Aussies v. India - ODI Tri series

[Donny]

If Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman and Sehwag (or Dravid) are taken out of the present Indian team, our present Oz team would chew them up on our wickets and beat them in India as well.

After all, we only lost by 37 runs on Sunday.

[Blanch]

The point I was making is that to take our top 4 (or 5) bowlers out of our team is a huge blow. If we were to take India's top 4 or 5 batsmen out we'd flog them no matter where it was played.

It's like taking out the Collingwood backline and then replacing it with Williamstowns. We've still got fire power up front (our batsmen) but it will take a while for the Willy backmen (bowlers) to come up to scratch.

[Donny]

Time to shed the century fixation

Sambit Bal

"He (Tendulkar) was thrilling in his 92 at Trent Bridge when India were trying to save a Test last year, and he was majestic in 176 in another matchsaving performance against West Indies at Kolkata last November. Not to forget his 98 against Pakistan in the World Cup - how many of his 35 one-day hundreds do we remember better?

Sambit Bal is editor of Wisden Asia Cricket and Wisden Cricinfo in India.
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For the complete article, see seperate thread 'India's century fixation'

[Donny]

Batsmen's feast in the offing

S Rajesh

The hot and humid weather at Mumbai not withstanding, conditions at the Wankhede Stadium were perfect for a typically high-scoring game of one-day cricket. The pitch had a smattering of grass spread evenly across the surface, but looked absolutely dry, suggesting that the grass would help more in binding the surface together for the entire 100 overs than in assisting the seamers. The other vital ingredient, the outfield, was in perfect shape too, with the grass cut fine to ensure that batsmen would get full value for their strokes.

Rahul Dravid, who will lead India again after Sourav Ganguly was ruled out of the next two games as well, refused to speculate on the composition of the Indian team, but it is unlikely that any changes will be made from the line-up which beat Australia so convincingly at Gwalior. Though Ajit Agarkar had a disappointing opening spell, his crucial runs down the order should help him seal his place.

Not surprisingly, Dravid spoke about the need to bowl better with the new ball, after Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden scored 81 off the first 15 overs in their previous encounter. "There is very little margin for error against players of such quality. We have to restrict the runs early so that the spinners can then bowl in tandem and pile on the pressure on the batsmen."

Smarting from a convincing defeat in the first match, the Australians will need to prove that, despite the absence of all their star bowlers, they are still capable of putting it across an almost full-strength Indian line-up. So far in this series, their second-string bowling attack has performed admirably, keeping the Indian batsmen in check for much of the first match, and then skittling out New Zealand in seamer-friendly conditions. Ricky Ponting made no secret of his displeasure with the batting display, and it is unlikely that a line-up which includes – apart from Ponting himself – Hayden, Gilchrist, Martyn and Bevan will misfire twice in three games.

Encouragingly for the Australians, Brad Hogg proved that Australia have a spin weapon as well if conditions do become favourable for the spinners. Dravid made light of Hogg's impressive spell at Gwalior – "We were in the consolidation phase of our innings and hence weren't taking too many risks" – but Hogg impressed with his control and his ability to turn the ball both ways.

Meanwhile, SK Nair, secretary of the Indian board, stated that the selectors would meet tomorrow to select the squad for the next three games. Ganguly might well be kept out, as he is still recovering from a surgery on an abscess, but if his extended spell at the nets is any indication, then Ashish Nehra is a strong prospect. Bowling from his full run-up, Nehra steamed in and bowled a testing spell to Mohammad Kaif and Parthiv Patel. Parthiv, in particular, was constantly in trouble, playing and missing, and edging a few.

Also in the nets was Sachin Tendulkar, bowling some teasing medium pace, before coming out for a short stint with the bat. In his last three ODIs here, Tendulkar has scored just 47 runs. Time for the law of averages to take effect?

India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Rahul Dravid (capt), 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Parthiv Patel (wk), 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Zaheer Khan.

Australia (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Bevan, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Ian Harvey, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Andy Bichel, 10 Brad Williams, 11 Nathan Bracken.

[Donny]

Ponting won the toss and batted.

The first over from Zaheer Khan was a doozy. 4 wides, 1 no-ball that Gilly hit for 4, a single to Gilly, Hayden out for a duck and a 2 to Ponting.

After 1 over, Australia are 1/12.

Now, what do we have here ? Virenda Sehwag comes on from the other end. Dot, 4, no-ball, 4, 4, 1, and a dot = 14.

Australia is 1/26 from 2 overs !!

[Donny]

Khan's second over goes for 14 !!

Three overs gone. Australia is 1/40. Gilly is 29 from 15 balls.

Harbajhan replaces Sehwag for the 4th. over. Only 3 runs.

[Donny]

5 overs gone. 1/54. Zaheer has 1/37 from 3 overs.

[Donny]

Gilly is out. 41 from 30 balls. Caught by Kaif from Harbhajan.

Now after 10 overs, Australia is 2/70.

[Donny]

Ponting out. l.b.w. to Agarkar for 31.

3/93 in the 14th.

[HAL]

Ive never know what its like not to go for the Pies.

[Donny]

Martyn an Symonds are keeping the score ticking over. They've put on 66 in the last 13 overs.

Martyn is 32 from 50 and Symonds, 41 from 45.

3/159 after 26.

[Donny]

Martyn goes to 50 as Australia get ready for the last 10 over launch.

In the 39th., they are 4/195. Symonds made 48.

[HAL]

That was a long time ago.

[Donny]

Martyn goes to 50 as Australia get ready for the last 10 over launch.

In the 39th., they are 4/195. Symonds made 48.

[HAL]

That was a long time ago.