India vs Australia, 2nd Test, Day 3

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The match is evenly poised - 70:30 in favor of India. Yeah, that underlines how difficult it has been to beat an Australian side in the last decade. An Australian team is capable of winning from a situation that is 90:10 against them. Till you have won, however bad the situation might be for them, however close you might be to winning, the match is always evenly poised.

But alas, the Tyrannosaurs that romped in the region in the last decade, most have become extinct. The few that are left, are waging rather personal battles. The profound impact of the retirement of Mcgrath, Warne, Gilchrist, Langer, Waugh, Martin is telling on this team. Hayden looks stale, Ponting has a few personal worries, Symonds is in rehabilitation, Lee is injured. Now that leaves out 10 out of 11 players that make a cricket team.

But that has never been an issue in Australia. They have had players who bettered the players they replaced. Now is the time to carry forward that tradition. Haddin, Watson, Clark, Johnson, White, Siddle are all youngsters. It's their test today - a test that would keep afloat a tradition they prided on so much.

As of now, this team looks so shaky that the bamboo huts in earthquake prone Japan would seem more rigid. Honestly, they have not shown an urge to win. Prove me wrong, please.

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Posted by Zapper on Sun 19 Oct

6 comments

I wouldn't call 70:30 "evenly poised" :-)

It wasn't that long ago when Australian cricket fans were pining for competitive cricket. Then all of a sudden, we see the retirements of Warnie, Gilly and McGrath and our team is mortal again. It won't be long before we're pining for the good ol' days when we struggled to find competitive cricket. I'm starting to see what it's like to be a West Indian supporter.

Sure, Matt Hayden is totally out of form, his 2001 purple patch a distant memory. Michael Clarke has made a tradition of getting out on the last over of the day. Sure, knowing you're a few minutes away from Lara Bingle might be distracting but you've got to concentrate, boy! And Ricky Ponting has been so focussed on the commando rolling Harbajanh, he never saw his new nemesis in Ishant Sharma coming until it was too late.

But all is not lost. Mr Cricket, our new middle-order saviour, is still at the wicket. His batting average, the new national obsession now that Don "99.94" Bradman has passed away, is teetering on 69.50. A big total will get him back over 70 with the added bonus of getting Australia's fat out of the fire. Here's hoping, Mr Cricket!

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Posted by JC on 2008-10-19 14:39:47

That's the point, against Australia it's evenly poised even when by numbers it's 90:10 in your favour. :-)

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Posted by zapper on 2008-10-19 14:43:29

Ugly cricket last night. When was the last time you saw Australia bowl to contain rather than get wickets? Not only the end of an era but the end of "Punter."

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Posted by TA on 2008-10-20 10:14:51

Don't read too much into it TA.
The Toss is The Boss.
Oz wouldn't be here if Punter won the flip. India wouldn't have struggled as much in the First test if Kumble had won.
But the gap between the teams is closing.

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Posted by Tail Spin on 2008-10-20 10:39:12

Still it was a sight for sore eyes. Australia going into the second innings 200 runs down and setting a one-day field, throwing the ball in on the bound to scuff and soften it up, and leaking 4.5 runs an over so that they didn't have to go at 6? Ugly, ugly cricket. Shame on you, Punter, shame.

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Posted by TA on 2008-10-20 10:50:37

"the gap between the teams is closing"? I'd say the gap is widening. India's bowlers are getting better, ours worse. Australia's bowling depth is a serious concern - I'm even starting to get worried about the 2009 Ashes. And with a batting order featuring Watson, White and Hadden, our middle-order is as brittle as its ever been. If the Poms get a hint of reverse swing next year, it'll be 2005 all over but with no Warnie to pull us out of the crapper.

I haven't hit the panic button yet but my finger is poised...

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Posted by JC on 2008-10-20 12:38:01

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