Legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar once said the Indians always played
better when they had sun on their backs. Where are those days now?
There is no dearth of sunshine in Perth, the leafy, charming capital of
Western Australia. But then, the Indians were rolled over in the Test
here by the marauding Australian pacemen on a typically fast WACA pitch.
And as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men prepare for their next game in the
Commonwealth Bank triangular ODI series — against Sri Lanka here on
Wednesday — they would do well to remember Umesh Yadav who bowled with
fire and passion in the third Test against the Aussies at this venue.
The Indians missed the wood for the tree when they entered the
tournament opener at the MCG with just two pacemen. This game can punish
mistakes.
Searing intensity
India's strategic blunder overshadowed, rather unfairly, a display of
searing intensity and aggression by the Australian pace pack. Indeed,
the story of the season has been the depth in the Australian pace
bowling ranks.
An injured Brett Lee pulled out of the competition with a fractured foot
and left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc stepped in to bowl with precision,
craft and rhythm. The delivery that consumed Gautam Gambhir reared like a
cobra before finding the edge — the kiss of death really.
The Australians, on Monday, roped in Ben Hilfenhaus as cover for the host's game against Sri Lanka here on Friday.
Hilfenhaus, as selection panel chief John Inverarity indicated, might
not play the match here; the Aussies are likely to stick to the same
pace attack that routed India at the MCG. But he could be in the swing
of things at Adelaide.
Hilfenhaus was one of the key players in Australia's 4-0 sweep of India
in the Test series. He bowled at a lively pace, moved the ball in the
air and achieved deviation off the seam too.
Crucially, he made the batsman play from around their off-stump. The numbers — 27 wickets at 17.22 — tell the story.
Eyeing a return
Hilfenhaus will be eyeing a return to the ODI scheme of things – he last
played for Australia in this format during the tour of India in 2009
before returning home with tendinitis of his right knee.
And the 28-year-old Tasmanian with limitless stamina will surely seek to
improve upon his ODI stats of 18 wickets in 15 matches at an economy
rate of 5.67.
Swing bowlers tend to go for runs in the shorter formats but can strike telling blows.
Australia has still not overcome fitness concerns vis a vis its pace
bowlers. The promising James Pattinson, who tormented India in the first
two Tests with his speed and thrust, is recovering from a bone stress
injury on his left foot.
Mitchell Johnson, grappling with a damaged toe, finds his international
career under a cloud with comeback men such as Hilfenhaus and Peter
Siddle and the younger bunch grabbing their chances.
And the lively Ryan Harris — the skilful bowler with strong shoulders
and wrist has been luckless this season — is still buzzing around.
Not to speak of Clint McKay, the lanky paceman who hits the deck to
extract bounce and seam movement. McKay was in his element against Inda
at the MCG scalping four. He also possesses a deceptive Yorker and can
vary his pace cleverly at the death.
McKay and Starc combined effectively against India at the MCG.
Immense possibilities
The 22-year-old Starc has immense possibilities. The left-armer has an
easy run-up where the momentum is gained gradually, a natural action and
has the delivery that comes into the right-hander.
The New South Welshman's short-pitched deliveries can open up batsmen;
he uses the ball to disrupt the feet movement of the batsman before
unleashing a fuller one. He is working on the delivery leaving the
right-hander that would make the one that darts back even more
dangerous.
To his credit, Starc has been able to switch his line to the southpaws
admirably from over-the-wicket. He is taking the ball away from the
left-handers — this delivery is laced with bounce — at will. A lean and
mean pace predator, he certainly is.
Then we have someone like Peter Siddle — another Australian hero in the
Test series with 23 wickets at 18.65 — who is desperate to make a
come-back to ODI cricket.
With his aggression, velocity and nip off the wicket, he can be a
handful in any format. When this fiery customer bounds in, cricket can
be engaging; you can sniff a duel. Siddle can sizzle.
Waiting in the wings
There are others waiting in the wings. Twenty-five-year-old Queenslander
Ben Cutting, they say, cuts like a knife. These men are fast, furious
and hungry. This Australian pace attack might lack great names but has
bowled in great areas.
When you seam and swing the ball both ways in the corridor at speeds in
excess of 140 kmph, consistently send down good length deliveries that
would go on to hit the top of off-stump, cramp the batsmen for room by
denying them width, and unsettle them with well-directed lifting
deliveries, it can be a handful for most.
This game is not about marquee names alone.
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