The road to the finals was not the ideal one for the Indians. The players were exhausted and there were too many injuries. It was not only Zimbabwe's poor display that didn't stimulate India's progress to the finals. The WACA bounce also did not do any good in building up the momentum.
The Indian openers were predetermined to make a cautious start. The presence of Sachin and Sehwag was imperative for at least 15 overs to soften the new ball. The pace and bounce at the Perth wicket had given Brett Lee a new lease of confidence. The Australians used Lee to succumb Veeru with the ploy of bodyline short pitch bowling.
Though a great timer of the ball, and the one who has quite a few shots in his kitty, Veeru aligns instinctively into an awkward position to the ball rising on to his chest. It is widely believed that any deliberate effort to correct this particular flaw might affect the dynamism of Sehwag's batting. Only such a dismissal can augur Veeru to be more attentive to such ploy.
Sachin has postponed the hopes of millions to SCG. A keen student of the game, I am sure, Sachin will have sleepless nights thinking about his game and how to contribute in the all-important match on Sunday.
Rahul and Laxman will have to be more cautious and should try to stick to the wicket till the end of the innings. The team plan always is that Rahul should stay at the wicket and the others will accelerate the run flow.
It was nice to see that Ajit and Badani took the score to 222 despite the top order batsmen failing to score too many runs. This will leave enough food for thought for the Indian batsmen when they plan their innings for the crucial Sunday match. Too many run-outs and Badani being the common factor in all of it, is something serious and the southpaw should work on it.
I strongly feel it's the call that is missing between the wickets.
The aggression of Adam Gilchrist is the dominating theme of the Australians. 'How to stop the flow of runs from Gilchrist', I am sure, would be the main topic of discussion in the Indian team meeting. It is difficult to bowl to some one like Gilchrist. Even a great bowler like Wasim Akram always dreaded to bowl at him.
It would not be a bad idea for our young bowlers to keep changing the guard by coming over and around the wicket while maintaining the just short of length. Ajit Agarkar, who is a much-improved bowler in this series, is showing signs of tiredness. The long tour must have taken its toll on the fragile fast bowler. A lot depends on his spell in the first 15 overs. Balaji has shown remarkable improvement with every outing. But, in the end, what matters is the pressure created by all the medium pacers.
The Indians have done great in the Test series, but are yet to throw in their best in the VB series. Now that the Indian team is pushed to the wall, it will be a do-or-die situation for the 'Blues'.
The team will certainly regroup again to gain the momentum. Loss of form or losing the game can give sleepless nights to some players. It's a common sight to see the players outside their rooms discussing the game and their own form till the wee hours with their team mates. The players will have to discard the sense of disappointment and stand up to a new challenge. India is the only team in recent past to bring the hosts on their knees. All that is required is another consolidated effort by the tourists. I am confident they are quite capable of it.
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