India strikes back, level series 1-1

India comprehensively beat Australia in the second test at Melbourne and this remains one of the greatest (or possibly the greatest) come-from-behind overseas wins from the Indian team. I have had the pleasure of following some of these wins (when clearly, I had more time) and these include the one at Headingley in 2002 (an absolute batting master class lead by the great batting trio of Dravid-Sachin-Ganguly) and then the one at Perth in 2008 (an absolute team effort following some ugly incidents in the preceding game). But on both these occasions, India did not get humiliated in the losses that preceded the famous wins. Notably, the things that did suffer some humiliation were the “spirt of cricket”, “integrity” and “neutral umpiring” in Sydney in 2007-08 India’s tour of Australia. Secondly, India did not lose their captain or a key member of their playing XI for personal or professional reasons. So essentially, it was the same bunch of players that regrouped and then just put their best foot forward. Taking all these factors into account, the convincing manner in which the Indian team beat Australia at MCG will remain a story that I will perhaps narrate to my grandkids.

In the past, I used to do a 5-day summarized match report but since I do not follow the game as extensively as I used to, I would try to cover the match by stating some facts and little battles that resulted in this famous win:

1. Australia has a very fragile top order. Home sides often get away with these shortcomings especially when they had bulldozed their opposition for an all-time low of 36 which would automatically imply that the opposition is very low on confidence. But some of Australian batsmen are anything but Australian, I would say. For instance, Burns does not seem to be fit for Test cricket at the moment and Wade might have some returns to show but he is anything but a Test opener. Smith will seek a return to form soon and Labuschagne is perhaps the one-eyed king among the blind. So, when none from your top 4 is firing, you are clearly going to be outplayed. The tragedy was somehow averted by a 2nd innings batting collapse in Adelaide but this time the Australian batting has been well and truly exposed.
2. India happens to have a world class bowling attack. Sometimes I tend to believe that India is over-investing in their fast bowlers. This means that Indian team manangement is quickly trying out new fast bowlers. In the current tour, we have seen Natrajan and Mohd Siraj make their debuts, albeit in different formats. Then there is Saini who is warming the bench, and while he may be a work in progress, there is no doubt that he has made to the team because of his ability to bowl quick. Overall, there is now a “pool” of fast bowlers, so clearly this investment is paying off. Natrajan was a revelation in T20s and so was Siraj in this Test (more on him in a while).
3. The Indian batting did “pretty” well in their first innings. I would say “pretty” because at some point I believed that India would get to 400 (which is easily the new match-winning first innings total in the modern version of 5-day cricket). Gill made a strokeful 45, Pant played a nice little cameo and Jadeja came up with a match-defining innings and partnership with Rahane. No words can do justice to the quality of the innings that Rahane played. He came to bat when the chips were down but trusted his game and then went on to score a century that will be applauded and remembered by cricket fans for a long long time. The duo then also settled the nerves as India chased a smallish total in the 4th innings and Rahane so fittingly (like Rahul Dravid at Adelaide in 2003) hit the winning runs.
4. The bowling unit did tremendously well as a team. Cricket is after all a team sport and to succeed at the highest level, it is important that the players complement each other. To begin with, there were no dropped catches (barring one from Pant) and no bowler went wicketless in the game. The fact that India played with 4 bowlers as Umesh got injured pretty early in the second innings and yet were able to bowl Australia out for 200 speaks volumes about the strength and the character of this bowling unit. Bumrah and Siraj were exceptional but so was Ashwin, and Jadeja – what a character. The moment you drop him, he will come back roaring in the next game and ensure that he won’t be dropped again. He has sealed the allrounder’s spot regardless of the opposition and the venue for the time being and the team management will have a tough task on their hands once Pandya is fully fit and back in the team.
5. Lastly, some people will claim that India got a bit lucky but first of all, fortune favors the brave. Secondly, what people claim as a stroke of luck is simply the problem of making elementary errors by the opposition that will cost them the game. India had exactly the same problem in the first innings in the Adelaide test when they dropped catches which clearly changed the complexion of the game. The 36-all out was a freak accident that could happen to a good team, and unfortunately India were at the receiving end. To be able to recover from this freak accident, then show up in the next game without your regular captain (and the best batsman) and two premier fast bowlers, and then beat your opposition convincingly is simply marvellous.

At the end of this game, my heart goes out to Mohd Siraj who may not have come to terms with the loss of his father yet but came up with a match-winning performance in his debut test. India is also lucky to have Bumrah as the leader of the pack. And I am so happy to see Ashwin shutting the mouth of all those who have doubted his ability when playing overseas.

So, after the first two games with parity being achieved, we could look at the remaining two tests as a two-match series, and the stakes remain high. Australia would come back harder and might be bolstered by the return of Warner. Smith also acknowledged that Ashwin has got the better of him in this series and he would like to settle the scores with him (badla Jatt da 😉), so the threat is real (Main darrrr gaya, says Ashwin 😂). Australian bowling has been brilliant but when your batters don’t show up, they make the entire team look awful. Happened to India in the first test and has now happened to the Australian side.

Looking forward to the next game in Sydney.