Sunday, Feb 16, 2003
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By Vijay Lokapally
Australian bowler Jason Gillespie appealing for an LBW against Sachin Tendulkar in the World Cup match at Supersport Park in South Africa on Saturday. Australia won the match by nine wickets — Photo: V.V. Krishnan
Australia's nine-wicket victory over India put things in right perspective. The difference between the teams was wide and Australia's mastery complete. It left a huge dent in India's confidence and it would take a total revamp in the attitude of the team for Sourav Ganguly and his men to look at their future in this ICC Cricket World Cup with optimism. The problems were age old. Poor shots when faced with a quality attack and no sense of commitment at any level. From Sachin Tendulkar to the last man, there was a shocking decline in every aspect of the game. The Indians could neither bat nor bowl. Their fielding too was eminently forgettable. There was no merit in the Indian batting stepping into a zone of intrigue which was essentially of their own making. A defensive mindset was never going to help them and the Indian batsmen paid early for adopting an adventurous route. It was appalling batting and big let down by a line up which promises so much on paper. The Indian batting stood exposed on a pitch which had true bounce. Of course, the Australians bowled splendidly, exploiting every weakness in the Indian ranks but the fact remained that the batsmen just lacked the will to fight. The positive streak which was so refreshingly evident on the eve of the match was hit for a six as the Indians slumped to their lowest total ever in World Cup. The drooping shoulders when they came to bowl reflected the mood of the Indians. Could one expect an explanation for this debacle? The pitch was not as wicked as the batsmen made it out to be. The blame ought to lie with the seniors who had no solution to the aggressive tactics adopted by Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. The farce ended with the tailenders adopting some comical postures to gather a few face-saving runs. Like in New Zealand and at Paarl, the Indian batting line up did not last 50 overs.
Humiliating experience
It was a humiliating experience for the Indian fans. The surrender by India's cricket icons may have come as a shock to many but not to some who have come to recognise the fact that these players have still not got their priorities right. If there was a stroke that defined India's hopeless state it was the straight-driven six by Mathew Hayden off Javagal Srinath, who could only turn back and see the ball make a shattering statement of Australia's dominance. There was another stupendous shot which put the Indian attack in its place _ a massive six by Adam Gilchrist off Harbhajan Singh which scattered the crowd behind long-on. The Indian batsmen lacked the spine to stand up and meet the Aussie firepower. The trio of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and `man of the match' Jason Gillespie had a plan and stuck to it _ bowl short and into the ribs of the batsmen who had been reared on docile tracks to end up with false impressions of their calibre. India's batsmen did not possess the strokes to unsettle the Aussie attack. Amazingly the Indian batsmen seemed to have learnt little from this long season of playing on a variety of surfaces. If Ganguly blundered with a horrific shot, Virender Sehwag emulated his skipper with a far more dreadful drive. But then it would be naïve to blame Sehwag alone for the miserable show put on by the entire team. The lack of depth in India's batting was never so pronounced. But the lack of character came to the fore in those dark moments when batsmen gifted their wickets away in acts of sheer indiscipline. Rahul Dravid was guilty of dragging the ball but the rest just did not measure up to the task. The Indians could not have blamed the conditions. The pitch was decent and the start not bad considering the recent past. Ganguly won a good toss too. But the Aussies had done their homework this day and did not ease the pressure with Gillespie shining as a first-change bowler after Lee was handed the new ball. Here was a stage ideal for Tendulkar to produce a staggering innings. The kind which one associates with great performers. He promised for a brief period and then went just the way as the others. A clever change of pace by Gillespie left Tendulkar in no position to complete his shot, a clip off the pads. It was easily the defining moment of the match. There was no justification in some of the shots that the Indians attempted. Ganguly and Sehwag played far away from the body too early in their innings. The skipper needs to look at his batting spot in the interest of everyone. He clearly looks out of his depth. Yuveraj Singh may have been unlucky in being adjudged leg-before but Mohammed Kaif had no business to play a crass pull which may well cost him a place in the side. With the top order collapsing, there was no point condemning the lower half which managed to perform better. India's last five wickets put on 75 runs, 25 more than their illustrious predecessors. The total was never going to cause any discomfort to Australia. Hayden and Gilchrist played their natural game and savaged the attack with some stunning shots. It was hardly surprising when they signed off on a high note with 27.4 overs to spare. It was a big miss-match in the end with sympathy in loads for those who turned up in huge number to support India. The defeat did not hurt as much as the manner in which the Indians capitulated. At the start of the tournament last week, someone had made an unkind comment on England. "Only thing it can win is probably the toss.'' One hopes the Indian team does not end up in that category, for the players' state of mind was most alarmingly depressing at the end of this shattering defeat at the hands of the best one-day team in the world. Australia, with wins against Pakistan and India, is sitting pretty while India now travels to Zimbabwe, which also has eight points. A defeat in Harare would end many dreams. SCOREBOARD
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