A tremendous team effort saw India beat Australia by a convincing margin of 19 runs. At Melbourne, the Aussies scrapped through narrowly. However, the tourists came back splendidly and that too aided by the likes of the inexperienced Irfan, Balaji and Rohan Gavaskar, who made his debut in one-day internationals. That augurs well for Indian cricket for, to perform creditably against the best in the world, gives a different high and shows them in better light. What I really like about this Indian team is that right from their skipper, who likes to leads from the front, they look tremendously positive. Electing to bat after winning the toss on a perfect but a bouncier batting strip was a positive step, and the best batting line-up in the world didn’t let the skipper down. Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted as well as they have on this tour. It was a tremendous feast for the locals to see them perform, and I am sure they will be talking about it for years to come. Such was their dominance that the much-hyped Australian attack was put to the sword mercilessly. It was an awesome display of batsmanship. It must have been a rude shock for them to see their team at the receiving end, for the Australians are not used to such a mauling. If Sachin started with a bang and laid a solid foundation, Laxman and Dravid batted with gay abundance. It is very rare that all the batsmen in the line-up are in form and that’s a sure danger sign for the opposition. It’s very difficult to compare the three innings, for each one had great flair, high class and a stamp of authority. Chasing a huge target was always a difficult task and can put even the best of the batting line-ups under pressure. On a batting track, it is of paramount importance to bowl the right length, for, if it is short, the Aussies play the pull and the hook with disdain; and if it is pitched up, they can drive or lift over the infield. It had to be just fractionally short of a good length. In fact, it had to be precise. There was no margin for error. That’s the reason I feel the performances of Irfan, who is improving with each outing, and Balaji, were praiseworthy indeed. The Indians fielded much better than in their previous matches, and now, can think of themselves on par with the world champions.
