India must grasp the beauty of dreams.
There are no freebies, and especially not when you are a part of any sport at the highest level. Just like Boxing Day, when hard earned gifts are doled out to workers for Christmas, every team has to work that much harder to earn its pride, prestige and laurels. There is no Santa waiting in the wings to dole out freebies.
Thus far, the Australians have made maximum purchase against the visiting Indians. Each time, India frittered away opportunities, the Aussies ceased the day. Now the Indian team has put itself in a tight situation where they have no option but to win a match to keep the test series alive. If they succumb to the pressure, they’ll have another series loss on their conscience.
So, the pressure of expectations is extreme. Can India do the unthinkable? With the reputation of not doing particularly well against the Aussies in Boxing Day Test matches, the Indians really have to deliver a special performance.
Can you picture the ideal scenario for an Indian cricket fan? A fan would love for India to win the third Test match imagining India win the toss and elect to bat first. The Indian openers start off superbly and send the Aussie bowlers on a leather hunt. They have a fitting answer for every wicket-taking delivery from the Aussies. In the middle-order Virat Kohli rubs it in with yet another Test century to end the day on a score of 350 plus, at the loss of two wickets.
On Day Two, the Indians start dominating from where they left on the opening day. Soon, Indian captain MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane also join the run-feast. Eventually, India race to 450 plus in the morning session against a toothless Aussie attack. Towards the fag end of the post-tea session, the Indians declare their first innings on a score of 606 at the loss of seven wickets.
Great start to a Test match for India! The day ends perfectly after the Australians lose two early wickets in their innings. The third day witnesses the best contest between bat and ball and the Aussies try to crawl back in to the match. But, to their disappointment, the Indian bowlers – spearheaded by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and R Ashwin’s fine spell of bowling – again force the hosts to bite the dust. This is for the first time in the series. Thereafter, the Aussies again ride on their tail-enders to delay the inevitable and fall short of India’s score by a margin of 250 runs. Instead of asking Australia to follow-on, the Indians bat again to set a target of 499 runs for the Aussies.
The match has already entered the fourth day and the Indian bowlers are already celebrating an extended ‘Merry Christmas’ as Steven Smith and his men are busy catching up. The Aussies are on the verge of losing the Test match and the Indian bowlers are on the verge of taking 20 wickets. Finally, the Test gets over and India emerge winners by 255 runs. The series is now alive and if India can surpass Australia in Sydney, the drawing board would read a score of 2-2.
They say if you can dream, you can do it. Even the million cricket fans are dreaming of India finishing the Boxing Day Test on a high. These dreams can come true if the Indian team has the courage to pursue their dreams. While dreams have such a magical potential to inspire, it takes grit and determination to realize one. Dhoni’s team knows that all too well. The Indians ought to go into this match with such positive images – a we have done it in the past and can do it again-type of approach.
From the last Australian tour, nothing seems to have changed in terms of winning matches away from home, but this young team has it in them to see the dream come true. Let’s see how the Indians take this one on.
