he allows a son of a cricketer to practice with the team, he is not the Fletcher that we have heard of.

Australia series - India lose 6th overseas test in a row

9.5 to 2.5. The session dashboard conveys a story that was grim for the Indian test team and its fans. There was hardly any session that the Australian team was tested to the potential that the Indian team had on paper. Right from the first innings on the first day, the match went downhill for the team.

The runs scored in the series by both teams reveal the true picture as shown below. Though the number of runs scored by the openers (thanks to Gambhir's second innings at SCG), bowlers (Ashwin being the main contributor), wicket-keeper (Haddin's dismal form continued), the difference of runs scored by both teams show the main reason why India is two tests down. Though the gulf of difference is because of Clarke's triple ton, the others like Ricky Ponting and Hussey have not been far behind.

VVS Laxman seems to have lost his Midas touch (is there something to do with his spiritual mentor Sai Baba's death?). Sachin Tendulkar has been drowned in the hype surrounding the Super Century (there is no other reason to be blamed for his failures to score a big ton). Rahul Dravid's defiance has been breached not once but repeatedly - putting a big question mark in his mind about his defence. Gambhir has retained his touch but will it continue in the remaining tests? Virat Kohli seems to have lost his spot to Rohit Sharma after two non-performances once again.

Number of runs scored in the series

The wickets taken in the series also reflect a similar trend for the Aussies - agreed that the Australian team has played only one innings compared to the two by India. The pace bowlers have made use of the helpful conditions they were provided (obviously luck played its role at SCG) to grab the wickets. The Indians have been found lacking here as well, despite doing well in the first test (again with conditions helping them). Ashwin has won the battle for spin against Lyon in this series but that does not amount to much in the series. Ishant has been bowling without taking any wickets, putting pressure on the others. Umesh has been lacking ideas when the pitch was not helping the Indians while Zaheer was off-color for the time the bat dominated the Indians on the 2nd and 3rd day.

Wickets taken in the test series

SCG test - Will India bounce back?

Will he get his 100th Century at SCG?

Glenn Mcgrath and the pink color of his Charity Foundation has become synonymous with SCG test matches. The Australian (and Indian) team had their photo-shoot with the legendary fast bowler but it was surprising to see the now-retired paceman fired another salvo against the Indians by suggesting that Australia can win the series 4-0. The current players seem more interested about Sachin Tendulkar's 100th ton and how they will try to restrict him.

Is Mcgrath's prediction likely to happen? I dont think so. Why? Australia as a team is in the rebuilding phase and they are not as consistent as they used to be in the times of Mcgrath (as a player). The Indian bowlers will be itching to come back at the Oz batsmen on a pitch that is expected to help them. If VVS and SRT fire (as their numbers at SCG suggest), the Indians will have a better chance to equal the series.

Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher will ensure that they pull out all stops to keep the morale of the team high. There will not be any changes expected on either side (except for any last-minute injuries). India had their tails up in the first test but the downfall of Tendulkar meant the advantage went back to Australia. The last 2 days were fully dominated by Australia (except for few rare minutes). In this test, they should continue their spirits to keep the Aussies at bay. Aakash Chopra suggests that the batsmen should look at playing 160 overs to dominate the play. If they can do it, they will have enough runs on the board to defeat the Oz. Easier said than done, right?

Boxing Day test - Bowlers rule the MCG

It was a fascinating battle at the MCG where the bowlers from either side held the upper hand. Only the veteran pair of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey managed to survive the carnage to put up a well-paced and crucial partnership in the second innings for Australia.

The day started with India in a good position to use the momentum of the partnership between Sachin and Dravid to score further and possibly take a handy lead. Hilfenhaus thought otherwise. Pitching the ball up and generating just enough movement to beat the batsmen and remind them of their old weaknesses, Hilfenhaus had the Indians play to the hands of the cordon behind the stumps. Dravid was bowled by a peach of a delivery while Kohli continued his overseas test match form by nicking to the keeper. Laxman was cleaned up by Siddle's well-pitched delivery while Dhoni continued his miserable run in test matches by edging to gully. All this while, Ishant was patient enough to continue his stint as a night-watchman but not for long. Ashwin showed what the top-order batsmen could have done by adding runs to the total and thereby reducing the deficit to a better-looking 51.

Australia's recent record has not been so great in the second innings - remember 47 vs South Africa as well as the recent debacle vs Black Caps in Hobart! There was a danger of a repeat performance when four batsmen perished to the bowling of Umesh and Ishant. Zaheer was bowling well and maintaining the pressure from the other end while the batsmen were getting out to the other bowlers. It needed the experience of Ponting and Hussey to stop the rut and keep the scoreboard ticking. Ponting looked more relaxed compared to the first innings while Hussey was on a mission to show his worth to a squad that cannot afford to miss him. Zaheer came back with late strikes but Hussey's miss by Dravid might prove to be costly.

Overall, a close dashboard for the test match with the Indians having a slight edge over Australia. The only difference will be the runs on the board that India will have to chase down. If the last 2 wickets are dismissed quite early tomorrow, India will expect their famed lineup to come to the party the second time.

Related articles

• Boxing Day test - Australia have noses in front of India (myhistoryisinteresting.blogspot.com)