Journalism of Courage
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This is an archive article published on October 27, 2003
From Gwalior, surprise festival bonus
‘Revenge’ was not a word doing the rounds before this tri-series — the Indians believing discretion to be the better part of ...
7 min read
‘Revenge’ was not a word doing the rounds before this tri-series — the Indians believing discretion to be the better part of honour — but none of the sweets consumed by the Indian team in this festive season could have compared with today’s resounding 37-run win over Australia.
It may not matter in the long run — one can count on the world champions bouncing back — but it’ll do nicely for the moment. It will have helped erase memories of the drubbing India suffered seven months ago at The Wanderers and will give the team a massive morale boost for the matches ahead.
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Ganguly may miss two more ODIs
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Kolkata: Captain Saurav Ganguly could miss two more games of the one-day triangular series with Australia and New Zealand because of his groin injury. Ganguly has already missed the first two games, including Sunday’s game against Australia, due to the problem and said on Sunday his return would be delayed for some time yet. “I am ruled out until November 1 and it could be any game after that,” a limping Ganguly told reporters after he was discharged on Sunday having spent eight days in hospital. A doctor attending Ganguly said the player might miss the game against New Zealand on November 6 and return only for the November 12 tie against Australia in Bangalore. (Reuters) |
There are, indeed, many positives India can take from today’s performance. For one, the victory was achieved under difficult conditions; the evening dew made fielding tough. And bowling even tougher, especially for the spinners. In that context, the contribution of Kumble and Harbhajan, who first stemmed the flow of runs when Hayden and Gilchrist were in full flow, and then took key wickets, can’t be overstated.
Nor, indeed, the efforts of Zaheer Khan. The last time he’d bowled to the Australians he’d infamously conceded 15 runs off the first over. Today was his chance to exorcise those ghosts and, leading the Indian attack, he seized it with both hands.
Not initially, though, for his first spell was unremarkable. But, when brought back by Dravid in an inspired move, he held his nerve and claimed the wickets of dangerman Gilchrist and potential danger Symonds. He later added Bichel to his list of victims.
The bowlers were helped by the fact that, for once, they had a total — 284 — to defend. The credit for that must go to Tendulkar, named man of the match, and Laxman, whose fluency and stroke-making seemed to spur each other on. Tendulkar’s return to form could be the biggest gain from the match for the hosts; the trademark straight drive was flowing, a reassuring thought after the labours of Motera and Mohali.
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Laxman’s innings was equally creditable, given that his one-day career is in the first stages of revival. Here was the Laxman of 2001, all cover drives and backfoot punches that increased along with his confidence.
But for all the good vibes flowing from and around Team India, they will be aware not to derive too much satisfaction from this win. For one, this was a completely second-string Australian attack and it showed — indeed, the hosts should have exploited it farther.
The batsmen were also unable to mix the singles with the drives and glances. As a result, the scoring dropped; on a flat pitch, against better bowling, these missed opportunities could well be the difference between winning and losing.
Second, the season has just begun for Australia’s one-day specialists — Bevan, Symonds, Harvey — who haven’t played since July. Given that this is their first match on tour, they would take heart from their performance.
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But this was India’s day, a victory seven months in the waiting. They know the Australians will bounce back but they also know they have points in the bag and a psychological edge.
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SCOREBOARD
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INDIA AUSTRALIA |
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Sidelights
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HEAVY SECURITY: The flipside of taking the game to smaller centres in India is the chaos spread all around. In Gwalior, security precautions reached exaggerated levels with paramilitary battalions being called in from Jhansi and Ratlam. The worst affected, as usual, were the paying public, who bore the brunt of the long list of security restrictions. Story continues below this ad MEDIA MESS: The biggest gainers seemed to be the bureaucrats, with officials from neighbouring districts making their way to the Captain Roop Singh Stadium. Once there, most were accommodated in the space meant for the media; the press box was a picture of disorder as the best seats were taken by those brandishing complimentary passes. The Australians, known for their no-nonsense attitude, looked on with bemused expressions. SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW: The day before the match saw both teams being invited to the Diwali party at the Scindias’ palace by the current scion of the family. A group of curious Australians, led by Matthew Hayden, Michael Kasprowicz, Michael Clarke, Jimmy Maher and coach John Buchanan accepted, and decided to burst crackers. PAYING TRIBUTE: Both teams wore black armbands today in tribute to Colonel Hemu Adhikari, former Test player and national coach. There was even a minute’s silence before the start of play. This was in complete contrast to how the cricketers observed — or didn’t — the passing away of former captain GS Ramchand, who died during the Challenger series in Bangalore last month. Perhaps the Australians’ willingness to pay tribute today will be an eye-opener for our cricketers too. |
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