Chika Talk
Kris Srikkanth
Dravid's painful knock was slow death
December 27, 2007
India have only themselves to blame for the tight corner they find themselves in. It is an open secret that in order to beat a team as strong as Australia one has to sustain momentum. And India failed to drive home the advantage after stringing together two good sessions on day one of the Melbourne Test. The visitors have a fair distance to cover from here and that has been primarily because of India's inability to control the Aussies below 300 after coming back strongly in the second session on the opening day. Psychologically, 343 is bigger than, say, 290. In batting, the failure of Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni was a big blow. I am not getting critical on the two after just one innings but in the game's context it has played a pivotal role.
The batting approach of India and Australia has been in stark contrast. Even when the wicket had a lot to offer on the first morning, Hayden and Jacques were positive. They had their share of luck but that is the way runs need to be gathered in Australian conditions. Dravid's approach was at the other end of the axis. By defending deliveries that had to be hit, he only allowed the bowlers to gain rhythm and confidence.
There was no reason for a batsman of his class and calibre to get into a shell. Those who followed Dravid also suffered because of his sedate stay. The manner in which Hayden went after Harbhajan and Zaheer was the right approach. The effort of Harbhajan Singh left a lot to be desired. One positive stroke and you can count the next delivery to be of fullish length at some pace. The job of the spinner is not to restrict but to buy wickets and sadly the Sardar is so short of confidence that he also looks short of ideas.
R P Singh has to be more consistent at this level. He is a fine bowler but he has to keep things tight in order to make the batsmen play. But Zaheer and Kumble responded well and captaincy does not seem to affect Kumble, the bowler. The will to excel has only increased with the added responsibility.
I have always been an advocate of at least one opener playing his strokes. To get on top of a tight attack like Australia, it is imperative one batsman goes after the bowler. Sadly the intent to score went missing and the likes of Lee and Clarke were only happy. The wicket was far from unplayable and the bowling was not menacing and it was a pity that a strong batting line-up could muster only 196.
The bigger disappointment was the body language of Kumble and his men in the second innings. The spring in the step that was evident on the first day was missing. If they can do it once there is no reason why they can't do it again. All it takes is belief.
An overall lead of 179 runs with all wickets intact leaves Australia as the favourites by some distance, but India should not lose heart. They should play with a positive frame of mind. If India manage to keep the fourth innings target to less than 350, they will still be in with an outside chance.
The pace at which the match has progressed has taken the draw out of the equation and that gives extra motivation to play attacking cricket. It will not be easy but with a resourceful leader like Kumble who continues to contribute handsomely with both bat and ball will have to ensure that his team is only down but not entirely out as yet.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
The batting approach of India and Australia has been in stark contrast. Even when the wicket had a lot to offer on the first morning, Hayden and Jacques were positive. They had their share of luck but that is the way runs need to be gathered in Australian conditions. Dravid's approach was at the other end of the axis. By defending deliveries that had to be hit, he only allowed the bowlers to gain rhythm and confidence.
There was no reason for a batsman of his class and calibre to get into a shell. Those who followed Dravid also suffered because of his sedate stay. The manner in which Hayden went after Harbhajan and Zaheer was the right approach. The effort of Harbhajan Singh left a lot to be desired. One positive stroke and you can count the next delivery to be of fullish length at some pace. The job of the spinner is not to restrict but to buy wickets and sadly the Sardar is so short of confidence that he also looks short of ideas.
R P Singh has to be more consistent at this level. He is a fine bowler but he has to keep things tight in order to make the batsmen play. But Zaheer and Kumble responded well and captaincy does not seem to affect Kumble, the bowler. The will to excel has only increased with the added responsibility.
I have always been an advocate of at least one opener playing his strokes. To get on top of a tight attack like Australia, it is imperative one batsman goes after the bowler. Sadly the intent to score went missing and the likes of Lee and Clarke were only happy. The wicket was far from unplayable and the bowling was not menacing and it was a pity that a strong batting line-up could muster only 196.
The bigger disappointment was the body language of Kumble and his men in the second innings. The spring in the step that was evident on the first day was missing. If they can do it once there is no reason why they can't do it again. All it takes is belief.
An overall lead of 179 runs with all wickets intact leaves Australia as the favourites by some distance, but India should not lose heart. They should play with a positive frame of mind. If India manage to keep the fourth innings target to less than 350, they will still be in with an outside chance.
The pace at which the match has progressed has taken the draw out of the equation and that gives extra motivation to play attacking cricket. It will not be easy but with a resourceful leader like Kumble who continues to contribute handsomely with both bat and ball will have to ensure that his team is only down but not entirely out as yet.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
