Legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar once said the Indians always played better when they had sun on their backs. Where are those days now?
There is no dearth of sunshine in Perth, the leafy, charming capital of Western Australia. But then, the Indians were rolled over in the Test here by the marauding Australian pacemen on a typically fast WACA pitch.
And as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men prepare for their next game in the Commonwealth Bank triangular ODI series — against Sri Lanka here on Wednesday — they would do well to remember Umesh Yadav who bowled with fire and passion in the third Test against the Aussies at this venue.
The Indians missed the wood for the tree when they entered the tournament opener at the MCG with just two pacemen. This game can punish mistakes.
Searing intensity
India's strategic blunder overshadowed, rather unfairly, a display of searing intensity and aggression by the Australian pace pack. Indeed, the story of the season has been the depth in the Australian pace bowling ranks.
An injured Brett Lee pulled out of the competition with a fractured foot and left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc stepped in to bowl with precision, craft and rhythm. The delivery that consumed Gautam Gambhir reared like a cobra before finding the edge — the kiss of death really.
The Australians, on Monday, roped in Ben Hilfenhaus as cover for the host's game against Sri Lanka here on Friday.
Hilfenhaus, as selection panel chief John Inverarity indicated, might not play the match here; the Aussies are likely to stick to the same pace attack that routed India at the MCG. But he could be in the swing of things at Adelaide.
Hilfenhaus was one of the key players in Australia's 4-0 sweep of India in the Test series. He bowled at a lively pace, moved the ball in the air and achieved deviation off the seam too.
Crucially, he made the batsman play from around their off-stump. The numbers — 27 wickets at 17.22 — tell the story.
Eyeing a return
Hilfenhaus will be eyeing a return to the ODI scheme of things – he last played for Australia in this format during the tour of India in 2009 before returning home with tendinitis of his right knee.
And the 28-year-old Tasmanian with limitless stamina will surely seek to improve upon his ODI stats of 18 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 5.67.
Swing bowlers tend to go for runs in the shorter formats but can strike telling blows.
Australia has still not overcome fitness concerns vis a vis its pace bowlers. The promising James Pattinson, who tormented India in the first two Tests with his speed and thrust, is recovering from a bone stress injury on his left foot.
Mitchell Johnson, grappling with a damaged toe, finds his international career under a cloud with comeback men such as Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle and the younger bunch grabbing their chances.
And the lively Ryan Harris — the skilful bowler with strong shoulders and wrist has been luckless this season — is still buzzing around.
Not to speak of Clint McKay, the lanky paceman who hits the deck to extract bounce and seam movement. McKay was in his element against Inda at the MCG scalping four. He also possesses a deceptive Yorker and can vary his pace cleverly at the death.
McKay and Starc combined effectively against India at the MCG.
Immense possibilities
The 22-year-old Starc has immense possibilities. The left-armer has an easy run-up where the momentum is gained gradually, a natural action and has the delivery that comes into the right-hander.
The New South Welshman's short-pitched deliveries can open up batsmen; he uses the ball to disrupt the feet movement of the batsman before unleashing a fuller one. He is working on the delivery leaving the right-hander that would make the one that darts back even more dangerous.
To his credit, Starc has been able to switch his line to the southpaws admirably from over-the-wicket. He is taking the ball away from the left-handers — this delivery is laced with bounce — at will. A lean and mean pace predator, he certainly is.
Then we have someone like Peter Siddle — another Australian hero in the Test series with 23 wickets at 18.65 — who is desperate to make a come-back to ODI cricket.
With his aggression, velocity and nip off the wicket, he can be a handful in any format. When this fiery customer bounds in, cricket can be engaging; you can sniff a duel. Siddle can sizzle.
Waiting in the wings
There are others waiting in the wings. Twenty-five-year-old Queenslander Ben Cutting, they say, cuts like a knife. These men are fast, furious and hungry. This Australian pace attack might lack great names but has bowled in great areas.
When you seam and swing the ball both ways in the corridor at speeds in excess of 140 kmph, consistently send down good length deliveries that would go on to hit the top of off-stump, cramp the batsmen for room by denying them width, and unsettle them with well-directed lifting deliveries, it can be a handful for most.
This game is not about marquee names alone.
