First they lost to Australia by 48 runs in the Adelaide Test, and now they relinquished the second battle of the four-match series by 4 wickets, in Brisbane. The way the current Indian team is playing, away from home, ironically may have reminded former Test batsman Sanjay Manjrekar of his days with the Indian cricket team, of the nineties. The Indian team then didn’t know what it means to win matches in tough conditions. But comparing the present Indian team to the ones from yesteryears is not fair a comparison. Simply because, this young team of MS Dhoni isn’t scared of losing.
They are not scared of any opposition. Even the last time the Indian team lost the Test series to Australia, the margin of defeat was huge. This time around, the margins aren’t that alarming. Yes, this team does need to work on certain areas, but they can still do that and possibly level the series.
This team needs to tighten up, and quickly — one is bowling and the other is batting in the second innings. In most of the recent Test matches that India has played with this new team, the side has fared well in the first essay of the match in most of those games. They came out positively and faced the opposition fire, with fire.
But somewhere down the line whenever they have been confronted with a pressure situation in the second innings, the team has crumpled. That said, the opportunities given to this new team won’t go waste. Most of the team members are playing in Australia for the first time, but with every game, they are learning how to make the most of these challenging conditions.
The oft-quoted phrase ‘so near, yet so far’ rings true for this side. Despite the losses, and the glaring short-comings in certain teams, the attitude of the team is convincing, so much so that a much needed win doesn’t seem at all improbable.
In Adelaide when the stand-in skipper, Virat Kolhi, couldn’t win the Test for India, he looked visibly crest fallen at the lost opportunity. Even in Brisbane when the Aussies were about to reach the winning target, Kohli took a catch to dismiss Brad Haddin and he greeted the occasion with a broad smile. This even though defeat loomed ominously over the team!
Off course, levelling the game with the mighty Aussies in one mean feat, at the moment. But this team is ready. It does look like if you give these blokes an inch, they will extract a yard in days to come. The cricket gods willing, these guys can rewrite the script for what remains of the test series.
