India covered themselves in glory at Gabba on Tuesday.

Much as it happened in Sydney, Harbhajan was at the

centre of the upheaval he caused in Australian ranks.

As in the first finals, he took out Matthew Hayden and

Andrew Symonds from the equation and pulled the plank

from under the hosts’ feet. It was a telling blow.

Even though Hayden and Symonds kept Australia above

the water for a while and the visitors terribly lost

the way in the final 12 overs of the innings, it must

be said that India always had its nose in front of

Australia. India produced noteworthy stands throughout

their innings and Sachin Tendulkar, as ever, was the

guiding light.

Two centuries in three days was there for the taking

before the master fell. He could pull Stuart Clark

down the ground and his consistent tipping of Mitchell

Johnson outside his off-stump made the left-arm

paceman lose his composure entirely. Johnson ended up

bowling eight wides and most of them were down the

leg-side as he tried to counter Tendulkar’s tactics.

Otherwise, Indians would feel that their batsmen

didn’t cash enough of their good starts. Robin

Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh and Mahinder Singh Dhoni all

couldn’t make the most of their good starts. Yuvraj’s

dismissal came at a wrong time for the visitors and

the visage of Tendulkar, looking skywards with pain

writ large on his face, conveyed his disapproval.

It was a slowish pitch and Michael Clarke’s spell gave

enough indication that things wouldn’t get better for

the hosts under light. India went into the game with

two spinners which implied that they had read the

conditions better than the hosts who opted for an

all-pace attack.

Australia have really been hurt by the failures of

Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting in the last few weeks

and today was no different. Praveen Kumar did a repeat

of what he did in Sydney by ejecting the two from the

middle in his first spell. He also appeared to have

Michael Clarke plumb in front of stumps and Hayden was

reprieved by Dhoni which allowed the Australians to

recover their breath.

Under the event, the absence of Ishant Sharma wasn’t

felt. Praveen was enough buoyed by the success of his

two previous games to open the attack for India and do

it with distinction. As I have said, he is deceptive

in his pace and his swing can be prodigious. He was

difficult to get away by the batsmen.

The end was close but Australia’s target never got

easier. There is enough to commend about Mahinder

Singh Dhoni who retains his serenity amidst the chaos.

He kept the young boys emotions in check. A couple of

stray deliveries and the game could have got either

way.

India has taken a giant step towards becoming the

number one side in the world. This young side has

potential and Indian cricket has turned a new leaf.

India did two firsts at the SCG on Sunday night—it

beat Australia for the first time in a triangular

final and Sachin Tendulkar recorded his first-ever ODI

century on Australian soil. The little master had

given glimpse of his returning form in Hobart and at

SCG he was in full bloom. Much as one would praise the

bowlers, it was Tendulkar who sank Australia on Sunday

night.

Australia had shown themselves quite capable of

defending even a reasonable total in this series. The

one they managed today was a goodish one given the

propensity of their fast bowlers to make early inroads

into the opposition line-up. The opening stand was

good but the real purple patch was the stand between

two Mumbai batsmen—the master and the pupil, Rohit

Sharma. The youngster has grown in stature in the last

few weeks and is perfectly capable of stealing singles

as smartly as hitting those booming pulls and drives

even off good deliveries.

Sharma is a fast learner and is difficult to bowl to.

As he loosened his shoulders in the final overs, he

picked gaps in the field almost perfectly. Looking at

youngsters in this series, it has almost been a

flawless transition between two generations of Indian

cricketers.

India’s batting, almost without notice, has been

coming on to its’ own in the last few games. After the

299 at the SCG last Sunday, they almost nonchalantly

chased down the 180-run target against the Sri Lankans

in Hobart. Here the margin of victory was no less

staggering. Clearly, the batsmen are believing in

finishing off the job rather than leave it for the

next batsman.

It was a good all-round team performance from the

Indians. But for a brief while when Matthew Hayden and

Andrew Symonds were on the rampage, Indians always had

Australians under the pump. Praveen Kumar was

impressive—swinging his deliveries at a rapid yet

deceptive pace. He bowled quite a few four-balls in

his first spell but towards the death overs his

control was impeccable. He repaid the faith restored on him by his captain.

Similarly delightful was the performance of two Indian

spinners—Harbhajan Singh and young Piyush Chawla. The

leg-spinner wasn’t hit for even a single boundary in

his 10 overs and the offie got the two wickets India

most desperately wanted—for various reasons. Irfan

Pathan was off-colour but fortunately India had made

an allowance for such a situation.

It would leave the hosts with much to worry about.

It’s not often that they lose two games in a row.

Their woeful batting has really been the story of this

one-day series. It was believed that the

batsmen-friendly conditions at the SCG would allow

them to find their feet. It hasn’t happened and the

Gabba would be a different test altogether. Bowlers

get better purchase on that track and the climb would

now be uphill for the hosts.

India are in the finals and while it’s a reason to

applaud Dhoni’s young men, it still is a concern at

how the Sri Lankans have declined since the 2003 World

Cup. It’s just not the present series, even at home

Lankans had lately appeared vulnerable.

I belong to an era when Sri Lanka’s batsmen used to

put fear in the opposition ranks. Duleep Mendis, Roy

Dais, Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Ranjan

Madugalle, to name just a few, were as classical as

daring. No new name has lately come up and its’

probably appearing too much of a burden for the

strained and weary shoulders of Sanath Jayasuriya.

Today they didn’t know what to do with a pitch that had a little bit of moisture.

They got off to a brilliant start and then as the ball

got older and stopped coming on to the bat, they

didn’t try to adjust their approach. Pulls were still

essayed; mistimed catches kept going in the air and

still no lessons were learnt. Losing six wickets for

just 21 runs and it doesn’t get any worse than that.

From Sangakkara onwards, batsmen attempted to force

the pace when partnerships were the order of the day.

The irony is, Indians for the most part appeared to

lack energy on the field. Bowlers, especially Munaf

Patel, were just trundling in and there wasn’t any

fierce attempt to cut off boundaries. It came too easy

for the Indians in the field though that’s not to take

away credit from Ishant Sharma or Parveen Kumar,

especially latter who seized his opportunity with both

hands. You also just can’t forget Irfan Pathan who is

one of the craftiest in the business. New ball or old

ball; lower down or up the order, the Baroda youngster

has returned a better cricketer than his first stint.

And then it was Tendulkar. Once the great man puts his

mind to any task, he invariably comes up trumps. He was back to his uptright self and

never went for a stroke till he was absolutely sure of

it and his presence at the other end had a calming

influence on Gautam Gambhir. I liked the way Delhi

youngster batted today. He cut out on those little

dabs towards the third man and largely looked to play

in the V. It must have been a good apprenticeship for

Gambhir to have batted in the presence of the great

master. What was good to see is that he didn’t waste good form.

All over, Lankans made it a bad day for themselves in

the way they fielded in the afternoon. Two chances in

the slips should have been availed and they probably

gave it up too early. All in all it’s been a few

forgettable weeks for the Sri Lankans in Australia.

India will have a few days of rest to freshen up their

limbs and mind. They already have done enough to

enlist support back home but it could turn to frenzy

if they were to turn tables on Australia in the

finals. It’s not beyond them and Ricky Ponting’s men

are acutely aware of it.

Fore more log on to http://www.ibibo.com/ravishastri

India put up a spirited fight at the SCG and the young

guns showed the oodles of talent; and kingsize

confidence they carry in their ability. It wasn’t all

flashy strokes and nimble footwork: their running

between the wickets also conveyed that Indian cricket

has turned the corner as far as athleticism goes.

It delighted one no end to see Gautam Gambhir scamper

through for three after gliding one to fine leg and

even picking up a brace even when the ball hasn’t gone

outside the circle. Australians were kept on their

toes and it was a sight to see Adam Gilchrist run and

dive to save a four at the boundary.

There was much displayed on the field which conveyed

that these young Indians were more trying to play for

the team rather than for selves. Even when Lee was on

rampage, he picked five wickets, Uthappa still was

coming down the track as he tried to meet the steep

target. They had got Australia on the run and wanted

to keep it that way till the end.

In the success of Gambhir and Uthappa; and the

continued solidity of Mahinder Singh Dhoni, it still

was apparent that the top order isn’t quite firing. It

was a good pitch to flourish but the top order still

didn’t show up. India is still not in the finals and

now must hold their breath for its’ fate in this

competition.

Unfortunately, dismissals of top batsmen too are

eerily familiar. Batsmen are wasting good starts;

hanging bats outside the off-stump is a norm and

worse, wickets are falling in a clutch.

Australia, on the other hand, came on to their own.

Their batting finally purred to life and the final

piece of their jigsaw has fallen in place. Ricky

Ponting has been central to their batting thrust and

not surprisingly, his century led to their batting

revival. It was a vintage Ponting knock, full of

elegant drives and thunderous pulls.

So it was with Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds who

both were looking for a good innings in the series.

They, together with their captain, raised their best

from the competition. Ponting, indeed went past 11000

runs and his 26th one-day hundred now puts him behind

only to Sachin Tendulkar. There is a gap of 15

centuries between the two but then it’s another

matter.

I wouldn’t fault India’s bowling even though a score

of 300-plus was managed against them. The fifth

bowler’s worry didn’t bother Indians at all as between

Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, 14 overs were bowled

at a minimum cost. Ishant Sharma was marked for

special attention both with bat and tongue by the

Australians and the way the youngster stood his

ground, points towards a sturdy character. He is 19

and all but his talent and mind are promising a

rewarding career ahead for him.

I still feel though at the end of it all there is a strong case for robin
uttapha being smartly whe the occasion demands.

Sri Lanka got it all wrong in Melbourne. I wouldn’t
have opted to field even with prospects of rains in
the evening. Sri Lanka’s best chance was to bat
without pressure first up. Putting all the eggs in the
basket of batsmen, or Kumar Sangakkara, wasn’t the
most clever option. Australians, at this very venue,
had shown a couple of weeks ago that even 160 wouldn’t
be an easy climb against them.

Having said so, Sri Lankan bowlers were outstanding.
They put Australia under the hammer for long-only the
support in the field wasn’t as pronounced. Around a
dozen shies at the stumps missed the target; quite a
few pick-ups were not quite as clean and a couple of
chances were grassed too. All this and Lanka could
have got Australia cheaper than for 184 runs.

Both Sri Lanka and India could do well to attend one
of Australia’s practice sessions. It’s fascinating to
see how Mike Young, their fielding coach, makes
cricketers go round a set of stumps and attempt hits
while on the move. In big Australian grounds, fielding
can make all the difference. Most runs are accrued
with sprints between the wickets, and not with fours
and sixes, and alacrity in stealing your runs or
securing a cheeky run-out is the best bet in
Australia.

The strip wasn’t any dissimilar to what we have seen
in Melbourne all this summer. It didn’t come on to the
bat and the bounce too varied at times. Australia’s
top order again was ordinary and it was left to the
middle order to clean up the mess. Michael Clarke has
really come on to his own in the last few weeks. In
the context of the game, his stand with Michael Hussey
was critical.

It’s clear Sri Lanka needs to sort out its’ batting.
They need to have a settled, and scoring, opening
pair. The lower half doesn’t inspire any confidence
and the tail starts too early. Too much is left on the
plate of Sangakkara, and Mahela Jayawardene.

Sooner than later, both Sri Lanka and India would have
to come to terms with Australia’s strengths. They are
clearly a force in the field, with or without Brett
Lee. It’s not easy to tonk their bowlers over the
infield and hence power plays hardly go the desired
way. Openers, for both visiting teams, must show up
and lay a platform.

The two visitors also need to have similar thrust in
the field. Misfields, dropped chances and above all
awry shies at the stumps wouldn’t do. Fielders in the
ring need to show greater purpose to make the most of
wobbly Australian batting. Batting is their Achilles’
heel and maximum pressure must be applied on it.

As the Australian summer draws to a close, it would
interest us to see how the young Indians measure up to
the challenge in final rounds. They are in the eye of
everyone who want to be reassured of their quality.
Dhoni has taken a big leap of faith and merits of his
judgment would be up for scrutiny.

Yuvraj Singh played a sublime innings and looking at

it, perhaps the waiting was worth it. He showed no

after-effects of a disastrous tour and in terms of

style and quality, I am apt to put it as the best

innings seen in the triangular so far. This when

Kumara Sangakkara had crafted a masterpiece of his own

earlier in the day.

There was no confusion or doubt as he faced up to the

Sri Lankan bowlers. He felt good enough to come down

the track off the third ball Muthiah Muralitharan

bowled and he once swept Jayasuriya in front of square

for a mighty six. This when his partner Rohit Sharma

had departed attempting a similar stroke in the

previous over.

Yuvraj didn’t have many things in his favour going

into the middle. He had been preferred over Virender

Sehwag which had the conspiratorial tongues wagging

again. He walked into bat when India was in an almost

hopeless situation of 35 for 3. He hung on to show his

character and the man is now welcomed back into the

fold.

Sehwag was left out again today as Dhoni has shown a

penchant for fielding five bowlers. He really doesn’t

want his batsmen to chase down too big a total and

that perhaps explains the desire to have more

firepower in the bowling armoury.

Mahinder Singh Dhoni too has been superb in this

series. Unfailing, his ask has been to boost an

innings which is coming apart at the seams and he

nearly always has delivered. There is not much left

after he strides on to the wicket and he has rarely

let down. He is a strong character and a team tends to

follow a skipper who delivers. Not a single four

spread over 68 balls and Dhoni has covered himself

with credit.

Pathan’s innings today has been a vindication to my

view-point that the left-hander is best left at number

seven or eight alone. He is a clever cricketer who can

provide support and manipulate the open spaces in the

latter part of an innings. The team shouldn’t fiddle

around with his batting order.

India kept losing critical wickets at critical times

and winning was always in doubt. This being a young

side, their worth is still largely unproven under

pressure situation. But such games would be a good

learning experience for all of them and as I said

earlier, the return of Yuvraj to form is a good omen.

Sri Lanka’s batting revolved around two of their most

seasoned professionals. They took control after two

early wickets and gave an object lesson in building a

stand. There was no rush or panic as the overs went by

and serenely they provided a platform from which the

final overs yielded good results.

India’s bowling was spot on as usual and new boy

Praveen Kumar bowled a decent enough spell. Once again

they did their job. If batsmen come to party more

often as they did today, India would be alright in

this tournament.

India’s batting would face the heat after today’s

performance. Time and again good starts are being

wasted; priority on partnerships is missing. A batter

less, everyone else in the team needed to put premium

on his wicket. This isn’t happening.

A trend has emerged about India’s batting in this

series and it’s that top half is usually gone by the

time three figures are up on the board. Sachin

Tendulkar hasn’t fired but if umpires continue to be

as cruel in their rulings as they were to him today,

he would always be battling odds.

In many ways it was a predictable game. Indians bowled

well as they have done all summer; Ponting failed and

Australia’s batting looks a relic from the past.

Indians stuttered in run chase and skipper Mahinder

Singh Dhoni was again to the fore. What’s been new,

and something which millions of cricket fans have

waited all this summer, Yuvraj returned but not quite.

The left-hander did most of the things right in the

middle. He was startled a couple of times with

steepling deliveries from Mitchell Johnson; Brad Hogg

went past his bat a few times and once again it was a

loose stroke which proved his undoing. To be fair the

ball deserved a lethal blow but Yuvraj would fault

himself for its’ placement.

The combination for this game has my approval. Five

bowlers is the way to go. It just about makes for

better balance. Seven batsmen could get you a game or

two; invariably though it would land you in trouble.

Indians looked so much the better for an extra bowler.

Dhoni, when he looks back at Australian innings, would

wonder if he did right by not bowling three of his

four fast bowlers through. Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma

and Munaf Patel didn’t go through their quota. Unlike

it’s reputation, this Adelaide pitch had a lot of

juice for faster bowlers and any score upward of 200

was an ask. The Indian captain would surely reflect if

it allowed Australia an extra 20 or 30 runs.

Also not up my street is the regular experiment with

Irfan Pathan at number three. You must expect your

batsmen to do the job. The logic that Pathan can see

off the new ball when it is at its’ most lethal

doesn’t cut ice with me. There are men chosen for this

particular role in the squad and they deserve the

trust.

In all this melee, let’s not lose sight of the

continued rise of Ishant Sharma who, innings after

innings, is only reaffirming the popular perception

about him. Munaf Patel made a good return to

international cricket and withstood the pressure after

Matthew Hayden carted him for a ferocious six in his

first over.

This young Indian team, and I admire it for many

reasons, would once again be subjected to scrutiny. It

would be questioned if they are good enough to last 50

overs and whether the hangover of Twenty20 has still

not disappeared. This, in my view, would be a harsh

and narrow view. It’s a young team and they must be

allowed to find their feet. After all, it’s the first

major loss in this tournament for this young team.

It’s apparent Australia is not pulling its weight in

batting. Ricky Ponting’s slump in form is glaring but

others are also not kicking on for big scores.

Australia’s scores in this CB series are not in tune

with their status. Fans should brace themselves for a

few heartaches before the series is out.

Adam Gilchrist made his legions of fans’ wish come

true today yet the innings didn’t last its’ length nor

score could go beyond 236 runs. The champion cricketer

batted with an eye on a century but nobody was holding

it against him. His timing at times was awry and

placements not perfect yet it was a knock to remember.

The likes of his won’t be seen in a hurry.

Sri Lanka should have similar concerns with its

batting. It’s second time they have kept the world

champions in check yet its’ batsmen are not showing

up. For too long the Lankans have relied on Sanath

Jayasuriya to fire for a reliable total. One man alone

is no recipe for success.

Sri Lanka are missing out on a simple plan which all

teams should use against Australia. India did it

splendidly this summer: forge partnerships and the

cheeks of the Australians lose colour. They are not

used to being in the field for long without success.

It’s then that you see catches go down or fielding get

ragged.

In two matches against Australia in the triangular,

Sri Lanka have batted in two extremes. In Sydney, they

were too cautious; in Perth too adventurous. In both

matches they lost Jayasuriya early and couldn’t find a

happy balance. Mahela Jayawardene’s loss in both

matches came at a critical time. He left his reliable

partner, Kumara Sangakkara, with too much to do for

the second time.

Both teams can do with reliable lower orders. The

all-rounders and bowlers start too early. A good start

is thus rarely built upon as teams get more concerned

with lasting full overs. They can only covet what

Indians possess in extremes. Time and again, Indians

have stuttered in the middle order and unfailingly

its’ lower half has come to the party. India’s batting

depth is an object of envy for the world cup

finalists.

Australia’s bowling though is another issue. It’s not

easy to get past their fast bowlers who all bowl

run-denying length and with extreme discipline on the

off-stump. The likes of Nathan Bracken are blessed

with variety. Mitchell Johnson all the time has

batsmen hopping on the backfoot. Johnson has really

come on as a one-day bowler. Brett Lee has good

understudy to pin opposition down.

It was interesting to see Australia field Brad Hogg

ahead of Stuart Clark. The memory of defeat in the

Perth Test surely is too fresh in their memory. The

then fielded an all-pace attack and came a cropper to

the Indians. Here they opted for variety and given the

rather slowish pitch at the WACA, it was a cool move.

The series is now hotting up and Adelaide, where two

matches are due by 19th, would make the picture

clearer. It’s far closer than was previously thought.

That makes it exciting.

India would blame rain for their defeat at Manuka Oval
on Tuesday. It made it a lottery when the game was
reduced to 29-overs-a-side and the odds were further
tilted in Sri Lanka’s favour when the target still
became better due to another interruption between the
two innings. India was staring down the barrel all the
time.

Typically, Sanath Jayasuriya made it a no-contest
inside the first three overs. The second over of
Sreesanth made it a foregone conclusion with the
Matara marauder helping himself to two sixes and a
four. The balance had then irretrievably tilted in
favour of the Lankans.

India doesn’t need to be too hard on themselves from
this game but for the little profligacy which the
medium-pacers showed in the early overs. They batted
with control and once again Chaminda Vaas and Muthiah
Muralitharan were reduced to having no effect on their
batting. The young batsmen kept going down the track
to Muthiah Muralitharan which hasn’t happened often in
international cricket.

It was a pitch with good Carry and Sachin Tendulkar gauged it
early to play some improvised flicks and dabs on the
onside. It was vintage Sachin and every delivery he
faced had some runs written on it. One
more dismissal of the Delhi dasher came via his
propensity to play with an open face of his bat.

Gautam Gambhir must now be considered to have one of
the quickest feet between the wickets. This Delhi lad
runs really hard and with his range of strokes, to go
with it, can drive any attack to nuts. That he was run
out backing too far down the track shouldn’t be held
against him. He is soon evolving into a must in
India’s one-day plans.

Rohit Sharma is another youngster who has grabbed his
chances with both hands. In his last two innings, he
has shown an adaptability which would grow the
selectors’ trust in him. In Melbourne, he was intent
on denying Australians his wicket and here in
Canberra, he went for broke in the final stages of his
innings. His six off Murali, coming down the track and
lifting it over midwicket, wouldn’t be forgotten in a
hurry.

Mahinder Singh Dhoni may have had a lean Test series
but in the one-dayers he is in a rich vein of form. He
came ahead of Yuvraj Singh and nobody grudged him his
promotion as he crunched some thunderous shots. He is
proving a stable leader with good head and feet firmly
planted on the ground.

The win for Sri Lanka though has sparked the
triangular into life. The next few games would have a
lot riding on them. India needs to be really alert to
the situation and can’t afford to take their foot off
the pedal.

Ironically rain, which was accused of dampening
interest in the series, has now infused life into it !

Dhoni’s men, now it could be said, have the making of a very good one-day team. Indians were brilliant with the ball and in fielding they throbbed with life. I haven’t seen many Indian teams who made as many shy at the stumps. They didn’t hang back and the message to the world champions was loud and clear: they are not here to just make numbers they are here to compete and beat Australia. Dhoni did most of the things right. He kept brilliantly and he used his bowlers judiciously. From giving Ishant Sharma the new ball to shuffling his spinners in the middle overs and bringing his faster men back at the right time, the young Indian captain was mostly in cruise control. He sealed the good show with a responsible knock in the end. He needs to be careful though about the reshuffles in the batting order. There was no need to send Irfan Pathan at number three. It was this fancy with his order which had cost Pathan his place a year ago. India wasn’t chasing a big target and it isn’t as if Pathan slogged in order to gain the bonus point. His inactivity at one stage almost made Sachin Tendulkar lose his wicket when the latter dashed down to Stuart Clark. I also don’t think Robin Uthappa would be happy to be at number eight in the batting slot. With Yuvraj’s form being what it is, there was all the more reason for Uthappa to be sent higher up the order. Uthappa is being described as a "floater" and this was the apt moment for him to be floated up the order. Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth are two aggressive young men who are looking to pick wickets. That’s the way they are and both were encouraged to be true to their selves. They have natural good control and it didn’t make life easy for the Australian batsmen. Sharma, in picking up four scalps, including the one of match-winners such as Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds, showed that the praise hasn’t gone to his head. He is striving to improve and develop variety. Pathan is a clever fox in one-day cricket. Harbhajan was not only miserly but it was also good to see him give a loop to his deliveries. Small totals usually cause hiccups in chase and India’s wasn’t an exception. Tendulkar’s knock, including the reprieve, in this context was a major influence. Lee was unusually aggressive and for once Tendulkar wanted to take him on. A square drive may have been uppish but two straight drives, especially the first one which hit the pickets even as the fast bowler was completing his run-up, was a sight for cricket gods. Tendulkar didn’t move after the hit and it was as imperious as you could get. If India is to go all the way, Yuvraj Singh needs to lift himself up. He’s been the key to India’s one-day performance and his slump is not a good news. Amidst all the good news, Yuvraj’s is the one which has been missing.