India beat Australia by 38 runs
Bangalore, February 13: Sticking to one's strengths is the best possible policy. Both India and Australia put that theory into practice and each came away with results that would have left them satisfied. This though applies to the respective bowling strategies only, with the batting on either side, considered strong on paper, not really coming to the party during the World Cup warm-up game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. For the record, albeit it doesn't count, the result went India's way, by as many as 38 runs in a low-scoring game.
Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson had brazenly announced his team's game plan against the Indians on Saturday itself. He had stated that despite the World Cup being played in the sub-continent, the strategy would still be to test the Indians out with short-pitched stuff. And in front of a packed stadium, after Mahendra Singh Dhoni had won a rare toss and decided to bat, Johnson and Co. were true to their word. Hardly a ball landed in the batsman's half and the Aussie pacers didn't bother either that they were conceding many a wide with the ball sailing over the head.
This was all a bit too much for the Sachin Tendulkar-less side (the master and Zaheer Khan were left out, while the other 13 took part) who didn't have a counter strategy and crumbled for a poor 214 inside the 45th over. That total in itself was owed to a restrained (by his standards) half-century from Virender Sehwag (54, 56b, 8x4, 1x6) and an even quieter 38-ball 32 from Yusuf Pathan, who had no fours in his innings but had two massive sixes to show.
The Australian reply was typically strong, Shane Watson and Tim Paine getting the side off the blocks quickly. The Indians for their part, reacted by turning to their spinners as early as the ninth over. With the fresh pitch surprisingly affording ample turn, the test was on for the Aussies, skipper Ricky Ponting in particular. Ponting (57, 85b, 4x4), who had stayed away from the slips when his side bowled to protect his finger, batted through the period with typical grit to at least ensure he got some useful time in the middle if not a winning start to the World Cup defense.
For the Indians, all the three spinners, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla, who was even on a hat-trick once, were impressive as was skipper Dhoni, who had three stumpings to show for his first donning of the wicketkeeping gloves since the tour of South Africa. Will all the pitches to be used in the tournament turn thus, will the ones in Bangalore at least do so, is the question now. If it does, it will certainly be advantage the hosts.
News Posted: 13 February, 2011
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