Dhoni and his men have left a lasting impression down under

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men have left a lasting impression in Australia. Eventually, controversies could not overwhelm cricket.

The Indian campaign in the CB ODI tri-series was a remarkable one. It revolved around a brave captain, an inspirational senior and a vibrant bunch of youngsters. They shared a common attribute — immense self-belief.

Historic triumphs are borne out of confidence. Dhoni’s men were neither overawed by reputations, nor daunted by situations. They played with aggression and seized their chances. They played to win.

Dhoni shows character

The skipper displayed fight and resilience with the willow, kept wickets impressively and led with a mix of instinct and guile. Dhoni showed character. Not too many sides in the period of transition would be expected to stretch the World Cup winner and the runner-up in an energy-sapping triangular ODI series.

Dhoni’s men exceeded expectations. In what could be his last series in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar gleamed brighter than the floodlights at the ‘Gabba when the joyful Indians converged in a heap.

Like those special cricketers, he had made winning runs when it mattered. Hampered by a nagging groin injury, he scored them in pain. And new stars emerged. The unsung Praveen Kumar, a country lad from a wrestling background, muscled his way into the nation’s sporting consciousness with some outstanding swing and seam bowling, with the new and the old ball.

Dazzling at the crunch

Rohit Sharma dazzled at the crunch in the first final. The SCG was ablaze with strokes of delicate beauty as Rohit batted with an amalgam of classical shot-making and sub-continental innovation. Tendulkar’s presence in the middle was a calming influence on Rohit. To the younger bunch, Tendulkar has been a father figure and a role model.

Dhoni too received valuable inputs from Tendulkar. However, as captain, the final call was his. He made all the right moves.

The decision to hand the new ball to Ishant Sharma in the initial stages of the competition was spot on. All along Ishant, a seamer with the off-cutter as his chief weapon, was considered an ideal first change bowler. He struck telling blows against the Aussies at the MCG and the Indians achieved a psychologically important win.

The decision to drop Virender Sehwag and play five bowlers was not lacking in courage either. The inclusion of Praveen in the concluding stages of the league settled the issue against Sri Lanka in Hobart. The ploy to open the attack with Ishant and Praveen in the first final at the SCG also made sense.

The tall Ishant extracted bounce, the shorter Praveen was getting the ball to skid off the surface. Perhaps, the biggest gamble was to play young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who had not played a game in the competition till that point, in the finals. Given the three blocks of Power Plays and the complications in managing two spinners, this was bold, attacking captaincy.

Harbhajan Singh and Piyush created the pressure in the middle overs. Not flustered by the crowd reaction, Harbhajan showed fight, heart and skill. Just about everyone contributed. Vice-captain Yuvraj Singh struggled for rhythm but carved out a match-winning effort in the vital league game against Sri Lanka in Adelaide.

Robin Uthappa, kept his attacking style in the shelves for the afternoon, and produced a solid opening knock in the second final. The young guns showed a willingness to adapt to different roles and situations.

Making the right call

The strategy of playing two spinners at the ‘Gabba in the decisive clash was proved right. The Indian think-tank read the pitch correctly. The nature of the surface at the ‘Gabba showed the Aussies were not playing to their strengths. Perhaps, the host was worried about some of its batsmen coming up short on a seaming track with bounce. Australia, eventually, played into India’s hands.

Even as the dust settled on the second final, Adam Gilchrist shared a quiet moment with his family at the ‘Gabba. Cricket’s foremost wicketkeeper-batsman, a pioneer, will not play for Australia again. He deserved a better farewell.

Cracks are visible

Australia faces a testing period. There is no replacement for the influential Gilchrist in sight. Captain Ricky Ponting is being found out on seaming tracks and somebody like Andrew Symonds is, technically, several notches below Damien Martyn.

The Aussies, for a change, are not putting enough runs on the board. Brad Hogg’s retirement will weaken the spin bowling. Pace ace Brett Lee is still firing, but the side misses Glenn McGrath’s precision and temperament. Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson are still works in progress.

News Source : Samachar