The Hindu : Sport : Ishant, Gambhir have grown in stature

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Ishant, Gambhir have grown in stature

S. Dinakar

Yuvraj’s failure a cause for concern; Rohit has been a revelation

— PHOTO: AFP

HIGH AND LOW: While Ishant Sharma has been a success story for India down under, Yuvraj Singh’s fortunes have taken a nose-dive.

Canberra: The CB series is on the boil with all three teams having a chance to make the finals. The last edition of the Australian ODI tri-series promises to be among its most competitive ones.

Let’s take a look at how India has fared so far, its strategy, successes and failures, gains and losses.

The decision to give Ishant Sharma the new ball against Australia at the MCG was a wise move. Given that he is essentially a seam bowler, it was believed Ishant would be better off in the middle overs with his cutters.

Sensible ploy

The think-tank initially opted for Irfan Pathan to bowl with S. Sreesanth at the beginning of the innings. The ploy made sense since Pathan is essentially a swing bowler who would be at his effective best with the new ball. There is also a cricketing theory that bowlers who essentially bring the ball into the right-handers, like Ishant does, are better off bowling later in the innings.

But then, there was the possibility of Ishant, given his high-arm action and speed, exploiting any early life and bounce in the track. He could also get the ball to straighten and move the odd one just a shade to find the edge.

Ishant’s stock ball could also work against Australia’s most influential batsman, the left-handed Matthew Hayden. It did at the MCG.

Potentially, Ishant and Sreesanth can be a strike force of speed and movement. Unlike Ishant, Sreesanth swings the ball away from the right-hander. However, he lacks Ishant’s consistency, the game at Canberra being an indication.

Definite gain

Rohit Sharma has been a definite gain in the middle-order. He is a smooth-stroker who sends the fielders on hard chases. The youngster has batted well under pressure.

He handled a rampant bunch of Aussie pacemen on a lively MCG surface with composure and innovated against the Lankans.

Rohit appears to pick the length early and has time to play his shots.

Gautam Gambhir is growing in stature. The left-hander clinched an engrossing battle with Muttiah Muralitharan at the ’Gabba and is seeking to consolidate at No. 3.

He uses his feet against the spinners and plays closer to the body while countering the pacemen.

India has an all-right opening combination in Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and Gambhir’s arrival makes the second-wicket pair a right-left one. Gambhir, probably, needs to play short-pitched stuff from the quicks with softer hands. He was fired out by a Brett Lee lifter at the MCG.

Defective footwork

Yuvraj Singh’s form continues to worry the Indians. While it is possible to get away with defective technique in one-day cricket, Yuvraj has major issues in footwork to resolve. Performance and confidence are related, so are technique and performance.

The think-tank will need to make better use of Robin Uthappa. He is a specialist batsman and is batting at No. 7.

The team-management could have sent Uthappa at No. 3 against the Australians at the MCG. Instead, Pathan was promoted.

Pathan, the bowler, has swung the ball at a brisk speed and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been steady. However, India may have to address the issue of playing a fifth specialist bowler in certain situations.

The side needed an extra bowler in Tuesday’s game and it is here Yuvraj’s contribution to the side becomes critical. If the need arises, India can open with Tendulkar and Gambhir with Sehwag, a fine player of spin, pushed to the middle-order.

The Indian catching has been good but the ground fielding can be improved upon. When the Lankan batsmen ran admirably between the wickets, the fielding seemed to wilt under the pressure.

Dhoni has led the side well and batted with caution and aggression in stressful situations. He has the attributes of a fine skipper.

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