The Third Test between Australia and India is just a day old but I awoke this morning anticipating the news wires would be brimming with a new story from India about the next trick the BCCI had up their sleeve to take the heat off an Indian team that was 6/297 at the close of play. Forgive the cynicism but I don’t think it was a reach to expect another volley of ‘we were victimised’-like whinging given the Indians were in control at 2/200 then lost their way in the final session.
New umpires, Harbhajan Singh free to play (and subsequently not selected) and Australian players vilified for getting caught up in the emotion of an unlikely victory with an over to be bowled… by the looks of things the Indian press and BCCI got pretty much everything they asked for post-Sydney yet the players – the ones who let a golden opportunity to win a Test match slip on Day 4 at the SCG with an ordinary attitude and effort – are the same ones who have invited Australia back into the contest at the WACA by giving away their wickets late on Day 1.
Don’t get me wrong the Australians aren’t angels and Michael Clarke showed enough petulance in the SCG Test to suggest the Australian captaincy should be a long way off from being bestowed upon him. But the way the Indians and pro-Indian commentators went on like the world had ended in the wake of the Australian victory at the SCG – there simply has been no room for accountability to be applied to the Indian players for their performance – which IS the difference between victory and defeat at the highest level.
I did like what incoming Indian coach Gary Kirsten said about the whole whoopla though. “It’s a cricket tour full of emotion but one needs to calm oneself and create some composure; that’s the only way you can be at your best. If you sidetrack to the other issues you are going to have problems. I’m a looking at it from a distance so I was trying to look at it very objectively as to what went right and what went wrong.”
I just can’t help but wonder how long Kirsten is able to publicly express that view once India start losing games they are expected to win.
However for the most part Day 1 belonged to Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid’s 3rd wicket partnership of 139 which has given India a platform for the game.
Play resumes today with Australia aiming to keep the Indians below 350 and getting stuck into their run chase before lunch.
