Can India Bounce back?
"Will India bounce back?" is the question of the hour and one would have to wait till the next test at SCG to get concrete answer. The team India facing its fifth consecutive defeat in test matches played abroad would be keen to turn back its fortune in the upcoming year. And both the team would love to start the New Year with a victory under their belt. If India wants to win and come out of their losing streak, then a lot of things have to be done from the teams’ perspective and contribution from each and every individual of the playing XI is going to play a major role. Let’s see the playing XI and the demands from those individuals in this article.
1) Gambhir:
This man has been so good in test cricket when played in India and fails to carry the form when played in abroad. The year 2011 has not been of great success for the talented opener as he failed to get a century under his belt in 2011 in any forms of the game. The left hander having the tendency to go after the ball which goes wide of the off stump has looked completely out of form. The Indian batting relies a lot on the opening stand that we get. But this year there has been constant failure in the opening stand. So India would hope that this man get back to form in the second test and score as much as he could.
2) Sehwag:
The demolishing destructive opener Sehwag is the most feared batsmen for any opposition bowler. The dashing prolific opener scored a half century in the first innings of the first test but failed to impress in the second innings which he usually does. The fifth fastest 8000 run getter Sehwag, averages close to 53 in test cricket and averages close to 40 in the second innings which proves his inability to get runs in the second innings. He looked in great touch when he was batting in the first innings and India would be hoping that Gambhir and Sehwag score some useful runs and lay a strong foundation.
3) Dravid:
The highest run getter in test cricket for the year 2011 is the other man whom India batting line up relies a lot. The wall, Dravid comes to the crease when India needs the most and delivers most of the time. Similar was the case, when he walked in the crease at the first innings and he scored 68 runs. Though he got runs, he seemed a little uncomfortable playing at the Australian pacers and lived a bit dangerously. The second highest run getter in test cricket, Dravid would be expected to score runs which he usually does for India. And this man known for his match winning and match saving partnership with either Sachin or Laxman would be desperate to have one again at SCG. The knocks which he had with Laxman at Adelaide and SCG with Laxman at their previous tours will be there at the back of his mind and he would be hoping to have one such partnersihp at SCG which will be a great chance to India to lift their scores and their morale.
4) Tendulkar:
The master blaster Sachin still remains the Iconic player for Indian cricket. The highest run getter in test cricket seemed flamboyant in his stroke play even in Australian conditioned and threatened the Australian bowlers and kept them on their back foot. Sachin has registered three test centuries in SCG which happens to the venue of the next test. And to add to this, SCG is hosting its 100th test and Sachin is badly in need of his 100th ton, so the expectation on Sachin is higher than ever. And India would be greatly pleased if he would fulfill these expectations which would be a great boost in the Indian dressing room.
5) Laxman:
The tormentor of Australian bowling attack is being tormented in this series. He struggled greatly and never looked like scoring runs which has been a great let down in this series. He scored 2 runs in the first innings and 1 run in the second which has been a major reason for Indian batting collapse. Laxman, known for his stroke play and his match winning abilities in pressure situation, failed this time and instead let the pressure to build on the Indian middle and lower order batting line up. He is the one who carries the bat till the end and bats with the lower order batsmen. But this series the lower order batsmen showed much more resistance when compared to Laxman. If Indian batting line up need to score runs with middle and lower order players, then this man has to show character and play his natural game. Just like Sachin, Laxman has the record of scoring centuries in all the games that he had played so far in SCG(Three tons in three tests). So fans would be hoping that this man continues his form in SCG and score heavily in the upcoming matches.
6) Kohli:
Kohli showed a lot of promise to fill the vacant no.6 spot in test cricket but delivered very few in the 5 test matches that he had played so far. Barring the century that he had got in the practice game against Australia, he never scored a century in his test career of 5 matches. Kohli, who is a highest run getter in ODI for the year 2011, has never seemed to fit in longer version of the game. But India would still be hoping that he talented young lad would score better in upcoming matches.
7)Dhoni:
The skipper who has the problem of scoring runs in test matches struggle in this test series as well. Though he scored 20 odd runs in the second innings, he never seemed to be at ease. He struggled to score runs right from ball 1. If India are to score runs with the lower order, then this man has to show some resistance and play with the middle order batsmen. The talented skipper leading the team has to set a role model and should lead the batting from the front.
8) Ashwin:
Ashwin, a talented off spinner who threatens the batsmen in India with his varieties, seemed to be a lesser threat in Australia. He bowled very well at patches and at times bowled gentle looseners which the Australian batsmen capitalized a lot. He bowled a lot shorter at times, which the batsmen rocked on the back foot and hit it to fence. He would play a great role in the SCG which is known to support good spin bowling. Also Ashwin would boost the Indian batting line up. India would expect him to score runs and hold one end and let the other batsmen score. So both with the bat and the ball, Ashwin will be given a huge tasks and one would have to accept that he had handled both these tasks with ease.
9) Zaheer:
The Indian bowling spearhead, Zaheer who is back in the Indian squad after duration of 6 months came back very strongly and bowled with a good intent in the first test. He was able to swing the ball in both ways which was so pleasant to watch. He swung the ball with a late movement with the new ball and was able to get reverse swing with the old ball which troubled most of the Australian batsmen. If India have to trouble the opposition batsmen, then this man holds the key.
10) Ishanth:
The hero of the last Australian series played in 2008-2009, has been kept in sidelines this time. He hasn’t been bad but at the same time, he hasn’t been at his best. He has been quick but never troubled the batsmen to a greater extent. He bowled a lot of deliveries short and wide outside the off stump which the batsmen eased off at back foot. This man has to get back to his rhythm and would be expected to trouble the batsmen with his line and length.
11) U.Yadav:
The first time visitor to Australia bowled his heart out in the first test. He was quick and bowled exceedingly well at patches and at times he too bowled a lot of short stuffs particularly for ponting and let him free his hand. India would be hoping that this man would continue his form in the upcoming test matches and give India a lot of hope in the pace department.
If India has to win then India would be desperate to have a contribution from Sehwag, Dravid, Sachin and Laxman in their batting department to get a healthy score on the board and as the curator of SCG has suggested that SCG would assist the pacers, India would be hoping that the pace trio of Zaheer, Ishanth and Umesh would lift their performance and restrict the opposition.