India still have long way to go

India confirmed their Twenty20 champion status against Australia but they still have to learn a few things in the 50-over variety.

All the euphoria of the Twenty20 World Cup victory was once again relived when India thrashed Australia in the solitary match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

However, India must learn to look at the bigger picture and realise that they still have a long way to go in 50-over cricket.

A reality check is the need of the hour. India have all the talent for the shorter variety of the game but they need to keep an eye on certain basics if they want continued success.

Foremost is the need to take singles more frequently and convert ones into twos and twos into threes. So often, the Indian batsmen just stroll across when there is a chance to put pressure on the fielders.

Their cause is not helped by some of the older players who don’t run hard enough. Rotating the strike and taking singles is a key part of one-day cricket and this message is driven in at the start of every match.

India must also take a hard look at their fielding. Modern-day cricket is all about fielding well. India just cannot afford to have leaden-footed fielders in one-day cricket.

A lot more thought has also to be given to the catching. Far too often, the Indian players have been guilty of dropping catches at crucial junctures in the game and this has cost them plenty.

The bowlers must also learn to minimise the number of wides and no balls. A little bit of discipline is required to achieve this.

Australia came to India to avenge their Twenty20 World Cup loss. This they did in style. They batted, bowled and fielded better than India and the 4-2 scoreline does not truly reflect how well they played.

Importantly, Australia seized the critical moments of the game and once again underlined that they are the best team in the world.

The hero for Australia undoubtedly was Andrew Symonds. He controlled the middle-order batting with assurance and a cool head. He always played himself in before unleashing his powerful range of shots.

He also got the best out of the other lower middle-order players like Brad Hadden and James Hopes. This helped Australia to post score of 300 and over.

Though Adam Gilchrist did not have a great series with the bat, he came good at the right time. Mathew Hayden continued his good run at the top which helped Australia to take advantage of the power-plays.

The Australian pacemen were in top gear most times and both Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson came up with devastating spells. Spinner Brad Hogg supported well and even bowled better than his Indian counterparts.

Sachin Tendulkar led India’s batting. Under pressure from the selectors who were still gloating on the Twenty20 victory, Tendulkar performed admirably. Along with Ganguly, he gave India a good start which the middle-order failed to capitalise.

Yuvraj Singh played one major innings for a lost cause but was inconsistent otherwise. The biggest failure was former captain Rahul Dravid.

Dravid has been going through the horrors for a long spell now and it was wise to drop him for the last one-dayer. There is no doubting the batsman’s class but he needs time off to get back to peak form.

The Indian bowling in general was disappointing, particularly the pacemen. Shanthakumaran Sreesanth continues to pay more attention to his histrionics rather than his bowling. R P Singh found line and length elusive while Zaheer Khan was off colour.

The one bright spot was the performance of left-arm spinner Murali Kartik. He bowled cleverly and led India to a victory in the last one-dayer.

Harbhajan Singh, however, must learn to take more wickets than keep the runs down. He rarely attacked and this made India’s task harder.

India will have to go back to the drawing board and get down to the basics because a tour by Pakistan looms ahead. Pakistan will be as tough an opposition as Australia because of the great rivalry between the two sides.

India must put the Twenty20 victory on the backburner and realise that there is hard work to be done to win other forms of the game.