The Hindu : Sport : India seeks to repeat the MCG show

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Sport

India seeks to repeat the MCG show

S. Dinakar

Australia decides to rest Lee; David Hussey drafted in as cover for Clarke

Sehwag is a doubtful starter for Sunday’s match
Ponting’s form would worry the Aussies

Adelaide: Brett Lee will not be around to deliver his thunderbolts but the Indian batsmen can hardly relax against an Aussie attack that has been incisive in the CB ODI tri-series. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, “With or without Lee, they are a good bowling side. They can get batsmen out.”

Australia’s decision to rest Lee for Sunday’s duel with India could have also been influenced by the fact that the Adelaide Oval is among the flatter surfaces down under; the quicker you bowl, the faster the ball could travel off the bat.

The Indians — four points behind Australia and two ahead of Sri Lanka — will be seeking to repeat their MCG performance where the pacemen seamed the ball around to make decisive inroads in the first half of the innings.

Dhoni’s pat for bowlers

The Indian bowlers have done well and Dhoni complimented them. “They have raised their level but need to maintain their consistency,” he said.

On the flip side, a batting friendly pitch might actually suit the Australians who have been troubled by Ishant Sharma & co. on seaming wickets with an element of bounce.

There are fitness concerns in both teams. Virender Sehwag is recovering from a side strain. Sehwag, who made a bright hundred against the Aussies here in the Test series, is a doubtful starter for Sunday’s match.

Yuvraj’s form

Australia could be without Michael Clarke, who took a painful blow on his ribs in Perth and David Hussey has been drafted in as cover for him. The Indians will ponder over Yuvraj Singh’s form but the vice-captain is unlikely to be dropped. Skipper Dhoni felt Yuvraj was just an innings away from regaining his touch but only time will tell.

The Indian batsmen face another challenge. Despite the absence of Lee, the host has the skill and variety to put most teams under pressure. Mitchell Johnson bowled brilliantly on Friday at the WACA. He has plenty of ability and mixes his deliveries quite well — the ball swerving into the right-hander, the delivery leaving the batsman, the yorker and a handy short-pitched delivery. He also changes his pace cleverly.

The left-armer hits the right areas and is adept at bowling to the right-hander from round the wicket. Crucially, he can also take the ball away from the southpaw.

There is a rhythm and flow about his bowling in the ODI series; his form has improved from the Test series where he too tended to push the ball across the right-hander rather than swinging it or hitting the deck. He will be the leader of the Aussie pace pack on Sunday.

Well-deserved rest

Johnson also said Lee deserved a break. “I think a well-deserved rest is very important. I too was given a break ahead of the Twenty20 game.” Nathan Bracken does not possess Johnson’s pace but his ability to seam the ball both ways and extract bounce from a high-arm action makes him a bowler who needs to be watched. Stuart Clark will seek to grab an opportunity with his cut and off-stump line. Actually, he did nothing wrong the other night at the MCG. Brad Hogg continues to impress in the ODIs with his variations in spin and trajectory. James Hopes has bowled well in the middle overs, taking the pace off the ball.

The slip catching by the Australians has been ordinary by their standards and Johnson did reveal that the normally reliable Matthew Hayden apologised to him after putting down a sitter. “When it happens (when a catch is dropped), I put a smile on my face and move on,” the paceman said.

Adam Gilchrist’s century augurs well for Australia. Hayden and Gilchrist can take the game away from the opposition early. The openers can destroy and consolidate.

Ponting’s form would worry the Aussies, so would the fact that the batsmen lost the plot in the conclusive overs at Perth and the final surge never happened.

The teams (from):

India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), S. Tendulkar, V. Sehwag, G. Gambhir, R. Sharma, Yuvraj, R. Uthappa, I. Pathan, Harbhajan, Ishant, S. Sreesanth, D. Karthik, M. Tiwary, M. Patel, P. Kumar, S. Raina and P. Chawla.

Australia (from): R. Ponting (captain), M. Hayden, A. Gilchrist, M. Clarke, A. Symonds, M. Hussey, J. Hopes, B. Hogg, M. Johnson, N. Bracken, S. Clark, D. Hussey and B. Haddin.

Umpires: Tony Hill & Peter Parker; Third Umpire: Bob Parry; Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.