Post-mortem / preview

This will be brief, but some quick thoughts about the 1st Test, and the 2nd:

Verdict:

Delight. I think drawing the game was a considerable achievement. The pitch in Bangalore was one that definitely favored the team batting first, even though the final day pitch didn’t crack up as much as expected; Bangalore remains one of our worst grounds anywhere in the world; and our cricket history is littered with fifth day ghosts. So all said and done, I think the draw was well-earned and pleasing. Especially pleasing was that the Fab Four all looked at ease and confident – clearly they are relieved at playing Anyone but Ajantha!

There have been some reality checks on this, most eloquently by Siddharth Monga on cricinfo, who is an author I like. At some point in all the reality checks, there is an assertion that this Australian team is one of the weakest ever. I don’t buy that. The only differences between this team and the one we played in Australia are – Katich for Jaques (hardly a downward swap); White for Hogg (Hogg was hardly a terrifying prospect); and Haddin for Gilchrist. So the really big absence from the winter is Gilchrist – who in any case wasn’t at his best either in front of or behind the wicket on that tour.

If anything, the presence of Shane Watson gives Australia better balance. Watson is not the imposing batsman that Andrew Symonds is, but he is a far better bowler. For years, the Aussies have played four front-line bowlers with the likes of Symonds and Clarke backing up. Watson gives them the possibility of playing five frontline bowlers. With Irfan Pathan nowhere in the reckoning, India just does not have an all-rounder to match up to Watson. The one real weakness Australia does have is in the spin department – I really don’t think White will amount to much, nor do I think that Jason Krejza will cause our batsmen sleepless nights. The Aussies might well do better playing an extra batsman in Jaques, having Watson play at 7, and having Clarke and Katich share spin duties.

First worry:

Obviously, Kumble. His poor showing was not a one-off – he has now lacked zip and bite ever since returning from Australia, and his captaincy felt flat and unimaginative. One could make a compelling case that Munaf Patel would be a better bet for Mohali. For one thing, Mohali will be a bouncier pitch, which will help Munaf. For another, Munaf has been in good form of late. And for a third, that will allow Dhoni to lead – for the brief time that he was in charge in Bangalore, there was a distinct buzz about India’s performance. But one could also make the opposite argument in each case – Kumble too thrives on bouncy wickets; Munaf has done well in one-days, but remains notoriously temperamental to trust him in Tests; and leading well for an hour is one thing, for five days something else altogether. At the end of the day, I’m sure that Kumble will play if he’s fit. I just hope that he is honest with himself about how he is feeling, and doesn’t go in if he’s less than 100%.

The basic problem, though, isn’t with Kumble, but with team balance. The fact is that, in recent times, our seamers have generally looked more potent than our spinners (Kumble in Australia being the big exception). Even when Bhajji has picked up wickets, as against South Africa and Sri Lanka, it has often been at great cost. So we have generally looked more dangerous when playing three seamers – as in England last year, or in Perth – regardless of who that third seamer has been. (R.P. Singh, Pathan and Sreesanth have all stepped up to the plate at various times). But accommodating a third seamer means either dropping one of Bhajji or Kumble, or dropping a batsman – and both of those options are, shall we say, courageous or controversial, and not something that this team management is likely to do, certainly in this series. So I expect that Munaf will remain on the bench, which will mean that there will continue to be lots of pressure on Zaheer and Ishant to deliver. Ishant, in particular, is doubling up as a strike bowler and a stock bowler – getting pace and bounce, but also bowling 8 or 9 over spells. For a big series like this, it is probably alright to push him that extra yard, but it’s not really the ideal way to manage him over the long term. At some point, unless Kumble and Bhajji both are bowling at their best, we have to start at least considering three seamers as the norm even for home Tests, and think about either benching one of the spinners or taking the risk of playing one batsman less.

Second worry:

That latter option would be a lot easier if Dhoni could reassure as a no. 6 batsman. At this point, he doesn’t reassure me even at 7. He was the one person other than Kumble to look completely out of sorts in Bangalore. His keeping has become top-notch, and I think that is what he needs to be selected for; and he is probably ready for the Test captaincy whenever it is given to him; but he is still unconvincing as a Test batsman. I am not quite sure why he has changed his game so much in Tests, almost to the point of becoming a plodder. That is not his natural game, and he doesn’t thrive on it. His place in the side is secure, but at some point, sooner or later, he is going to need to start delivering with the bat in Tests more consistently – especially if and when he becomes Test captain, the pressure will mount on him very quickly if he is underperforming with the bat. In one-days and T20s, he is not just an inspirational captain, but also the undisputed leader of the team with the bat – and the latter feeds his confidence and authority as captain. So hopefully he can figure out a way to get amongst the runs.

Admiration:

Partisanship aside, what a batsman Michael Hussey is! Mr. Cricket indeed. Not the most exciting batsman, but such an unflappable temperament, and such a precise player. Pietersen, Sangakkara, Sehwag, Ponting, Jayawardene and Symonds are probably the best batsmen in world cricket today simply for their match-turning abilities; but I bet that Hussey (along with Chanderpaul) must be right up there amongst the batsmen that bowlers least want to bowl to. He seems to have set himself up for a very big series here.

All in all, though, it is game on now. I think the Aussies are still the favorites going into Mohali, but hopefully we can at least stare them in the eye and keep them on their toes.