The India ‘A’ batsmen found Shaun Tait too hot to handle. The spring in his steps and the sting in his bowling augured well for Australia ‘A’. S. Dinakar reports.
The return of Shaun Tait was the biggest gain for Australia ‘A’ which won the tri-nation one-day series. The bowler’s three-over burst with the new ball in the final had speed, swing and thrust. He sent Dinesh Karthik’s off stump cartwheeling with a scorching yorker. It was a hot day in Chennai, but for the India ‘A’ top-order, Tait’s pace and fire would have been hotter.
The final at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium proved to be an anti-climax after a largely competitive series between the three ‘A’ sides that also included New Zealand. Cameron White’s men peaked at the right time; Australia ‘A’ rattled up 303 for seven and then bundled out India ‘A’ for 147.
The focus was clearly on Tait. His career so far has been a dramatic one with several twists. The slinger with raw pace and telling swing was impressive in the 2007 World Cup. Then, bothered by injuries and weighed down by expectations, Tait suffered the burn-out syndrome.
“Several players have gone through a phase like this. The best thing is to be honest with yourself, your mates and take a break from the game. Now I am feeling better and bowling better,” said Tait.
He added that a Test place was still some way away. “I am not quite there yet,” he said.
Tait’s run-up had rhythm and he released from an explosive finish. There were occasions when he had problems with control but then he was returning from a lengthy lay-off. More than his wickets, the spring in Tait’s steps and the sting in his bowling augured well for Australia ‘A’.
The Australian pacemen, rotated well by White, hunted as a pack in the hard sub-continental conditions. Like Tait, Brett Geeves impressed with his speed and swing. He also used the short ball effectively.
Ashely Noffke, upset at being left out of the Australian Test squad, operated at a lively pace. Left-arm paceman Douglas Bollinger — he was selected to the Australian Test squad during the series — was sharp and slippery and moved the ball both ways.
Young paceman Mark Cameron, included for the last two games, generated pace and achieved movement from an ideal wrist position.
The Aussies pacemen possessed air speed to crash through defences. They also softened up the batsmen with well-directed short-pitched deliveries.
The Australians also picked wickets through skipper White’s leg-breaks and Xavier Doherty’s steady left-arm spin. Typically, the side’s fielding created the pressure.
The Aussies also picked themselves up from a shock defeat at the hands of the Kiwis in the opening game at Uppal, Hyderabad. The wicket offered seam movement and the Kiwi pacemen exploited the conditions well.
The Mark Gillespie-led pace attack dismissed Australia ‘A’ for 106 after New Zealand ‘A’ had recovered to 235 for nine. Then, the Australian side changed gears.
Luke Ronchi, an exciting wicketkeeper-batsman with good bat-speed and hand-eye coordination, raced to a pulsating 108 not out after India ‘A’ was undone chiefly by Tait and Noffke. Australia raced to 168 for one in 27 overs.
If Ronchi provided the momentum as a punishing opener, David Hussey was solid and positive at No. 3 with his expansive cover-drives and effective on-side play. The left-handed Marcus North proved an efficient run-getter. Adam Voges, in the middle-order, is a more explosive customer. Skipper White, a hard-hitting batsman, delivered the big blows.
India ‘A’ impressed in parts. Yusuf Pathan was consistent in the late middle-order. He also, typically, hit the ball long and hard with a clean swing of the willow; Yusuf’s 123-ball 148 against New Zealand ‘A’ at Chepauk was the innings of the tournament.
India was staring down the barrel at 66 for five but Yusuf and Rohit Sharma put the innings back on course. Yusuf played himself in — his innings building skills have improved — before launching into the booming hits. “It was among my best innings. It is very satisfying to play a match-winning knock when your side is in trouble.”
Yusuf’s eye, bat-speed and the ability to pick the length early are his allies as he wades into the bowling. He struck as many as nine sixes during his big hundred against the Kiwis. He also unleashed power-packed drives on both sides of the wicket.
When the Aussie pacemen probed him with short-pitched lifters later on in the tournament, Yusuf responded with the pull stroke. Australian manager Justin Stern said in admiration: “You should not look at Yusuf as a one-day cricketer alone. In Test cricket, he could be very much like Andrew Symonds. He could come in with the side at 100 for five and change the course of the game in an hour.”
Yusuf sent down his off-spinners tightly and is definitely a cricketer with a future.
Piyush Chawla, the leg-spinner, spun the ball both ways and produced a match-winning cameo against Australia ‘A’ in the last league game before the final.
Skipper S. Badrinath’s 69 not out earned India ‘A’ a five-wicket win over New Zealand ‘A’ in Uppal. Earlier, pacemen Irfan Pathan and Praveen Kumar had impressed as New Zealand ‘A’ was bowled out for 167.
Subsequently Badrinath was drafted into the Rest of India side for the Irani Trophy game and Raina took over the reins. Raina and Rohit gradually re-discovered their form but Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa lost their way.
For the Kiwis, skipper Peter Fulton’s batting — he is a more balanced batsman with better footwork these days — was the high-point. He stroked the ball quite majestically on both sides of the wicket.
Paceman Gillespie and off-spinner Jeetan Patel had their moments but the Kiwis failed to combine as a unit.
The Aussies were indeed worthy winners.THE SCORESAustralia ‘A’ 303 for seven in 50 overs (L. Ronchi 52, D. Hussey 75, C. White 50, A. Voges 55 not out) bt India ‘A’ 147 in 32 overs (R. Sharma 46, W. Saha 27 not out, B. Geeves three for 41).
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