A Blessing in Disguise

Although I knew that the ODI series between India and Australia would be a closely fought one, I did not expect them to win. As it turns out, we lost 1-2 and now there are some questions staring us right in the face. But first I would like to focus on the positives. The bowling was very much on point from India barring the 2^nd match but honestly, it would be unfair to blame the bowlers when all they had to defend was a paltry 117. But apart from that I think the bowling was impressive. I was fortunate to have watched one of the better ODI spells from Mohd. Shami in the 1^st ODI live at the stadium in Mumbai. That 2^nd spell from him was accurate, fiery and near unplayable. He broke the back of Australian middle order, which is a strong one without a doubt. Siraj and Jadeja were good in their bowling as well. Hardik Pandya once again proved why he is so vital for India’s success in the 50-over format and Kuldeep really came into his own in the 3^rd match. That delivery to dismiss Carey was an absolute peach. The fielding was good as well and it was good to see a cut down on the fumbles and drops. But this is where the positives end for Team India.

The batting was really poor in this series. The Indian batsmen faced ample difficulties playing against both pace and spin throughout the series. A friend of mine actually said that Indian batsmen play well against Starc, but I am sure he will change his opinion as Starc was the main destructor when it comes to the 1^st and the 2^nd ODIs. He was simply brilliant, and the Indians unfortunately had to face something that they really struggle against viz. a moving ball from a left arm quick. Somehow this category of bowlers has always had the better of our batsman, and this series was no different. I feel the Indian batsman don’t really like to play against the moving ball especially in the ODIs where they are more inclined towards stamping their authority on the game. The moment there is assistance to the fast bowlers, like it was in Mumbai and Vizag, the Indian batsmen seem off-colour. The confidence and the flamboyance start to wane and they eventually look like a pale shadow of themselves. Thankfully, Rahul, Pandya and Jadeja bailed us out in Mumbai and in hindsight avoided a 0-3 drubbing but the batting on display in Vizag, reminded me of the 2019 World Cup semifinal where the Indian top 5 were made to dance on their tunes by a potent and all-round New Zealand seam bowling attack. The problem definitely exists, and a solution will be helpful, sooner rather than later.

Coming to the 3^rd ODI, it was a match which was India’s to lose actually as they were in a comfortable position while chasing 270 with Rahul and Kohli playing according to the situation and still keeping the required run rate under control. Rahul lost his wicket at the wrong time in a bid to be aggressive after weathering the storm well. Kohli, to my surprise looked very desperate during the period he lost his wicket. He was well set but Ashton Agar turning the ball away from him made him go inside out way too often. He survived a close stumping chance and a miscue similar to his dismissal in an earlier over from Agar. I have watched him being helpless in the past 3 years but being desperate after scoring a 50 is a new sight for me. Almost all the batsmen were playing well until they just threw it away. As much as I admire and love him, I am tired of watching Rohit Sharma throw away the starts. He looks imperious and suddenly he finds a fielder in the deep at his exact location, and that too off good shots. I don’t know how he does so with such precision. Let us hope this stops or at least happens fewer times.

Surya had neither luck nor technique on his side in this series as 3 consecutive golden ducks is a rarity and it’s something that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. With the uncertainty looming large over Iyer’s fitness, his replacement is yet to be found as I am not convinced with Surya the ODI batsman. In the recent years, our bowling has outshone our batting and unless the batting comes together and clicks 10 out of 10 times, the World Cup dream seems to be a distant one.