The VB one-day tri-series series has already started with a roller coaster effect. Both India and Australia are experiencing equal number of highs and lows The Australians, though they lost early wickets, still managed to put on a decent score whereas the Indians, who were lucky at the start of the innings succumbed to the pressure created by the Australian fieldsmen.
A good fielding display, like belligerent batting or some brilliant bowling, can also change the course of the match. In the end, the Australians snatched away the certainly seeming victory from the Indians by stopping and catching the ball in a far better manner.
The grueling Test matches have surely taken its toll on the Indian players. The only fresh faces being Bangar and Yuvraj, it was difficult for Ganguly's boys to pick up from where they left in SCG. The hosts had the luxury pushing in a few more fresh and fit players.
The hosts' strategy, it was quite evident, was to remain aggressive despite losing wickets at regular intervals. Relatively early exit of Gilchrist and Hayden coupled with some good spells by the Indian bowlers saw Australian struggling at 89 for 4. But the introduction of Andrew Symonds and Clark at the crease gave their team much the needed facelift.
I had the opportunity to represent Gloucestershire County in England with Symonds when he was only 17. Playing the county circuit for the first time on his birthright, Symonds had to make the hardest decision of his life when he was picked to play for England the same year. Symonds, still unheard in Australia then, rejected the offer and chose to wait in the wings to pledge his loyalty to his foster country.
He did not disappoint the selectors when he was picked to play for Australia. Ever since his debut, Symonds has been on the performers list all the while. A match-winning hundred in the 2000 World Cup against Pakistan imprinted him as one of the match winners of the side.
Symonds was little tentative in the early part of his innings but didn't take too long to change gears. Ever-improving Michael Clark and Ian Harvey made good partnership to keep the run rate hovering around 6 runs per over.
Gillespie was extremely unlucky. Despite beating both the batsmen repeatedly, luck remained cruel to the bowler as batsmen edged his deliveries for 4s and 6s. Both Sehwag and Tendulkar played a scratchy innings though they maintained a decent run rate.
Ganguly, coming in at number three, played some lusty strokes to keep the match alive for the Indians. The exit of Yuvraj and Ganguly's misjudged run out called for the curtains to fall on the tourists. Ganguly's call for the non-existent run cost his wicket.
Bangar was never ready for the run and one would think that had he sacrificed his wicket, India could have registered a victory. But if Sanjay had left the crease, who knows the fielder would have hit the stumps at the striker's end, and still dismissed Ganguly.
The tail again crumbled under the pressure. Ajit with his best one-day figures of 6 for 42 in the earlier part of the innings didn't do any justice to his immense batting potential.
In the end it was the fitness level and its direct derivative, which is fielding prowess, bailed the Australians out of this game.
The Australians needed the win real badly to salvage some prestige that took a bit of beating in the Test series. The Indian think-tank would certainly have to look for good finishers in the side. A relatively easy game against the Zimbabweans would be the right platform for them to experiment.
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