A TOUR OF RAINING RUNS

Team India is back. Back to the comfy confinements of sub-continental cricket, after a bizarre tour Down Under concluded. A tour, which tossed some predictable as well as few unpredictable results. Which vindicated some pre-series assumptions, yet defied quite a few. A team carrying an exuberant mix of established yet priming stars and hopeful young talents - confident of carrying forward their domestic form into international arena – against a team helmed by the new Oz sensation, who is in the infancy of his job and quite a few personnel playing to cement their position in the team for the tougher and more significant future assignments. Given the competitive spirit with which Aussie approach their game, they were seldom likely to take India lightly, even if they were playing on their own backyard. And the competition for the places and their determination to continue their dominant run resulted in a relentless approach- a trademark of their brand of cricket.

PART ONE:

It was a series full of runs -3000 odd scored in the ODIs at the loss of just 60 odd wickets across 5 matches. Even the T20Is produced 4 scores of 180 plus. It is so uncharacteristic of Australian venues, which are famous for their helpful wickets and long boundaries. But as is the case throughout the Australian summer, the pitches were belter and the size and quality of modern bats, which these players are wielding, made the long boundaries obsolete. It is perplexing that why CA is hell bent upon producing such pitches, which neutralizes their home advantage and reduce the matches to such run fests. But evidently they are trying to increase the entertainment value and generating bountiful revenues from such matches, especially when it is involving the economic powerhouse of cricket- India.

And that paved the way for the batsmen from both sides, to score big and prolific. Indian batsmen were in for a pleasant surprise, as they casted their glance on the belters of WACA and Gabba – the two most fearsome strips of cricketing history and folklore. And they didn’t throw away those golden chances of enhancing their overseas performances. The flame of the torch bearers of the Indian batting was on an outrageous rage, as their top 3 fired in bewildering unison for 8 matches straight. It was a rare feat of consistency, which even the famed and great batting line-ups of India has not been able to replicate. Every big score releases enormous pressure and provides the comfort zone to the players. But that also affects the personal motivational level and law of the averages invariably catches up with you. But Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan batted with an appetite for runs, never seen before.

It’s not that Australian batters were overshadowed. They absolutely belted the Indian attack and probably, were way superior in their approach and seizing the initiative at crucial junctures. But there was a stark contrast in the way they batted and the visitors batted. It was all about one Australian batsman playing the anchor role and their whole line up fired – albeit in different matches. Whereas Indian batting was all about the Top 3 playing the chunk of the overs and scoring the bulk of the runs – at least 2 out of the 3 scored a minimum of half century in each ODI and even in T20Is.

 The Indian innings just squandered the chance to convert those gigantic starts into insurmountable totals, and in Canberra, to cross the finish line being at an extremely comfortable position. And when the afterburners of the Indian line-up either rediscovered (say MSD, Raina and Yuvi) or invented (as in the case of Manish Pandey) their mojo – they give the drowning faiths of the nation of billions a much needed breather and were somewhat able to quell the settling rhythm of pessimism.

Rohit continued his astonishing consistency in the shorter formats and proved that he is handful even outside the sub-continent – he had performed in every overseas tour including Champions Trophy 2K13 in England. Virat Kohli was all-together at a different level, barely settling in before unfurling those beautiful wrists and powerful fore-arms. The runs flowed from his blade in a manner which would’ve made even the great Sir Don Bradman proud- 2 centuries and 5 fifties in 8 matches testifying his prolific returns. He buried the ghosts of ODI performances against Australia on previous tours and took a leaf out of his last test series down under.

Shikhar Dhawan was rusty but soon delivered the goods, even though his performance failed to impact the team’s cause, as he stalled the innings in MCG and got dismissed at a crucial juncture in Canberra after hitting a century. MSD may not be the same finisher, he was. Yet often came to bat, when there was no time to settle in and sans that costly blip in Canberra, he played his part in the further ODIs and T20Is. Gurkeerat was a disappointing failure and nowhere looked comfortable and Ajinkya Rahane was not able to continue his good run due to the unfortunate injury. Manish Pandey proved to be an invaluable asset in the 5^th ODI as he executed the record breaking chase with immaculate maturity and seemed a fine prospect for his cricketing sense and temperament.

And as the likes of David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch, George Bailey and Steven Smith notched substantial scores - their four victories in the ODIs are testament to that- they made sure that failures of one don’t affect the others and each one of them stood in one of the matches. Especially George Bailey with that awkward closed stance – he has developed a special liking for the Indian attack. And when every one of them failed, out came Glenn Maxwell with a calm hat on his head, as he defied his pyro-techniques to play a gem of a knock. With supporting acts from a deep Australian batting line-up, the Kangaroos repeatedly breached the Indian fortress of runs and created havoc with the bat.

Suresh Raina contributed well in the T20Is and was pivotal in the last one, as India chased 198 and executed a clean sweep in Australia - an extremely rare feat.  Yuvraj quelled the ghost of his previous international match – the 2K14 T20I WC final and finished the match in which he got to bat. Shane Watson too provided a glimpse of his unfulfilled potential with an extra-ordinary innings in the final T20I. Australia were able to replicate their relentless performances in T20Is as the divided loyalties towards New Zealand tour and a poor T20Is record played their parts.

PART TWO:

The biggest disappointment for India was their bowling. Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma were patchy and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has seemingly lost his panache for swing and wickets. Barinder Sran started well but one bad performance was enough for his exit – a touch harsh on the youngster. He needs the backing of the team. R Ashwin failed to inspire the confidence to play him on such docile surfaces after the hiding he got in the first two ODIs. He made a strong comeback in the T20Is though. Ravindra Jadeja played his part with the ball and was an asset on the field, even though his venom is negotiated by the benign surface.

Not lot was expected from Rishi Dhawan, as people pigeonholed him as yet another trundler and a domestic giant against weaker teams in the helpful environs of Dharmasala. But he showed in MCG and SCG that he has got a control over his line and length and his variations and knew his limitations. He stalled the free runs in the middle overs and provided MSD – the much needed control. The only bad spell was the spell during death over in Canberra, but it wasn’t as if any one performed better then. He squandered the only chance of batting as pressure got better of him after a great stroke. Jasprit Bumrah – a late inclusion- was rightly called as the find of the tour by the Indian skipper and that orthodox action and yorkers here to stay. He was an integral factor in every victory in this tour.

Hardik Pandya didn’t justify the promise, even though he breached the 140Kph mark, but proved too erratic. As he didn’t get to showcase his batting potential, he is likely to get further chances. Still India may have missed a trick of determining their seaming all-rounder by not playing Rishi and Hardik in the same XI as that would’ve inspired both of them to give their best and would’ve provided a clearer picture.

It was evident that Aussie were playing with their second rate bowling attack in the absence of injured Mitchell Starc and Nathan Coulter Nile, and rested Josh Hazlewood. Even though it came as a handy tool for the Australian supporters and media for launching barbs and a getaway reason for their poor performance, it was conveniently forgotten that their bowling cupboard is looking bare, the crisis intensified after Mitchell Johnson’s retirement. One can argue that they missed James Pattinson and Patrick Cummins in addition to above three. But if their team has to bank on those fragile option, then the signs are worrying.

 Pattinson and Cummins never look likely to shoulder a heavy burden, which automatically come these days as a by-product of heavy cricket. Starc is to be keenly observed as comeback after a surgery is never easy for express pacers like him. Coulter Nile has yet to prove much in the international stage and Hazlewood has progressed well, but appears as the only permanent bowler, who is susceptible to injuries too. But his steady pace provides him the cushion and in the ODIs he played in this series, he was able to stagnate the run flow. Still, he is unlikely to be the strike bowler for an Australian squad and that leaves the bowlers used in these couple of series as much more than just mere experiments or replacements in the lack of better option.

John Hastings was impressive in the ODIs, but got the stick in the T20Is. Kane Richardson didn’t look special, sans that lucky spell in Canberra, which was more a result of the pressure created by Hastings and an inexplicable implosion. Boland and Paris never looked like belonging to this stage and Andrew Tye in the T20Is seemed equally unimpressive. James Faulkner played a decent role in stagnating the marauding Indian batsmen, particularly at death, still looked far from his best after being on a comeback trail from a long hiatus. And if names like Jackson Bird and Peter Siddle are flashing, they are more of a long format bowlers.

It was a series of flaunting batting muscles and the team which wilted first in the munching of runs from their machines, lost the matches and in the 8 matches across formats, both team posted 4 victories. Australia has lot to answer regarding their pitches and bowlers, while India has a team of exceptional batters and mediocre bowlers, even though they aren’t as mediocre as they seem. A hint of help from the surface and it won’t take the Indian attack to find its screws. What seems like an open secret is the fact that give Indian bowlers the benign surface and they will lose their discipline. Quite a few teams has exploited this fact in recent times and Indian bowlers need to show the grit. Not to forget that spinners, Ashish Nehra and Bumrah formed a potent combination in T20Is and as the T20 WC is in sight with lots of T20 cricket to play, it is not an immediate crisis at least.

And why it will be when they are the number 1 in T20Is and Tests and 2^nd ranked in ODIs.

-GEET