Wednesday, Nov 19, 2003
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Cricket
By Vijay Lokapally
WORTHY CHAMPION: The jubilant Australian team with the TVS Cup after defeating India in the tri-series final in Kolkata on Tuesday. — Photo: Sushanta Patronobish
India had everything going its way. A slow pitch, first go at the opponent and a not-so-imposing target. But it lacked the will and vision to plan a victory. From team composition to a confused approach, the Indians only compounded their task and the woeful lack of commitment left them comprehensively beaten by an opposition, not at its best, but far superior. It was a clinical show by Australia, which relived those glorious moments of a brightly lit night at the same venue 16 years ago when it lifted the Reliance World Cup. The Indian performance was aptly summed by Sachin Tendulkar as a "poor batting show.'' The pressure of having one batsman short was enough for the Indians to discard the natural way of mounting the chase on the strength of its aggressive batting at the top. The openers were apprehensive and once again Virender Sehwag was sorted out by the Australians in this series. The presence of Tendulkar meant that there was scope for the others to thrive. V.V.S. Laxman looked good only in patches and was bowled off a low delivery. Tendulkar, adjudged the `Man of the Series', hung in, capitalised on the scoring opportunities, but played the wrong line against an innocuous Andy Bichel. When Yuvraj Singh fell to an ugly swipe, nicking the ball to slip, India faced the threat of disintegrating in a heap. The tension was palpable but not as far as Badani was concerned. He strode to the crease with a confident gait and played an innings that redeemed the Indian hopes until that sweep off Michael Clarke which cost him the wicket. Badani had looked in exceptional touch with the exception of that fatal moment. In hindsight, he would have been better off playing those stirring shots in front of the wicket. The dismissal gave Australia the motivation and the Indian innings was soon in disarray when Dravid, after a responsible knock, played on to `Man of the Match' Clarke and then Ian Harvey struck off successful balls, removing Murali Kartik and Zaheer Khan, to bring his team back into the game. The contest was now set for a pulsating finish. Agarkar stood firm, exploding with well-timed sixes off Andrew Symonds and Clarke but he craved for support. Harbhajan Singh deserted him with a casual shot, Symonds pulling off a sensational catch at covers, and Avishkar Salvi proved a misfit when his illustrious partners came a cropper. It was, as Ponting would have us believe, a splendid team effort by a team which is truly the world champion in every sense.
Aussies struggle
Earlier, Australia faced resistance from a determined India in front of a packed Eden Gardens. It was only a sixth-wicket partnership between Michael Bevan and Clarke that gave Ponting's team hope to back itself in the final. It was not the ideal pitch, and neither the best Australian approach on the big night after it elected to bat. The ball turned and stopped and suddenly the mighty Australians seemed clueless. This was not what they had expected but neither had the home team, which went into the match without Sourav Ganguly, who failed a fitness test. India might have regretted the non-inclusion of Anil Kumble on a track which saw the spinners gleefully grabbing the ball to make the most of the situation. The poor show by Salvi was another jarring aspect in India's display, not to forget Dravid missing an easy stumping off Symonds and Harbhajan failing to catch Mathew Hayden at square leg. The tight spells by Kartik and Harbhajan gave India the edge as Damien Martyn applied himself better than his predecessors to set up a fight. Ricky Ponting failed to produce his magic and Australia, quite unusually, struggled for runs. For a change, Ponting and his men had been put under pressure. The indications of batting becoming a demanding exercise were evident quite early when Adam Gilchrist and Hayden, the dreaded pair, put up a dreadful show. Their timing was awry and it was hardly surprising when both perished to desperate strokes. India had obviously done the homework well and it helped when the bowlers denied the Australian openers the width to begin their awesome strokeplay. Kartik was out to embarrass the National selectors as he spun a fascinating web around the Aussies. He was instrumental in upsetting the Aussie plans to bat aggressively and his dismissal of Ponting was quite a key factor. It was as if Kartik was wanting to prove a point to some men and he did with a lot of conviction. His outstanding work was the highpoint of the Indian bowling performance. Harbhajan, Virender Sehwag and Badani joined the act with their slow bowling even as Dravid, leading the side in place of an injured Sourav Ganguly, set up some innovative field, making the Aussies earn every run. But the overall Indian fielding was shoddy and Laxman the biggest offender, grassing three of the five catches that came his way. The Australian innings revolved around the quality knock by Martyn, who had realised quite early that grafting was a better option. He did not dominate but batted quite effectively to produce a stand of 80 runs off 94 balls in the company of Ponting. Martyn fell when threatening to take charge but India failed to capitalise on the opening. Michael Bevan batted sensibly, even though he missed more than he connected, but Michael Clarke gave glimpses of his potential with some clinical hitting that left the Indian attack in a quandary. Bevan's six to long off set the tone with Clarke picking runs at will, making batting look so easy on a difficult pitch. Agarkar, who had begun the day on a high note, castling the dangerous Gilchrist, got the stick in his second spell. A pity he could not sign off the day in style, left stranded by his partners who formed India's long tail. SCOREBOARD
India bowling: Agarkar 8-2-50-1 (w-1), Zaheer 6-0-29-1 (w-1), Salvi 3-0-23-0 (w-2), Kartik 10-1-30-1, Harbhajan 10-1-34-1, Sehwag 8-0-35-1 (w-2), Badani 5-0-23-0 (w-1).
Australia bowling: Bracken 8-1-15-1 (w-1), Williams 7-1-30-1 (w-2), Bichel 8-0-51-1 (w-2), Harvey 4.5-0-21-4, Symonds 7-0-36-1, Clarke 7-1-37-2 (w-1).
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