On the Write Line

By the time the Fourth Test got underway at Adelaide, every Indian cricket follower must have had a feeling of déjà vu. Thanks to the way the first two days of the test unfolded. At some point, one got a feeling that the events in this series have passed through a photocopier.  The conditions to start with; were typical of Adelaide. Heat was unrelenting. The pitch was dry. The Indian fielders chased their share of leather in this sweltering heat. And the Australian batsmen went about their way scoring runs at will.  India cannot take refuge in the fact that the weather and the pitch didn’t suit them. Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting ensured they removed these external conditions out of the equation; as they went on to share a marathon 386 run partnership. Indian bowlers did manage to get early inroads in the Australian batting, with 3 for 84. But the honeymoon for the visitors ended there. After that, it was the same Indian side that was brui...

The New Year didn’t start on a great note for the visitors. SCG was a perfect anti-climax to the revelry that ushered in 2012. Having both the Tests ending by the fourth day; the omens certainly don’t look good for India. With already 0-2 down, the Indian dressing room surely sports a weary look. A perfect environment where pessimism breeds. Agreed, an Australian tour is never easy. But a team that is being tagged as ‘World Champions’; dishing out a performance such as this, surely is a cause for embarrassment.  A comeback for India means they will have to perform way better than they have so far in the series. The WACA curator, Cameron Sutherland, believes that the pitch will be reminiscent of the WACA of the old- quick and bouncy. Predicted to behave just the way it did during the last Ashes Test here, which Australia won in just four days.   It was quite evident in the way India played. The team lacked zing and athleticism. Of course, there i...