The Indians must be really disappointed with the way they batted in Melbourne on Friday. It was by far their worst show with the bat on this tour, because even though they scored fewer runs at Perth, it was a difficult wicket to bat on. The MCG track was a very good batting wicket, which is why the performance of the Indian top order was even more surprising.
Indian supporters must be wondering why the batting line-up which was so consistent for almost two months, is suddenly finding it difficult to put bat to ball. It's got to be a combination of factors that has contributed to this sudden decline. The most important of these is the fact that the Australians put up a superb exhibition of pace bowling at the start of the innings. It was unstinted, relentless aggression from both ends that saw the Indian top order fold in.
Unfortunately for the visitors, this dramatic improvement in the bowling of Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie coincides with the last week of the tour, when players start thinking of getting back after a long tour. There is fatigue, physical weariness and, in the case of this tour, mental exhaustion as well.
Add to that the fact that the Perth double-header did nothing for India's confidence. The batsmen were under pressure not only against the strong Australian attack, but also against the relatively inexperienced Zimbabwean bowling attack.
Finally, the openers too have not done anything of note in the last three games. The Indians have traditionally relied on an explosive start in one-day cricket, and neither Virender Sehwag nor Sachin Tendulkar has been able to provide that. A culmination of these diverse forces sees the momentum resting firmly with Ricky Ponting and his men.
The Australians have been getting better and better with every game in this tournament. The Perth game inspired the bowlers and it must be said that the Australian Board did the Indian team a favour by not allotting a Test match at the WACA. If we had had a game at Perth, and completed the game at Brisbane, perhaps the Test series would have charted a different course.
If the Australian bowling is looking intimidating, the batting is not too far behind. Adam Gilchrist has been demonic at the start of the innings. In Friday's final, he was there for less than seven overs, but by scoring 39 in around 20 balls he completely demoralised the Indian attack. When a team is defending a moderate total, it's crippling for the captain to see his bowlers go for 7-8 runs an over at the start.
So where do the Indians go from here? They must firstly put thoughts of home at the back of their minds and focus on the job at hand. They have played extremely well so far, and must not let the last 10 days of the tour undo what they achieved in two months. It is crucial that their batsmen play their natural game at the start of the innings, and try to fight fire with fire.
From the Indian point of view, it's important that they do well in Sydney because they need to exorcise the ghosts of the World Cup final once and for all.
Those ghosts reappeared during the tri-series final in India a couple of months ago, and have reappeared in the first game of the VB Series finals.
Sourav Ganguly has a challenge in his hands as all this is easier said than done. Along with Wright he has to inspire his team to give this VB Series final one more red hot go. If they go back losing the finals 2-0, the team will have to live with the tag of being chokers for some more time.
The Australians will be straining every sinew to ensure that the issue is settled on Sunday itself. They are leaving for Sri Lanka on the 15th, and would like to spend a week with family, something that will be curtailed if the finals go into the third game.
Lee is looking menacing, and knows he can bowl even better.
It's amusing to see the media, who had earlier said that he would never bowl like he did earlier, now say that he has never bowled better! The truth is obviously somewhere in between. He is bowling extremely fast, and pace is giving him the confidence to attack more. Like any fast bowler, both he and Gillespie will try to snuff out the Indian batting one more time, so that they can conserve energy for the long tour ahead.
I am looking forward to a great show from Australia tomorrow, and will be there with my three kids. I don't know whether they will allow me to concentrate on the proceedings, but I will do my best.
India is not out of it, but they have to believe that before they can prove it on the field. Sporting achievement is all about great comebacks; let's see if Ganguly's boys can storm into Brisbane with a win at Sydney.
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