Fast forward a year to Boxing Day 2011, a young and new-look Australian side have already come a long way. Good teams need quality bowling attacks. Australia, struggling to replace retired stars like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, seem to have done their homework in rebuilding the bowling department over the last one year.
It’s too early to tell if this is a quality attack, but the pace department seems to be set. There is of course the absence of a world class spinner. But then, a Shane Warne does not “happen” all the time. Hearteningly, the Aussies have created a pipeline of young seam bowling talent. Certainly a lot of credit must also go to the preparation, planning and disciplined execution of bowling plans on the MCG pitch. Yes, the batting does look fragile at present, but you can expect that during this series the Australian batting will slowly settle down.
India on the other hand are struggling, more than the team management might care to admit. With the fitness issues of Zaheer Khan resolved for the present, Ishant having added a few yards in pace and Umesh Yadav showing strong ability, the seam unit looks fine. After a long time, in alien conditions, India managed to pick 20 wickets in a Test match, even though it was up against a relatively weak Australian batting line-up.
The real worry is the Indian batting. The stalwarts are present, but just as they failed in England recently, India failed to get past 300 in both innings of the Melbourne Test. Well executed bowling plans of the opposition worked again, very much as they did all summer in England. Relentless, disciplined and aggressive seam bowling from both ends saw the Indian batting line-up crumble twice in two days at the MCG.
Sehwag plays the way he does, always keeping the bowlers interested. Gambhir remains susceptible in the 4th off-stump corridor; Laxman remains unable to curb his compulsive pulling of the short rising delivery. Dravid and Tendulkar have been regularly drawn into front foot drives, with well pitched off-stump lines, and enough movement to cause trouble. Make no mistake, that takes some doing! But it’s being done, time and again.
One hopes that there will be a few big scores in this series from one or more of the Indian batting legends, but it’s not looking easy. Australia, like England, have done their homework for each batsman, and then executed their plans perfectly on the pitch. The Indian batting will have to dig deep and seize the initiative in Sydney.
The strategy quite simply has to be crease occupation. Not for Dravid alone, but for the top seven Indian batsmen.
Look forward to a good contest in Sydney. And by the way, are you missing the DRS as much as me?
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