Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The question on everyone8217;s minds was, When will he explode? For much of his innings here today Mahendra Singh Dhoni had played with patience. With 12 runs to go, he could take it no longer; two successive sixes off Russell Arnold gave India the match and the series.
You could forgive Dhoni his moment of aggression, or transgression. India never looked in danger of losing this match, it was only a matter of time. And time is at a premium for a team hungry for tomorrow.
How important is this series win? One parameter is history; the last time India won a home series was in March 2002, and that was Zimbabwe. For a team of Sri Lanka8217;s worth, go back to South Africa and March 2000 though that was a different ball game!
More important is the manner in which these wins have been achieved, without fluster or flap, with planning, cohesion and a sense of purpose. Today8217;s win was the fourth in four different circumstances: A run glut at Nagpur, a bowlers8217; delight in Mohali, a heady chase at Jaipur and a steady chase here.
And there8217;s talent in store. India8217;s batting line-up today went down all the way to No 10, each capable of scoring big runs.
Also, the Big Three seem to have found their roles. Virender Sehwag showed today he may have realised that his slam-bang style is not what batting is all about. In perfect contrast, Sachin Tendulkar is beginning to return to his old habit of going after the bowlers.
Rahul Dravid has not changed 8212; he was, quietly and without fuss, India8217;s highest scorer today 8212; and that is always good news for Indian cricket.
Their confidence and comfort have shown the way for the talented youngsters in the team. What would probably please the think-tank most about today8217;s match is the fact that India were steered home by Dhoni and Suresh Raina, two faces for the future.
Raina and Venugopala Rao have been under considerable pressure to perform when given the opportunity. Raina never got a match in the present series until the Pune game. On the other hand, Venu was in the team but had not got a chance to bat.
Defining every individual8217;s role has been the buzzword in this Indian team, lately. Players themselves speak of how a programme has been chalked out for every individual 8212; keeping in mind the fitness levels, the ability to concentrate, performance chart, and definitely the talent.
That8217;s why Dhoni curbed his natural game of stepping up on the front foot and hitting every ball over the mid-wicket. That8217;s how Raina played his square cuts and hooks with such confidence. He8217;s been practising them for two months now, ever since these shots got him out in the tri-series in Sri Lanka and he was shown his failings on video.
That could be what flexibility is all about. Coach and captain 8212; who now appear to synchronise in both word and deed 8212; revealed that there is a plan to take every match according to the situation in hand and go about with the task of winning it.
The Indian team knew that they would have to play their best cricket if they wanted to defeat the No 2 side in the world.
They managed to do that and at the same time continued with their 8216;8216;strategy8217;8217; of finding the road ahead to the 2007 World Cup.
|
SCOREBOARD
|
||||
| nbsp; |
Sri Lanka: K Sangakkara lbw Agarkar 8, S Jayasuriya lbw Agarkar 16, U Tharanga c Agarkar b Sree Santh 21, T Dilshan c tendulkar b Harbhajan 52, M Atapattu c038;b Sehwag 87, R Arnold b Pathan 32, F Maharoof b Agarkar 3, C Vaas c Dhoni b Agarkar 10, M Muralitharan b Agarkar 9, N Zoysa run out 2, D Fernando not out 0; India: V Sehwag c Arnold b Muralitharan 48; S Tendulkar b Vaas 11; Yuvraj Singh c Dilshan b Zoysa 10; R Dravid c Vaas b Fernando 63; V Rao c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 38; M S Dhoni not out 45; I Pathan c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 0; S Raina not out 39; |
nbsp; | ||
