He8217;s got the power

It gave us an idea as to how the legendary Don must have played in his salad days!

From day one, Sachin dominated the Aussie attack and it was virtually a battle for supremacy between the little master and the uncrowned kings of cricket. Sachin reigned supreme!

I had watched with awesome fear the hurricane hitting of Ian Botham at Headingley, Leeds and Mumbai, but Tendulkar8217;s blitzkrieg put those knocks into shade. He massacred the Aussie bowling and made them bite the dust!Australians had come to conquer India but were dejected, disheartened and dismayed as they were outclassed not only in the tests but in one-dayers too. They were comprehensively beaten and battered!

Banking heavily on the wily Shane Warne to deliver the goods, the Australians had held high hopes of putting it across the Indians. I had the opportunity of closely seeing Warne8217;s huge palm which grasped the ball like an apple! Robust and fleshy with long stout fingers, he can play any trick with the ball and spin it the way he likes! But to his horror, he found the Indian wickets unfriendly and the batsmen well-prepared! He could not therefore conjure up the magic he is known to possess!

With Warne proving innocuous, the other bowlers posed no threat to the determined Indians who were on song! Even the presence of McGrath and Guillespie who could not make the tour, could not have tilted the balance in their favour. The vaunted attack of the Aussies thus turned out to be pathetically poor and spelt their discomfiture.

Rarely in the history of Indian cricket, so many specialised batsmen have struck form simultaneously as against the Australians. Contrary to expectations, based on past experience, the Indian batsmen, for once, proved to be a formidable lot, with the opening pair of Sidhu and Mongia preparing a sound platform in the test matches and the middle order batsmen namely Dravid, Azhar, Sachin and Ganguly making useful contributions to build up a huge total. For instance in the Calcutta test, India amassed a mammoth 633, with five men hitting half centuries and the skipper himself chipping in with a super fine century. The picture in other tests was not much different.

Rahul Dravid celebrated his return to test side with three consecutive fifties and showed his class. It was obvious that he was kept out for no rhyme or reason, a mistake which the selectors will do well not to repeat. Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was given step-motherly treatment so far, justified his inclusion with consistent performances and has now cemented his place in the side.

Sachin, Azhar and Ganguly are three batsmen who have demonstrated the ability to adapt their technique to suit the requirements of tests and one day matches with equal facility. Ajay Jadeja, now considered as a specialist one day cricketer, has excelled at number five thus proving the embarrassment of riches, as far as batting is concerned. It is a rare phenomenon in Indian cricket!

On the wickets where Indians could raise sizeable totals, why couldn8217;t the Australians? Having watched their game carefully, one gathered the impression that they showed casual approach and over-confidence. For instance, in the second test, they had lost four wickets for 29 runs due to atrocious strokes and indiscretion! It is therefore that they are themselves to blame for their abject surrender both in tests and one-dayers.

The twin triumph should stand the Indian players in good stead and augur well for the future in their preparation for the World Cup next year.The battle which started with Sachin scoring a glorious double century, ended with Sachin hitting up a many-splendoured hundred in the finals and snatching a meritorious victory.

The long season has no doubt given us a shot in the arm and seen the re-incarnation of Don Bradman, but one must sound a note of warning that nowadays there is an overdose of cricket which may do a great harm to players mentally and physically.