The Hindu : Sport : Aussie pace battery leaves India shell-shocked

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Friday, Oct 12, 2007
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Sport

Aussie pace battery leaves India shell-shocked

S. Dinakar

Mitchell Johnson is Man of the Match for his five-wicket haul

— Photo: AP

BREATHING FIRE: Mitchell Johnson (second from left), who came up with a five-wicket haul, is mobbed by teammates after claiming Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s wicket.

Vadodara: The Australians rule the cricket world since they can adapt better than anybody else. On a dry, dusty, sub-continental pitch here on a hot Thursday, the Mitchell Johnson-led Aussie pacemen sliced through the Indian line-up.

It was a wonderful exhibition of learning, planning and execution.

Ricky Ponting’s men, chasing a grossly inadequate 149, crushed India by nine wickets at the Reliance stadium to win the fifth Future Cup ODI with 24.1 overs remaining.

The ruthless Aussies lead the series 3-1 with two matches remaining and cannot lose from here.

The match was a nightmare in daylight for the Indians. They were also found wanting in commitment, with only Sachin Tendulkar, in his 400th ODI, showing some pluck.

Not an ideal pitch

The almost brick-coloured wicket — the pitch was not properly watered — was not an ideal one for one-day cricket. The ball stopped and came; there was a definite lack of bounce but appreciable turn for the spinners.

Eventually, in a telling comment, the Aussie pacemen made the most of the conditions.

Brett Lee & Co. have been practising the position of the wrist — upright with the fore and middle fingers running over the seam — while releasing the ball. Their air-speed, fullish length and swing hurt India in the morning.

Johnson was also able to cut his deliveries both ways, getting the ball to grip the surface. The left-armer, who varied his length cleverly, was the deserving ‘Man of the Match’ for his five for 26.

There were occasions when he bowled with a scrambled seam too; here the ball can skid through off either side or hit the seam.

Critical switch

The visitors made a critical switch by reverting to the Lee-Johnson combination with the new ball. The batsmen were confronted with pace, change of angles and movement.

The bowlers were backed by an outstanding Adam Gilchrist behind the stumps. Gilchrist’s 77-ball unbeaten 79, including seven fours and four sixes, followed his spectacular display in the Indian innings when he equalled the ODI record for dismissals by a ’keeper by snaffling six catches.

Two of his efforts, diving to his right to pouch a thin inside edge from Yuvraj Singh’s blade (off Johnson) and then flinging himself to the leg-side as M.S. Dhoni gloved Johnson, were outstanding.

The Indians frittered away a gilt-edged opportunity on a pitch of their liking. The host had to see through the first hour and then the strokemakers in the middle order could have accelerated.

Dhoni’s decision to bat suited the Indian game-plan since the side had two spinners. The Aussies’ best chance was in the first 60 minutes, particularly with the Kookaburra ball .

Mix-up

Ironically, an Indian error provided Australia its first wicket. Sourav Ganguly played a short-pitched delivery from Brett Lee to mid-wicket, set off for a run on Tendulkar’s call, but was undone by the maestro’s decision to turn back.

Rahul Dravid is in need of runs and his elevation to the No. 3 slot raised the question whether a former Indian captain, also among world cricket’s most accomplished batsmen, deserves to be tossed around in the order?

On a placid pitch in Chandigarh, Yuvraj Singh walked in after the openers had laid a solid platform. Now, against the new ball after an early strike, Dravid strode in. The No. 3 is a critical slot and stability and continuity are essential requirements here.

In the event, Dravid was caught at the crease by a full length swinging ball from Lee. India had been dented twice in the first over.

Then, Johnson bowled a terrific line to the southpaws from over-the-wicket, swinging and cutting the ball away from them.

Yuvraj’s lack of footwork initially let him down. Robin Uthappa, who moved onto his front foot, finished at the wrong end of a marginal leg-before decision as the ball darted in. Soon Dhoni followed.

Tendulkar and homeboy Irfan Pathan built a partnership of sorts. Tendulkar essayed a couple of glorious cover drives before Ponting’s clever decision to bring Lee back worked. Lee drew Tendulkar (47, 73b, 9x4) into a fatal drive with a lovely away swinger.

Pathan (26) was done in by Johnson’s ability to shift his line and swing the ball away. Zaheer Khan biffed an entertaining 28 but a total of 148 was never going to be enough.

Dhoni innovated opening with Zaheer and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh but the positive Australians took calculated but rewarding risks.

Gilchrist attacked and there were useful contributions from Mathew Hayden and Ponting.

Meanwhile, in a senseless act, a section of the crowd threw plastic bottles into the arena. Sporting defeats have to be accepted gracefully.

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