Despite the rather tame loss in the finals of the limited-overs series, there’s no doubt that the Indian team’s tour of Australia was a success. No team in recent years has dominated a Test series against the Australians in their den as the Indians have done and the one-all result does not accurately reflect that the Indians played much better cricket than the Aussies. The West Indies teams of the 70s and 80 used to beat the Aussies and for that matter all teams quite comfortably.
The last time a team beat Australia with that kind of comfort was the West Indies team but it was almost a decade back. Before that, the only other team that played better cricket than the Aussies but did not go on to win was the Indian team under Kapil Dev in 1985-86.
That team too was the better team, but a combination of bad weather and even worse umpiring ensured that the Aussies escaped without losing a Test and the three-Test series. The Australians then pipped the Indians in the limited-overs series to wrest back the advantage the Indian team had all throughout the season.
Ganguly’s team too was beaten at the tape by the Australians who with their policy of rotation had all their key players well rested and so were able to produce that little extra to beat the Indians and salvage the season.
That the Indians dominated the Test series can be seen from the first Test itself where on a pitch that was responsive to pace, the Indians led by the captain himself batted with grit and determination to take the lead in spite of losing the early batsmen for not too many. Steve Waugh, who was much more experienced than Ganguly, then tried to get the psychological advantage back by declaring on the last day and getting a few early wickets to balance the lead taken by the Indians.
India then played some superlative cricket to not only chase a 500-plus total by the Australians and got very close to it and dismissed the Australians for not too many in the second innings and then batted with the same discipline and determination to win the Test. Even though they lost the next Test, they did have the Aussies worried with the counterattack launched on the first day itself where they batted in the manner that the Aussies have perfected and scored around 330 runs in a day. It was the one bad session the next morning that allowed the Australians to get a foot in the door and then throw it wide open for a win to level the series.
The Sydney Test was supposed to be Steve Waugh’s Test, seeing as it was his last one, and the crowds had come to see not only Australia win but Waugh score a century and end his career on a high note with yet another Australian series victory.
That did not happen and in fact Waugh was close to being embarrassed with a poor personal score in the first innings and defeat in the Test. No team had scored 700-plus against Australia till the Indian team did so and the Australians looked bedraggled and shattered with the massive Indian total. They typically went out there and blasted some runs and with the Indian bowling attack being hampered by injuries to its top bowlers, the Aussies escaped with a draw.
It was this superb performance and effort level that led many to believe that the Indians would be able to carry on and surprise the Australians in the tri-series as well. Unfortunately, the traveling around a big country and the early flights took its toll and unlike the Australians who could rotate their players and rest them, the Indians could not and so players like Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman played in almost all the matches and that does leave not just the bodies tired but the minds too.
There was also the forthcoming tour of Pakistan and the security issues that were on the players’ minds and that probably took away some of the focus on the job at hand. So the big effort that was needed in the finals could not be produced but then it was no shame losing to the world champs. It was just the feebleness of the efforts in the finals that led to the disappointment and the frustration that left the supporters upset, especially after the high that was created with the performances in the Tests.
The players are now taking a well-deserved rest from the game, but if the Pakistan tour is on then they will have to get back to not just the nets but also some serious matchplay to get into the right frame for such an important tour. With the fitness levels being so good in recent times, it is really the mind-games that the players have to get back to and in Pakistan, that is going to be a telling factor. There are also a few little faults that have crept in some players’ batting and they need to be ironed out too before they embark on the tour.
But it is really the mind that has to be strong when touring Pakistan and that can only happen when the players are totally comfortable with all aspects of the tour. The layman will never fully understand what a tour of Pakistan involves. If it was only a game of bat and ball then it was no problem, but against Pakistan, it never is just that and that’s why listen to the players and their concerns before jumping to any conclusions about their actions.
