Indians try to find their feet

Brad Hodge of Victoria was a veritable thorn in the Indians' flesh. He ran up a double century. -- Pic. AFP-

THE importance of preparatory games was once again highlighted in the early stages of India's tour to Australia.

THE importance of preparatory games was once again highlighted in the early stages of India's tour to Australia. The matches against Victoria and the Queensland Academy of Sport were expected to prepare the Indians for the tough Test series ahead and they did to some extent give an idea of the shape of things to come. The home teams were not exactly the best combinations, but then the Indians too were not at their best in cricketing terms even if it meant testing their key players in the two matches.

Rahul Dravid described the experience as good. "I thought we prepared well for the series with these two matches. The team would've ideally liked a few more runs and a few more wickets, but it wasn't bad. We faced tough opposition and it was a nice way to sort out things before the series."

In Dravid's opinion, the matches saw the Indian team play some good cricket. "You must remember that no team likes to go flat out in the tour matches. Not many teams can win these matches in three days and we were happy with the results. We were only trying to achieve specific goals and set our batting order and get the bowlers going. In such matches there's a lot of mixing and matching, trying to give people opportunities."

Sourav Ganguly had a similar view. "A lot of our youngsters need experience but they know what is expected of them. I hope they grab the opportunities. We don't mind losing a few games as long as we win a few."

True, the team got ample scope to try out a few things and in the process made some discoveries, too. The batsmen looked to be struggling while the bowlers realised that they had to make adjustments in length. It was a tough start to a tough tour as Victoria and the Queensland team took the honours in the drawn games.

The Victoria team took things easy for the match at Melbourne by resting a few key players. The team did not include Michael Lewis, a fast bowler with a 33-wicket haul last season. He made way for Brett Harrop, a debutant. And then the presence of left-arm fast bowler Matthew Innes gave some breathing space to the Indians. The Victorians may have packed the team with some inexperienced bowlers, but the batting line-up had some established names such as Jason Arnberger, who played league in Scotland, Test discard Matthew Elliott and Brad Hodge, who enjoyed a wonderful county season with Leicestershire.

The match against Victoria was made memorable by Sachin Tendulkar's classy innings on the first day. It reflected the form of the master and once again showed that he was the team's main source of motivation in all conditions.

The failures of Akash Chopra, Virender Sehwag, Dravid and Gan<147,4,1>guly stood out sorely and it was left to the unsung S. Ramesh and Tendulkar to save the team from greater embarrassment. The knock by Tendulkar also showed that he was prepared to silence a few critics who doubted his credentials to excel on Australian pitches.

Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi was quoted as saying, "Tendulkar gets tired after 50 or 60. He'll score centuries but he does not have the endurance of Matthew Hayden. The beautiful glow on Tendulkar's face is missing."

And then two former Australian Test cricketers, Dean Jones and Damien Fleming, made some silly remarks on Tendulkar's ability to face short-pitched bowling. "The Australians are going to be bouncing the hell out of him. They believe he has a weakness in the top half of the body," Jones was quoted.

Well, Tendulkar's reply was a brilliant 80, an innings that left a mark on those who saw it. The appreciation came from all quarters as Tendulkar cut, pulled, hooked and drove the bowlers with disdain. He was also prepared to leave the crease against the spinners. In all, it was a perfect batting demonstration and one that left none in any doubt that Tendulkar had struck form early.

Ramesh, too was in good touch with a knock of 87. Parthiv Patel made 52 and this would have given the lad some confidence. India's total of 266 for nine declared was surpassed with ease by Victoria, thanks to a double century by Hodge.

Hodge made 264 and there were good contributions from Elliott and Jonathan Moss. Later, Ian Harvey, too warmed up with a neat half century.

The Indians would have been happy with the half-century by Chopra in the second innings. But, once again, Sehwag failed to get runs as the match was drawn.

The Indians hardly looked convincing in the next match at the Allan Border Oval, Brisbane, too. The first day gave indications of the state of India's attack when the Queensland Academy of Sport put up a decent 304 for six declared.

It was second-grade opposition and yet the Indian bowlers struggled to contain the batsmen. Lee Carseldine, recovering from a knee injury, smashed a century, while Craig Philipson nearly hit one. The Indians looked embarrassed on the field.

Once again the openers failed to do the job for India and this was a matter of concern. Chopra and Sehwag made no impact and the over-rated Deep Dasgupta looked out of place.

The good form that V. V. S. Laxman displayed did provide some boost to the Indian batting line-up. Ganguly failed to get going, while Dravid failed to raise his confidence level. But Laxman batted well enough to promise much on the tour ahead as the Indians declared at 208 for nine.

The match at Brisbane was not a first-class fixture and the teams were allowed to rotate their 12 players. But the batting was restricted to 11. It was a match of little competitive value but yet important enough to give the Indians a chance to assess themselves in the run up to the Tests. In hindsight, the Indian team management ought to have considered playing a better opposition than the one they encountered at Brisbane. It is another matter that it was the home team that took the honours in both the matches.

The scores:

Indians 266 for nine decl (S. Ramesh 87, Sachin Tendulkar 80, Parthiv Patel 52 not out, Cameron White four for 59, Mathew Innes four for 64) and 116 for two (Akash Chopra 55 not out, S. Ramesh 36) drew with Victoria 518 for eight decl. (Brad Hodge 264, Ian Harvey 71, Matthew Elliott 48, Jonathan Moss 42).

Queensland Academy of Sport 304 for six decl. (L. Carseldine 112, C. Philipson 85, C. Simpson 43, Anil Kumble four for 74) and 208 for six decl. (L. Carseldine 109 not out, D. Payne 35) drew with Indians 208 for nine decl. (V. V. S. Laxman 74, Rahul Dravid 38, J. Dawes three for 63) and 121 for four (S. Ramesh 37 not out, Sourav Ganguly 35).