The batting should set the Aussie agenda
Published : Sep 27, 2008 00:00 IST
Despite having a formidable batting line-up, the exclusion of Andrew Symonds will hurt Australia on many levels, writes S. Ram Mahesh.
It appears increasingly difficult these days to assess a forthcoming series in isolation, glorying solely in the cricket that might be played. Perhaps, to the more acute mind at least, it was ever thus — cricket’s innocent, halcyon days after all have involved race rows, the Packer schism, and ball tampering. Yet there was something magical about the anticipation that preceded a cricket tour. With the heightening commercialisation of the modern game, and the ra pidly evolving patterns of its distribution and consumption, tender thoughts of what may happen are almost a thing of the past.
Almost. Fortunately sport transcends any frame it’s fit into for easy reference; it’s this very quality that allows it to be perceived as no more than a game even in these world-weary times. Which is what will be attempted in these columns, previewing Australia’s ‘chances’ in the four-Test series in India.
It’s impossible, however, to divorce the series from the atmosphere that hangs over it, so one may as well get it out of the way early. Australia’s decision to tour India as planned, despite the recent bomb blasts in New Delhi, the venue for the third Test, has been seen in some quarters as double standards. One of five sides that decided not to participate in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan on security grounds, Australia was criticised for not using the same yardstick for India; the lucre associated with the game in India, it was said, was far too attractive to be compromised by a pullout or postponement.
Ricky Ponting’s men were called “lily-livered cowards” and “two-faced prats” to cite just two descriptions, the first by a Pakistan Cricket Board official, the second by a “fan” commenting online. Matters of security are underpinned on complexities beyond this writer’s comprehension, so no comment will be ventured despite the obvious temptation — indeed, Cricket Australia pointed to these complexities in making its decision, and Ponting faithfully endorsed it.
“As we all know and has been outlined already, these are very different circumstances between India and Pakistan right at the moment and Cricket Australia has made that very clear,” said Ponting. “As captain of the side and as a player, right at the moment I am very comfortable to go on the advice of Cricket Australia and the players’ association.”
For want of a better transition, we segue to another off-field incident, one that will have greater implications on the series. Andrew Symonds’s ill-advised fishing trip, and his subsequent exclusion from the squad, will hurt Australia on many levels. “We are happy he is not coming because he can change the course of a match any time,” said Virender Sehwag, who knows a thing or two about changing the course of matches. “It is a loss for cricket, but we’re happy.”
With Adam Gilchrist’s batting declining during the last phase of his illustrious career, the dread-locked giant, at six, assumed the role of team strongman. His century in the Ashes gave him the confidence that his technique — simple, robust, and clean-cut — could handle spells of sustained, quality bowling in Test cricket; of his attacking capability, he never had misgivings.
The Symonds that confronted India in Australia had thus evolved into an all-round batsman, even if one that remained susceptible to movement early in the innings. It’s Symonds’s play against spin that Australia will miss most — his ability to hit a bowler off his length, levering perfectly respectable deliveries over deep mid-wicket, would have come in handy against Harbhajan Singh, who is half the bowler when attacked.
To a lesser extent, Australia will miss Symonds’s bowling, a mix of medium-paced cutters and deceptive off-breaks that possess value on surfaces that offer grip. What isn’t always apparent in the classical version is the athletic 33-year-old’s influence in the field. With the lengths the Australian bowlers prefer, Symonds is a vital presence square on the off-side, stifling and dangerous.
Australia’s batting will depend on Michael Hussey’s performance, despite the formidable presences of Matthew Hayden and Ponting. A large part of Australia’s success in 2004 — the country’s first series win in India since 1969 — was thanks to Damien Martyn, whose soft, sure touch and floating footwork were manifestations of an organised gameplan and an iron will. Hussey will have to take on the responsibility of batting long periods, stitching the stroke-players together.
The left-hander certainly has the capability to do so: despite playing much of his cricket against pace, Hussey has several options against spin. He stays low on the sweep, and hits down on the ball, reducing the stroke’s inherent risk. While Hussey isn’t as adept at using his feet as Michael Clarke — Australia’s best player of spin and the creator of a supremely skilful century on debut in Bangalore in 2004 — he compensates by committing late. Hussey’s partnership with Clarke in the middle-order will make the difference between scores of 250 and those over 400.
Ponting will be looking to alter a woeful record in India. The captain’s hard, unsure, thrusting hands when starting against spin have contributed to an average of 12.28 in eight Tests since 1996. Earlier this year, he reacted tetchily when asked if he was Harbhajan’s bunny, after the off-spinner dismissed him thrice in four innings Down Under. Harbhajan also accounted for him every time he walked out to bat in 2001.
“The one thing that brought me undone was that I didn’t trust my technique enough,” said Ponting, referring to his failures in the epic series. “I got out in my first innings in a way (caught close-in) that I shouldn’t have and from then on I tried not to do it again, but every time I tried something different I got out again. I have a reasonable record in Sri Lanka and everywhere else the ball has spun. India is the one place that has brought me undone. It’s a matter of me trusting my technique.”
Hayden averages 61 from seven matches in India, but his returns in 2004 weren’t as substantial as his star-making act in 2001 which featured a century and a double. The barrel-chested left-hander is the sort of batsman whose influence extends beyond the runs he makes — not only is he a barometer of Australian batting health, his presence allows the others to relax; his ability to clear the field from the crease, even if not entirely to the pitch of the ball, is a priceless quality under pressure.
With Simon Katich’s unsightly adhesive quality, the batting, while not as ominous as the line-up that toured last time and despite Symonds’s absence, appears capable of setting the agenda. The profusion of left-handers — possibly four of the top six — helps, for India, at the risk of generalisation, prefers bowling to right-handers.
The tour will be a wonderful experience for Brad Haddin, for no wicketkeeper will deem his career complete without testing himself in the heat and dust of India.
Australia’s bowling is pace-heavy. With Shane Watson expected to replace Symonds at six, Australia may well play four seamers in Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Watson. Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz shared 43 wickets in 2004, driving the bowling unit, and it appears Ponting will persist with a similar tactic. Much rests on Lee and Clark, the former close these days to being the complete fast-bowler and the latter proving to be more than the poor man’s McGrath.
Although neither has played a Test in India, both men established their potency on a slow strip at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the closest Australia has to Indian conditions, last December.
The success of Australia’s attack in 2004 (and indeed the Boxing Day Test of 2007) owed itself to the exploitation of an old Indian failing — the desire to score boundaries. “The tactics last time (in 2004) worked very well for us,” said Ponting. “We were able to strangle them. We were able to take their boundaries away and make it difficult for them. A lot of the time we bowled at their strengths with strong fields in those areas. We did things differently last time and we’ll look at doing that again.”
The spin resources are perhaps the thinnest Australia has brought to India. Neither Bryce McGain, the 36-year-old Victorian leg-spinner who formerly worked in IT, nor Jason Krejza, the off-spinner that writes poetry in his spare time, appear set to channel Murali and Mendis; that said, Clarke’s left-arm slows have triggered two collapses in the past, and India will do well to not underestimate the Australian vice captain.
TEST SCHEDULEOctober 9-13: First Test — M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.
October 17-21: Second Test — Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh.
October 29-November 2: Third Test — Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
November 6-10: Fourth Test — Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur.