Hello Friends,
What was your thoughts on the recently concluded test & one day series between India & Australia? I found both the series quite enthralling with some top quality cricket on offer from both the end. If India was quite calculative as well as aggressive in the first two test victories which ultimately earned them a 2-1 victory in the test series, Australia scripted an excellent story of turnaround which started with the victory in the third test match & concluded with a hard fought series victory in one dayers. Definitely there were quite a few talking points during the series including quality of pitches during the test matches, Australia's dramatic batting collapse throughout the test series, India's continued spin dominance at home test matches, Jadeja's comeback, end of Kohli's century drought in test cricket & last but not the least leadership skills of Steve Smith. Let's have a quick look at the top stories from the series.
A comeback to be celebrated
Making a comeback in any sports is always tough specially when you are coming back after recovering from an injury. The kind of competition Indian cricket team has these days for a slot in the playing eleven makes it even more challenging for a player to come back to the team & create the same impact as earlier under immense pressure to reestablish your place in the team. No doubt Ravindra Jadeja would have felt the same pressure while making a comeback to the Indian red ball set up after a while with exposure to just one domestic game before one of the toughest assignments in international cricket against the top test team in the world, Australia. But he instead chose the platform to show the world that comebacks are always bigger than setbacks. Starting with a five wicket haul in the opening test match to leading a game changing collapse of the opponents in the second test match along with some crucial knocks with the bat throughout the series & concluding with a much deserved player of the series award is a testament to his skills, determination & hard work. He is undoubtedly one of the most improved allrounders of this generation who has come a long way from his initial days as a player. This edition of the Border-Gavaskar trophy is definitely going to be remembered for Jaddu's grand comeback.
Series of inspiring leadership
Impactful leadership is what changes the fortune of any team. In a team sport like cricket a leader's role is of utmost importance as they have to take crucial decisions keeping the team's interest in mind which can affect the result of the match immensely. Similar instances could be witnessed during this series too. If Rohit Sharma led from the front by making a match winning hundred in the opening test match apart from his tactical moves throughout the series, Pat Cummins didn't look at his best neither as a player nor as a captain in the first two test matches. On the other hand Steve Smith who took over from Cummins for the final two test matches & one day series was quite proactive & accurate in his decision making to bring fruitful results for his team. His accuracy as a captain was one of the main reasons behind Aussie trump in the one day series. Though as a batter his performance was way below his stature, his role as a captain earned him great accolades. At the end of the test series it was Rohit who emerged victorious, but not to forget captain Smith's contribution who helped his team emerging from the disappointing losses in the first two test matches & eventually confirming a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) finals later this year.
The Ahmedabad marathon
Another epic comeback during the test series was that of Virat Kohli who registered a test century after three years. It was indeed an epic innings by Kohli in the final test match which showcased his skills, discipline, determination and above all his hunger for scoring big. A double hundred would have been an icing on the cake but he missed the mark at the end. He was looking in good shape throughout both test & one dayers. But it was that big score which was missing. His performance in the Ahmedabad test once again established the age old saying in cricket that form is temporary but class is permanent.
Tale of spin duo
Over the years there have always been comparisons between two greats of the same genre be it Gavaskar & Border of 80s, Tendulkar- Lara & Kumble-Warne of 90s or Kohli-Smith of the current generation. On the similar lines there have been two more spin bowling giants who have always taken their respective teams to greater heights through their performances especially in red ball cricket. Ravichandran Ashwin & Nathan Lyon will definitely end up as one of the greatest of all time as far as spin bowling is concerned. It is never easy for any player to carry the responsibility of their team for such a long period of time. But both these guys have been doing that for years now. Both have their own skillsets that make them great bowlers. If Ashwin is more of a tactician who likes to play with the batter's mindset, Lyon is more dependent on his accuracy & discipline. In Asian conditions he has been a stalwart for Australia considering he doesn't get as much as able support from a fellow spinner like Ashwin gets from Jadeja. Bowling long spells in trying conditions of subcontinent pitches is a challenge not all non-Asian bowlers enjoy. But Lyon cherishes this opportunity & his record in Asia is a testament to that. In the T20 era where spinners get belted in favourable batting conditions more often, here are two gentlemen who are nearing 500 test wickets after years of hard work & perseverance.
Spin is the mantra
Legends like Shane Warne too struggled to succeed in Indian pitches. It's a dream for any non-Asian spinner to come to India & perform knowing the enormous challenges of performing here. Under those circumstances credit to Australian spinners who performed exceptionally well in challenging conditions. And the major factor behind that being their adaptability. Be it the test matches or the one dayers the Aussie spinners showed great character. Someone like Todd Murphy or Matthew Kuhnemann who played their debut test series this time without much of a domestic experience did extremely well to justify their selection. Not to forget the series clinching performance of Adam Zampa & Ashton Agar in the final one day match. Considering Indian batters are great players of spin, the opponent spinners' performance becomes even more special. The spinners continued to do the basics right, stayed patient during crunch time and not to forget that they had the guidance of a shrewd leader Smith. Performance of the the young spinners will definitely give lot of confidence not only to them but their team too in future tours.
Image Credit:
Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
www.davidmolloyphotography.com from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Dun.can from Leicestershire, UK, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Image design: Bala Kumar
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