Despite the pathetic surrender by the batsmen at MCG, the average indian fans are still expecting a decent performance from the Batsmen at SCG.They cannot afford to fail like they did in the first test.
This time, the sydney pitch is expected to provide more bounce and would help the seamers in the first 2 days and as usual help the spinners from 3rd day.
If the Indian batsmen cannot manage a decent score for the bowlers to bowl at, in case they bat first, there would not be any place to hide for the Batsmen because the next test is Perth and the series would be as good as lost before the final test begins at Adelaide.
If they bat second, they have to avoid follow on, going by their sub 200 scores in the last 2 innings. What use is so much of experience if they are not able to make it count when it is wanted most?
I expect Laxman, Ganguly( if fit), Dravid,Sachin , Jaffer, in this order to perform and show their value to the team. On aussie pitches Yuvraj and Dhoni can only do well if the top order some how manages to show the way and tire the bowlers.
The bowling was a pleasant surprise considering the injuries and lack of match practice of Both Zaheer and RPS.Harbhajan does not deserve a place ahead of Murali Karthik in the squad but unfortunately the indian selectors overlooked Vettori's performances against Aussies and ignored Murali for selecting an woefully out of form Harbhajan. He has completely lost his confidence and is bowling flat like an one day game.If RPS is rested and Ishant comes in, it would not be a bad idea as RPS did precious little, still not back to his best fitness. Kumble must use Yuvraj and Sachin more often and this would perhaps the last chance on the tour for Harbhajan to contribute for the team by taking off some burden off Kumble's bowling shoulder.
One can have a small allowance for atleast their batting collapse considering the fact that they hardly had any time to acclimatise to MCG bounce from the Bangalore dust bowl, but there cannot be any mercy for their lapses on the field. They simply gave away 60 runs each in both the innings by escorting the ball to the boundary instead of making diving stops even on the carpet like MCG outfield. aussies easily converted 3's from 2 's and 2 's from singles with out as much as even a small threat of getting run out.
On the other hand, Aussies fielded slightly better than what indians can even imagine in their wildest dreams.I just lost count of the number of times they saved certain boundaries with amazing commitment and athleticism. Along with their penetrative bowling, it was the unbreakable fielding ring that put paid to the Indian batsmen's hope of rotating the strike or breaking the shackles. it was simply a breathtaking performance that has to be a role model for any team to aspire for and emulate.
On paper, If Aussies do not include Tait for Johnson, India has a realistic hope of salvaging their reputation by hanging dearly for a draw by batting a total of 7-8 sessions out of the total 15 sessions.But it will call for a greater resolve from this team, something that has not been asked off them for the 6 months.
Let me hope that the New Year had brought the much needed positive attitude and self confidence to Indian team.
This time, the sydney pitch is expected to provide more bounce and would help the seamers in the first 2 days and as usual help the spinners from 3rd day.
If the Indian batsmen cannot manage a decent score for the bowlers to bowl at, in case they bat first, there would not be any place to hide for the Batsmen because the next test is Perth and the series would be as good as lost before the final test begins at Adelaide.
If they bat second, they have to avoid follow on, going by their sub 200 scores in the last 2 innings. What use is so much of experience if they are not able to make it count when it is wanted most?
I expect Laxman, Ganguly( if fit), Dravid,Sachin , Jaffer, in this order to perform and show their value to the team. On aussie pitches Yuvraj and Dhoni can only do well if the top order some how manages to show the way and tire the bowlers.
The bowling was a pleasant surprise considering the injuries and lack of match practice of Both Zaheer and RPS.Harbhajan does not deserve a place ahead of Murali Karthik in the squad but unfortunately the indian selectors overlooked Vettori's performances against Aussies and ignored Murali for selecting an woefully out of form Harbhajan. He has completely lost his confidence and is bowling flat like an one day game.If RPS is rested and Ishant comes in, it would not be a bad idea as RPS did precious little, still not back to his best fitness. Kumble must use Yuvraj and Sachin more often and this would perhaps the last chance on the tour for Harbhajan to contribute for the team by taking off some burden off Kumble's bowling shoulder.
One can have a small allowance for atleast their batting collapse considering the fact that they hardly had any time to acclimatise to MCG bounce from the Bangalore dust bowl, but there cannot be any mercy for their lapses on the field. They simply gave away 60 runs each in both the innings by escorting the ball to the boundary instead of making diving stops even on the carpet like MCG outfield. aussies easily converted 3's from 2 's and 2 's from singles with out as much as even a small threat of getting run out.
On the other hand, Aussies fielded slightly better than what indians can even imagine in their wildest dreams.I just lost count of the number of times they saved certain boundaries with amazing commitment and athleticism. Along with their penetrative bowling, it was the unbreakable fielding ring that put paid to the Indian batsmen's hope of rotating the strike or breaking the shackles. it was simply a breathtaking performance that has to be a role model for any team to aspire for and emulate.
On paper, If Aussies do not include Tait for Johnson, India has a realistic hope of salvaging their reputation by hanging dearly for a draw by batting a total of 7-8 sessions out of the total 15 sessions.But it will call for a greater resolve from this team, something that has not been asked off them for the 6 months.
Let me hope that the New Year had brought the much needed positive attitude and self confidence to Indian team.
! Which way it works I can´t predict 
.
