A taxing summer ahead for the Indian team in Australia

The two-match drubbing at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) must have shocked the passionate followers of Virat Kohli’s team. It, however, should also serve as a wake-up call ahead of what appears to be a taxing summer for the Indian team Down Under.

Following the successful bio bubble cricket involving England, Australia, West Indies and Pakistan, the Indian Board embarked on a brave mission to conduct the Indian Premier League (IPL) in United Arab Emirates (UAE). There were apprehensions in various quarters since it was a tournament that was going to test the organizational qualities of the BCCI from September 19 to November 10, 2020.

BCCI put up a spectacular show as the world cricket’s premier T20 franchise tournament provided the fans top class stuff. There was not one incident, in terms of Corona Virus, threatening the tournament and obviously it brought smiles on the faces of sports fans across the world.

Mumbai Indians winning the title was on expected lines but not the controversy generated by the issue involving Rohit Sharma’s injury. Was he not injured ? That was the reason given for his non-selection in the Indian team for Australia. If he was injured, how come Rohit played the last two matches for Mumbai Indians, including the final where he scored 68, the highest individual aggregate of the match.

The BCCI and the National Selection Committee were shown in poor light. Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were ruled out of the Australian tour on account of injuries but the team management was hopeful that Rohit would make the squad. When he was not picked – on the advice of the team physio – questions obviously arose on the need for him to play the IPL final. Franchise over country, asked many?

The unsavoury development, ahead of the Australian tour, left cricket fans disappointed. The lack of communication between Rohit Sharma and the rest was indeed shocking and unprofessional. The selectors went by the medical report on Rohit and did not pick him for the white-ball matches. The confession by skipper Virat Kohli – that he was in the dark as for Rohit traveling with the team to be able to recover before the Test series – shall remain an embarrassing chapter in Indian cricket.

The team left Rohit behind to go through the rehab process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and one of India’s finest one-day batsmen did not figure in such a crucial series in recent times. Rohit’s absence hurt the team even though the first two matches saw India compile totals of 308 and 338 when faced with targets of 389 and 374. The losses were comprehensive and exposed India’s limitations in some key areas of the competition.

Steve Smith’s sensational knocks of 105 off 66 balls and 104 off 64 balls showed the Australian’s dominance of Indian attack. He toyed with opposition, scoring at will, picking gaps with ridiculous ease, and demonstrating amply his claims as a modern day great. Smith’s form left the bowlers demoralized as they concentrated on trying to escape the wrath of his bat than look to breach his defence.

His batting was a master class, as has been acknowledged widely. To think that Smith nearly missed the second match when he woke up with vertigo. He told cricket.co.au “I didn’t know I was playing today. I had a really bad dose of vertigo this morning and I was struggling until … I came down early to have a hit and a bit of a run around.” Smith winning the man of the match award in both the victories was a testimony to his consistency and continued domination of India’s attack.

Faced with stiff targets, India was hard-pressed to reach the summit but the Australians bowled tight when it mattered. Kohli was candid when he said, “We were completely outplayed. I think with the ball we were not that effective. We just didn’t hit the areas that we wanted to consistently. And they have got a pretty strong batting line-up, and they understand these conditions and pitches and the angles on the field well. We had to bowl in one area for long enough, and we didn’t. We got to 340 and still fell short by 50 so the chase always felt a bit too steep. The areas they bowl, invariably they were in the position that some chances would be created. They used the dimensions of the field pretty well, which we unfortunately did not.”

Hardik Pandya’s 90 in the first ODI was the most refreshing part of the match from India’s point of view. As KL Rahul observed, ““Refreshing, isn’t it?. If he starts bowling, then it is a load off the skipper and the team. We need allrounders for the team balance. He quite enjoyed it himself. He loves to get into contests and he is itching to go.” It was an interesting comment by Rahul and Hardik did bowl four overs in the second match to stake his claims of an all-rounder.

Reflecting on the first two matches of the series only reconfirmed the fact that India’s preparation for the whiteball contests was not up to the mark. A team can’t enter a competition and discover the absence of effective sixth-bowler options. Experts have pointed out this shortcoming on various platforms but then the selectors have picked the best available players for the tour. The only player who evoked sympathy for not finding a place in the squad was Mumbai’s magnificent strokeplayer Suryakumar Yadav.

For India, the 89 by Kohli and 76 by Rahul in the second match do convey their form, especially keeping in mind the T20 series, which puts the teams on equal pedestal despite Australia having home advantage. The team would do well to look ahead and learn from the two losses, especially in the bowling department. For India to excel in the T20 and the four Test matches, including a pink ball encounter at Adelaide, it would be imperative for the bowlers to deliver.

Mr Vijay Lokapally has been a sports journalist for four decades. He writes for The Hindu and Sportstar.