It takes lots of mental strength and conviction to comeback from a hammering and to win the very next test. The performance of the Indian team was really excellent. They showed lot of character and determination to win the test. There were quite a few positives as well for the team. There were lot of praises for the team from various quarters. Ravi Shastri, as usual was melodramatic. However, there still remains lot of open questions. Yes India won the Melbourne test but…..
First let us look at the positives
India were without some of the first choice players. Kohli is back in India for his child’s birth. Shami fractured his arm. Ishant Sharma never really travelled to Australia and to top all of that, Umesh was injured in the 2nd innings. Not that Umesh is someone who is a certainty in the Indian lineup but to lose one bowler transfers enormous workload on the shoulders of the rest one of whom was making his debut. Despite so many setbacks, the Indian bowlers did really well to bundle Australia for 195 and gain a lead of more than 100. Rahane, who was under tremendous pressure because of lack of substantial contribution over 4 years, save for a couple of innings batted beautifully to ensure that the bowlers efforts were not wasted once again.
Siraj bowled decently enough to be considered a certainty till the end of this tour. He wasn’t spectacular nor was he ordinary. He has height and if only he can add few yards of pace, will certainly be an excellent bowler. Shubnam Gill showed why he is regarded as someone with great potential.
For me, the highlight of the 1st and 2nd test is the bowling of Ashwin. I for one never rated Ashwin as someone who is capable of taking wickets outside of secured environs. In this series, so far, he has shown that he is indeed capable of going onto the next level. He has 10 wickets so far from a couple of tests including Smith couple of times and Marnus once. During the 2007 series in India, Ricky Ponting mentioned that he will be pleased if Shane Warne who had until then struggled in India, ends up taking Laxman’s wicket in all the innings cheaply. Likewise, if Ashwin manages to get both Smith & Manus wickets in the remaining tests at a cheap rate, he would have done his job.
Tougher games are ahead
India for some reason are notorious for losing a game just after winning one outside of Asia with the trend bucked only in West Indies. One reason could be because of the euphoria of winning in an environment that they are not accustomed to. Another could be because of feeling deflated after achieving something that they thought is impossible. Yet another could be because the rest available between the games were so minimal that the Indian team is unable to come out of a mindset.
This has happened regularly in England, South Africa, New Zealand and previously, in Australia. This time, there is a slight difference. The Indian team have had 10 solid days to reflect upon the win, celebrate and put that in the backburner and then concentrate on the next test. The coaching staff will have to shoulder this responsibility and ensure that the players are focussed on the next test. Sydney is a wonderful opportunity for India to go 2-1 up and a good performance at Brisbane will ensure that we win the series.
Ravi Shastri’s hyperbole
Ravi Shastri, after the game was in his usual self. He called the win as one of the greatest comeback in world cricket. He better stop making such stupid statements which will invariably lead to complacency on the part of the players.
Problems still remain
Mayank Agarwal is set to be replaced with Rohit Sharma. Mayank has struggled on this tour and has become a walking wicket much like Prithvi Shaw. However, his replacement, Rohit Sharma does not inspire much confidence. Rohit is short of red ball practise for well over 8 months. He was supposedly injured during the IPL. He will be playing the next test not because he is indispensable but because there aren’t any better option. Pujara seems to have forgotten how to score runs. He seems to think that if he stays at the wicket for 30-40 overs he will score runs but that is wrong. He must actively look to score runs.
Pujara is not required to score boundaries every over, rather, he must concentrate on rotating strike. In big Australian grounds, singles and twos are always on the offer. He must realise that he is not someone who is playing in his first series. Rather, he is the most experienced and as such is expected to not only blunt the bowling but to score runs. Substantial contribution is required from him. Pujara puts enormous amount of pressure on himself and transfers that pressure to the others as well because of his slow batting.
Vihari is another who is really struggling. He stays at the wicket long enough but is faling to make use of the start. Rahul is likely to replace Vihari but Rahul as we all know is not test material. Rahul has had enough chances. Left to me, I will retain Vihari in the team. The pace bowling attack is extremely inexperienced even with the presence of Bumrah. In Umesh and Ishant’s absence, the choice is between Saini & Natarajan. I would prefer Natarajan because of the left arm angle and he might just be a better bowler than Saini who is known to leak runs.
The next couple of tests promises to be really tough for India. Smith has had such a lean series, he must be itching to score. Marnus will probably have the same feeling. With the expected return of Warner, the Aussies expect to get off to the typical aggressive start. Indian bowlers have so far kept the Aussie batsmen quiet but the Australians can be expected to come up with plans to counter that. So, the Indian coaching staff must have plan B ready just in case.