Mindful of the Aussies

Ashwin Mahesh

The highest-rated team in the game today, and possibly the best in over a decade, prepares to do battle in India next. After an unblemished southern summer against the West Indians, and a complete sweep of the triangular tournament that featured the Zimbabweans as well, Steve Waugh's team is riding an unprecedented high. Beginning with the captain's extraordinary faith in himself and his team, and inspired by their recent triumphs, they present a formidable opposition. There is no denying this.

First impressions of the two sides must conclude that an emulation of Bill Lawry's team from oh-so-many years ago is not only possible, but likely. A rock-solid batting line-up boasting both attacking strokemakers and doughty, reslient batsmen, will regularly put 300-plus runs on the board. It must scare any opposition that the eminently capably Adam Gilchrist bats as low as number 7! An excellent fielding side, with specialist slip-catchers and tireless outfielders will put up a fine display, and not very many of the half-chances will go untaken. A bowling machine that packs reputation in spin and pace alike will take wickets to a regular beat.

India, on the other hand, is anything but ready to tackle this well-knit side. Our superbly talented batsmen are nonetheless prone to individual slumps too often. The inability to build partnerships that arrest temporary slides has been lacking for quite some time now. Despite fine averages on the books, many of our batsmen find little asterisks against their names, with well-documented weaknesses that professional opposition will exploit systematically. Barring Tendulkar, there is none who strikes fear in the opposition, although others merit the respect afforded to all professionals.

While the bowling remains potentially sound, its matchwinning abilities are in doubt, and must first be proven. Indian fielding, shoddy in the best of times, lacks both purpose and direction. The absence of specialists in various positions around the field will be telling. A head-to-head comparison of the two teams will probably put India at a 2-9 disadvantage, with only Tendulkar and possibly Dravid clearly better than the opposition at their respective roles.

A certain resoluteness embodied by the captain remains the hallmark of the visiting team, and no run of individual brilliance from our men can be expected to offset that in a five-day contest. There are, however, weaknesses to be exploited, both in the mind and in fact, and it is here that the Indians must mount their charge. To accomplish this, they will need both excellent management of their media messages and performances on the field to back their off-field bravado.

First, they must embrace the notion that the Australians are vulnerable. Take, for instance, the notion that Steve Waugh is the greatest rescuing act going around. Possibly, but his reputation to stem the turning tide has certainly been forged from being called on to do so! The Australian top-order, either from the arrogance of past successes, or from other failings, will every so often lose a few wickets in a rush. This is the only real chink in their batting armour, and India must capitalize on it. The fall of every wicket must be met with intense pressure to create another.

Secondly, off the field, India must suggest that this, and other weaknesses in the Australian camp, are being studied and that we plan to take advantage of them at every turn. In doing this, we will be taking a lesson from the visitors' success itself, for they have proven to be masters at assaulting the enemy even when the game is not afoot. The references to Tendulkar as the chief obstacle, the certainty that Kumble will be sorely missed, and other comments in the media, are specifically intended to reinforce the notion that much of the Indian team can be swept aside, and a small fraction of that view must lodge itself with the players themselves! This arena, we too must enter.

Third, and most critical, no end of tact and strategy will stand without on-field professionalism. We must not let the Australian tail wag; in this regard it must be borne in mind that both Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting bring less than stellar records of shepherding the tail, although Gilchrist who bats lower than either, does not. Nonetheless, Australia's extemely talented bowlers do not profess much skill with the bat, and they must be swept aside with minimum fuss. The running between the wickets, slip-catching, and other known weaknesses must be addressed systematically, and risks eschewed while batting. All of this seems fairly routine, no doubt, but every infamous collapse has brought reminders of them, and reiterating them is warranted.

The one-dayers will be a different story, putting the teams on more level ground. Endurance is less a virtue in the shorter form of the game, and individual brilliance, even in short bursts, can alter the outcome every so often. Against the expectation of defeat, India must remember that victory is do-able, and commit themselves to a method to attain it.

Notwithstanding the success of the past weeks, Australia begin without a fiery Test behind them, as ridiculously weak Carribbean and Zimbabwean teams posed little threat. This too, must be part of the off-field battle; can an Aussie side that hasn't faced significant opposition stand up to a real test?

The first charge India must mount is in the mind.

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