Sachin's Masterclass and Dhoni's Masterstroke

Admittedly, I am a Sachin connoisseur. It was as if I had written the script in my last post and Sachin decided to read it and deliver a critic's dream performance. Pity the Academy awards were done and dusted last week else, I guess, Sachin's batting today would have been a contender. At the very least, it has been a slap in the face to all his eternal doubters. Enough said about him; my generation has grown up watching Sachin and if anything, I have always wanted him to be in a world cup winning squad. Then again, that's just me!!

A more pertinent accolade must go to the firebrand Dhoni. I was pretty disappointed he did not play a fully fit Piyush Chawla until the final. In fact, I had rued the fact in my last post. What I didn't expect was to see Dhoni field his trump card at the deep end! It was always a given that Chawla would be more than useful in Sydney and Adelaide if not at the other venues. However, if Chawla had been taken to the cleaners today, I am sure there would have been a fair amount of tabloid space dedicated to some Dhoni bashing. That would have been quite unfair. I guess Dhoni's line of thought would have been something like this - "I have got a bits and pieces bowler in Praveen Kumar and I have got two bowlers struggling for some form in Munaf and Sreesanth. Why don't I punt on my reserve leggie kid who had a good time on the most unhelpful pitches in Ireland and England?". The worst that could have happened was that Piyush Chawla might have gone for a few runs but then Munaf and Sreesanth couldn't have been backed for anything better. Therefore, I consider Dhoni's call to play Piyush as one backed by sound cricketing logic and hence a masterstroke.

Then again, there is that small matter of Dhoni's masterstroke paying off with Bhajji and Piyush suffocating the Aussies in the middle overs. Dhoni has a presence even in press conferences. He comes across as a captain who does not take the post match presentation as a formality. He treats it as just another chat and his words are pertinent and natural. His rider for caution and intensity for the remaining games was well received. Here is a leader of men whose words will not be lost on his charges. I hope he is able to back it up with results and in the very short term I hope he is able to finish his business down under at the Gabba!

Good Luck India, May the fours be with you ...... always !!

O India! May the Fours be with you!

Finally, we are at the business end of the CB series and I am glad to stick with my finalists at the crucial juncture: Aus v Ind. Frankly, the Lankans have not beefed up their game. Australia definitely go into the finals as favorites but the Lankans will have to pull off a Houdini act to make it to the finals from here on. Expecting them to win against the Indians and Australians at the business end of the series is a big ask. Yet, if they do manage it, they will have an edge going into the finals with a win against the Aussies.

I did predict that the Indians would get better as the series progresses and I am glad it has panned out that way. Going into their last game, they would like a few more runs from their top order and I feel one of Sachin and Sehwag will fire in their last pre-final game against the Lankans. Nevertheless, I whole-heartedly believe the Indians will make it to the finals and give the Australians a run for their money.

Call me a fan but I have my money on India to win the last edition of the tri-series down under. I still feel, India must go in with five bowlers on a featherbed of a pitch for the first final at Sydney and I also feel Piyush Chawla must have been given a few games as he would have been useful at Sydney and Adelaide. I expect the Indians to win the second final at Brisbane and if they can pull off a thriller in Sydney, India have an outside chance to beat the Aussies 2-0 in the grand finale.

If Dhoni gets lucky with the toss at Sydney in the first final, expect Sachin to fire away batting first against Lee and Johnson. Sachin is due big time and being the quintessential cricket purist, I would love Sachin to get big runs in the finals. Sachin getting runs is a celebration of cricket and is beyond winning and losing.

Trust me, the Aussies are not sitting pretty; they have had the better of the Indians in some close encounters over the last month but that streak is bound to end. Given the weight of performances, one must regard the Australians as the favorites but the forthcoming finals are by no means a "David vs Goliath" affair. I would rather compare them to "Bheema vs Jarasandha" borrowing two champions from the Mahabharata and delightfully leave it to the reader to decide who's who amongst the two!!