A disappointing finish

Ravi Shastri

It was a rather tame end to the game. India never took up the challenge and were intent on batting out the final day of a Test which they hadn’t done for a while now. Cricket romantics of course would have preferred a slugfest. But then you need to be in the shoes of an Indian cricketer to understand his pressures. Also it just wasn’t a kind of pitch that you could have blazed away.

At a time when every move of theirs is up for public scrutiny, imagine if a few had tried to bat out of their skins and got out in the process. "Reckless batting" or a similar in-your-face headline would have badgered them. Three hundred on a final day is a big ask anyway — or why do you think not many teams have been able to make a successful bid for it in history.

In that respect the final day was disappointing, as was the fact that Sachin Tendulkar’s fans will have to wait till the next Test for the record to happen. Brian Lara has a few more days left as a record holder.

Both teams will now be back in the drawing board. Australia have a quality attack but not one spinner to inspire trust. History shows that it hasn’t been easy for an out-and-out pace attack to win a Test in India, unless and until we are talking about the West Indies of the ’80s.

India, similarly, will mull over their bowling combination. Anil Kumble would be a concern even if he recovers fully well over the next three days. God forbid, but if Kumble pulls up short on fitness, three medium-pacers and a spinner would be an ideal mix. Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma showed one and all that they combine well and did an excellent job in this Test match.

For the time being, the talk of the Indian middle order has been pushed into the background. All of them had some good moments in the Test and I expect them to be better in the next game.

— TCM