A series to look forward to …… after a long time

It is not very often that I look forward to any particular bilateral one day series. Most times they end up being a forgotten adjunct to the test match series. But the forthcoming India – Australia series should be different.

For a start there are no tests to steal the thunder from the seven match series. The Australian one day squad seems to be fine fettle and they have left no one in doubt about who the No. 1 side in the world is. And when they are on a roll, like they are now, the Australian juggernaut is wonderful to watch, jingoism notwithstanding.

Relevantly, they will be coming to India with a slow bowler who is quickly learning and developing into a fine finger spinner. For all its much vaunted spin playing capabilities, India have struggled against good off spin bowling. The last time around when the Aussies were here for the test series, Jason Krezja gave a fine account of himself and this time around expect Hauritz to play a significant role in proceedings. Harbhajan, always keyed up whilst playing the Aussies, vs. Hauritz will be a compelling watch. In Bracken, they have a bowler who has done well in the sub-continent and he will be a welcome addition to the attack. Considering the form that the rest of the bowlers Lee, Johnson and Siddle are in, this bowling attack should be one of the most exciting to come to India in recent times.

On the face of it, the batting appears over reliant on Ponting. This does not seem to affect Ponting though and in the recent past, senior batsman like Hussey, Clarke and the relatively inexperienced players like Watson and the absolute newcomers like Paine and White have been more than adequate in supporting Ponting. This tour of India will be a chance for the Aussie batting line up to come of age. The fans will definitely miss the stature of Hayden, Gilchrist, and Symonds but their combined absence should make up to some extent for the inconsistent Indian bowling and ensure a more level playing field.

The Indian batting should be considerably bolstered by the return of Sehwag. India needs him to fire at the top. Along with Gambhir, Sachin, Dhoni, Raina and Yuvraj (will he be back from injury) this makes for a formidable line up on paper, on paper being the operative word. I do not see a pace for Dravid, however hard it may be to say this, Virat Kohli or Yusuf Pathan. For the life of me I cannot understand how Virat Kohli or Abhishek Nayyar are picked ahead of Rohit Sharma. Rohit is as good a fielder as Kohli, so it cannot be the fielding which is tilting the scales. This series is going to be crucial for Raina to cement his place in the side. He has been too inconsistent in the past and it is about time that he plays to potential. A batting line up along these lines affords Dhoni an opportunity to pick five specialist bowlers. If the team chooses to be defensive Yusuf could sneak in as insurance.

In spite of its recent under performance, the bowlers pick themselves. Considering the form of the quicker bowlers and the opposition, it may not be a bad idea to start the series with two specialist spinners in Harbhajan and Mishra. Again, I am not sure if Zaheer is match fit. In case he is, I think Sreesanth should share the new ball with him. Enough and more has been said about his attitude. But his replacements in the side have not exactly covered themselves with glory on the field and the zest that Sree brings to the table may be just what the doctor ordered for the Indians (it is not just Ravi Shastri who uses such antiquated cliches). Given his recent performance, the search for the third bowling option should stop with Nehra. The only thing that Dhoni will have to do in this case is to ask Ashish to bowl 10 overs on the trot and subsequently banish him from the ground. After all, if he comes onto bat the match is as good as lost.

There is not much point talking about the fielding. It has reached a point where I am wondering about the futility of the retainer that I guess must be being paid to Robin Singh. If anyone knows more about the KRAs and KPIs against which his performance is being measured, I would love to be enlightened. Just as one believes that things can only get better from here, the team digs a new, deeper nadir.

Finally, this series will be a good test for both the captains. Ponting, after the debacles in the test matches, appears to have found a lifeline with the one dayers and he will only be keen to push on from here. Last time he was here, his tactical nous left a lot to be desired and he let the Indian off the hook time and again. He will be keen to set the record straight. Dhoni is going through a captain’s midlife crisis. He has obviously lost his Midas touch. Given the excesses of a home series, this series gives him an opportunity to find his way back into the national consciousness.

There we have, all the ingredients for a thriller. It is a shame that such a potentially enthralling series will need to be watched on Doordarshan and/ or Neo. With their penchant for missing out the first and last balls of the favor, viewers may have to make do with watching just 66% of the action. May actually turn out to be a blessing depending on the commentary team that is assembled to inflict torture on the poor viewers.