TVS Cup final - Australia v. India

[Donny]

Convincing victory puts India in final

The Wisden Bulletin by Chandrahas Choudhury

India, needing to win to make it to the final of the TVS Cup, achieved their goal with a degree of ease at Hyderabad, trouncing New Zealand by 145 runs.

The match was virtually put beyond New Zealand's grasp by the interval, as fine hundreds from Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, made in contrasting fashion, and a sparkling fifty from Rahul Dravid, allowed India to rack up 353 for 5, the highest score of the tournament. When New Zealand batted, a fine spell from Ajit Agarkar had them in trouble from the very beginning, and they slipped to 208 all out.

Nothing about the first ten overs of the Indian innings hinted at the glut of runs that was to follow, as Daryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills bowled good first spells and kept the openers down to 48. But once the two batsmen changed gear, they appeared totally at a loss for ways in which to stem the flow of runs.

That Tendulkar made a century was not unusual – it was his 36th in one-day internationals - but his innings was unusual as far as Tendulkar hundreds go. All too often he makes a rapid start when the field is up in the first fifteen overs, and proceeds inexorably to the landmark once the fielders retreat, eschewing risks and playing percentage cricket. But here he started circumspectly – his first boundary came off his 32nd ball – before racing past Sehwag with a calculated assault on first-change bowler Jacob Oram, savaging him for five fours in two overs.

He continued to attack the bowlers even after Cairns was able to provide them with defensive fields, achieving such success in throwing them off their length that New Zealand had employed seven bowlers by the 23rd over. His one six was a soaring hit over long-on off Scott Styris, and at least two other shots landed inches short of the ropes. He brought up his hundred in the 30th over off just 87 balls.

It was an hundred as fervent and animated as those once seen from a younger Tendulkar, and indeed it appeared as if Tendulkar and Sehwag had exchanged their traditional roles at the top of the Indian batting order for a day, for Sehwag was the more restrained and accumulative of the two.

Tendulkar fell soon after for 102, hitting Chris Harris down the throat of long-off (182 for 1), but his innings had set India up for a sizeable score.

Sehwag's stock had fallen recently after a series of below-par displays in the tournament, and even his 39 against Australia in his last game was less than fluent. But New Zealand are his favourite opposition – three of his five ODI hundreds previous to this one have been against them – and the odds were always on his making a big score as long as he took the care to play himself in, which he duly did here.

He played second fiddle as his partner surged past him, and took charge after he left, bringing up his hundred from 119 balls, by which time he had regained the carefree air of old, as evidenced by a merry swing for six over midwicket off Daniel Vettori. He fell with six overs to go, by which time India had already amassed 283.

With overs running out and wickets falling steadily in the quest for quick runs, it appeared as if Sourav Ganguly's 33 would be the only other contribution of note. But, incredibly, the best batting of the day was still to come. Rahul Dravid made the second-fastest half century by an Indian batsman, hitting three sixes and five fours in 22 balls of radiant late-order striking.

Dravid's cameo will be remembered as one of his best ever innings in this form of the game, and his elation after reaching the landmark off the last ball of the innings showed that he too felt it was something special.

There was nothing premeditated about most of his shots: he stayed dead still as the bowler delivered the ball and responded each time with an attacking stroke conceived instantly. In recent times he has become a far more powerful hitter of the ball than before, and each of his sixes was effortlessly hit.

His innings ensured that New Zealand began their innings knowing that they stood only the smallest sliver of a chance, and also under pressure to attack right away. This was also the moment chosen by Ajit Agarkar, returning to the Indian side after being left out for Ashish Nehra on reputation rather than current form, to bowl a hostile first spell.

He first bowled Chris Nevin with a full and swinging delivery that the batsman turned into a yorker as he advanced down the wicket with an attacking stroke in mind (8 for 1). Agarkar then had Chris Harris plumb in front with a similar delivery that bent back into him (25 for 2).

The task of reviving the innings fell again to Scott Styris and Craig McMillan, who won the game for New Zealand the last time the two sides met. They put on 62 for the fourth wicket before McMillan fell to Anil Kumble. His top edge looped up for Dravid to take a simple catch (110 for 4) Styris, who batted with all the confidence of a man on the final leg of a very successful tour, made a skilled half-century, but when he holed out shortly after, the rest of the batting was only desperation.

[The Prototype]

New Zealand crickets is really in a bad way, well at the moment it looks that way. I wish I still had Pay-TV, after seeing highlight packages this series looked pretty good. I'm hoping the VB Series can be the same with all the run scoring, and big hits, and stuff like that. If that's the case, this simmers cricket is really looking like it's going to be a real good one.

[M@®©]

india to win final ?
they will probably come to play in the big one

[Donny]

Toss crucial for Ponting
By Andrew Ramsey
November 17, 2003

HAVING dominated the preliminary rounds of the tri-nations tournament in India, Australia head into tomorrow's final against the host nation in Calcutta only too aware that the toss of the coin is likely to decide the outcome.

The strength of both teams is in their top-order batting, which virtually ensures a big total for whoever bats first when the dry pitch is at its best and the outfield at its quickest.

Chasing big scores under lights on the sub-continent is difficult because the pitches tend to become lower and slower as the evening progresses, making strokeplay problematic.

No team batting second under lights at Eden Gardens has successfully chased a one-day score in excess of 200. Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth was in no doubt when asked what will be the crucial factor in tomorrow's sold-out day-nighter.

"The toss: the team that wins the toss in Calcutta will win the match," Srikkanth said yesterday.

Should Ricky Ponting lose the toss and concede first use of the Calcutta pitch to back-in-form Indian openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who blazed twin centuries in Saturday's big win over New Zealand, his batsmen know they are in for a tough evening.

Key all-rounder Andrew Symonds said the advantage of batting first, coupled with the fanatical support from a deafening crowd of more than 100,000, would make the Indians a different proposition to previous encounters.

"It will be a true test for us, with them having their home crowd and us having to play at our very best, especially if we lose the toss," Symonds said yesterday.

"You can get away to a good start here because the outfields are so quick. It's not out of the question for a good score to be 290 and a very good score to be 330."

The crowd - the biggest any Australian one-day team has seen since their previous limited-overs appearance at Eden Gardens, the World Cup final triumph of 1987 - will play a direct role in the match.

Even though the ground officially holds slightly more than 90,000, it's likely to swell well above that by the time the first ball's delivered.

"One of our boys was speaking to (Indian captain Sourav) Ganguly the other day and he reckons there's a chance there will be 120,000 there," Symonds said.

"I don't know where they're going to put them all - a few might have to sit on the roof or something - but that's an exciting concept.

"It requires extra concentration when you're batting, the first few balls, just for the sheer noise factor. You have to concentrate that bit harder because you can get distracted because the noise is so deafening."

The Australians held their main pre-final training session at Eden Gardens yesterday while their Indian counterparts were making the two-hour flight from Hyderabad where they secured a final berth with their 145-run win over the Kiwis.

The Calcutta pitch looked typically dry when the Australians inspected it and the team hierarchy face some difficult decisions when they sit down to decide on the final XI today.

Nathan Bracken, who has had a stomach upset, will return to take the new ball with Brad Williams, which means Michael Kasprowicz is likely to miss out despite bowling impressively in Bangalore last Wednesday.

The selectors must also decide whether specialist spinner Brad Hogg is worth a recall at the expense of batsman-cum-part-time-spinner, Michael Clarke.

It is likely they will go for Clarke who has taken some key wickets during the tournament, with the knowledge that Symonds can also provide a few overs of off-spin.

Ganguly will wait until the morning of the final in his home town before deciding if he has fully recovered from a slight groin strain received while batting against New Zealand in Hyderabad.

"It's not very serious," he said. "I strained the groin while taking off for a run and I will have to wait till the day of the final to confirm whether I will be able to play,"

Ganguly finished batting with a runner and didn't field during New Zealand's run chase.

[Donny]

The first time

Facts and Figures by Wisden Cricinfo staff


Australia will certainly remember their epic Test match against India at the Eden Gardens in 2001, but the final of the TVS Cup will be their first time against India in an ODI here. And they should know that India have won eight out of the 11 times they played here. Australia's only ODI at the Eden Gardens before was the eventful final of the 1987 Reliance World Cup where they edged out England by 7 runs.

Like most venues in India, the Eden Gardens has seen its share of high scores. On five occasions, the side batting first has posted 270 or more. Not surprisingly, only once in these occasions, the team chasing won. That happened when West Indies scored 273 and still lost to Pakistan in the MRF Nehru Cup in 1989.

In 17 ODIs that have taken place at the Eden Gardens, only four centuries have been scored. Kris Srikkanth opened the account in 1986-87 and was followed by Desmond Haynes and Marcus Trescothick. Of the current Indian team, only Sachin Tendulkar has reached three figures here.

Bowlers of all kinds should know that they have their work cut out for them. Only once has a team been bowled out for less than 150 in an ODI here. That was when Anil Kumble sliced through the West Indies in the final of the Hero Cup in 1993. West Indies made just 123 in pursuit of 226 for victory.

Having said that, seven bowlers have taken four wickets or more in one-dayers at Eden Gardens with Allan Donald and Saqlain Mushtaq being the only non-Indians to do so.

[Donny]

Yet another heist?

Dileep Premachandran

Two years, eight months, and two days have passed since that moment, one destined to have a special place in the cricket histories of both India and Australia. On March 15, 2001, Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar completed the most improbable comeback in Test history, riding the crest of a wave created by VVS Laxman's imperious 281, and Rahul Dravid's flint-hard 180. Tomorrow, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden will revisit the scene of cricket's biggest heist, hoping to leave the Eden Gardens with those Ides of March just a distant, aberrant memory.

Logic will tell you that Australia are the favourites, but there's something about Kolkata and a 100,000-strong crowd that is the exemplar of sporting fanaticism that can intimidate even the most confident side. India started the TVS Cup well enough, beating Australia with a measure of comfort in Gwalior, but subsequent drubbings at Mumbai and Bangalore means that they go into a home final occupying the underdog's kennel.

It shouldn't bother them. The Titan Cup in 1996 had followed a similar script with South Africa utterly dominant in the group stages, only for India - Australia were the odd men out - to romp home in the final. With the toss and the varied conditions under lights making one-day cricket such a lottery, only a fool would stake his gold on the basis of previous form, given that the best team doesn't always prevail as in Test cricket.

India will be in a much better frame of mind after that 145-run thumping of New Zealand. Tendulkar orchestrated matters, and the other batsmen played along sweetly to ensure that there would be no danger of the hosts missing their party. A similar effort will be needed against an Australian bowling attack that has made considerable strides in three weeks, with Nathan Bracken and Brad Williams to the fore.

They will most likely make the one change, bringing in Harbhajan Singh for Murali Kartik, sure to be disheartened after narrowly missing out on the tour to Australia. On the pitch where he earned the Turbanator nickname, Harbhajan would do well to prove that his bowling is a work in progress, rather than an abandoned project as has appeared the case in recent months.

There is another opportunity for Ajit Agarkar to add substance to his new-ball ambitions, while Zaheer Khan must perform to salvage an iota of comfort from an otherwise dreadful home season. Rest assured, Gilchrist and Hayden will be locking their sights the moment he walks to his bowling mark.

Ponting's big-hitting century at Bangalore ironed out the last crease in Australia's own batting, though Hayden has still to bat like the colossus we know he can be. The bowlers they have faced so far haven't been accurate, or good enough, to exploit their tentativeness against high-quality spin. Medium-pace is rare steak and a few kegs of beer for those boys, so unless Harbhajan and Kumble step up in a big way, it could be yet another trophy in the cabinet for an Australian team that seems to win games as easily as Mike Tyson won bouts way back in his heyday. Perhaps it's time for India to do a James "Buster" Douglas ...

[Donny]

Ponting won the toss and Australia are batting.

After 2 overs, they are 0/13.

[Donny]

Agarkar opened the bowling instead of Zaheer and it's done the trick. He bowled Gilchrist for 7.

After 6 overs, Australia are 1/23.

[Donny]

Poor Indian fielding is letting down the good efforts of the opening bowlers.

In 13 balls, Hayden has been dropped twice and Ponting, once.

Lol. As I write Hayden gets caught, for 19.

[Donny]

After 16 overs, the Aussies are 2/85.

Ponting is 31 from 25 and Martyn, 22.

[2 PIES IN CAIRNS]

Hey Donny, is there any law to stop Ganguly "coaching" from just outside the boundary line, as he's been doing all night??

Pete

[HAL]

You've got my full attention. I think Donny is a lot of things.

[Donny]

After 29 overs, it's 4/132.

I was wondering about Goolygang's reason for sitting where he has been, Pete, but I haven't heard the commentators say anything about it, have you ?

[2 PIES IN CAIRNS]

No, haven't heard them mention his positioning, only that India would be missing him on the field...something I doubt because I don't believe he commands much respect and I don't think he's a particularly good captain.

Pete

[Donny]

Fascinating battle here. Martyn and Bevan are gutsing it out on what appears to be a tricky wicket.

After 40 overs, it's 166. Martyn is 58 n.o. and Bevan, 21 n.o.

In the next over from Sehwag, Martyn goes for 61. Enter Michael Clarke.