Can we level the series?

I have not written in ever since Team India emerged victorious over the lethal Aussies at the WACA, Perth. Partly because there was already so much written about the emphatic win and also I was enjoying the Australian Open alongside, which in itself has been an epic grand slam this year.

The media was flooded with news of the great win over the Aussies in their own backyard. ‘Happy Perth Day’, ‘Superth duper’, ‘WACA-OW’ etc were flashing across every channel, newspaper and website. The team let their game do all the talking especially after the controversial Sydney test. Many claim that it was easy for India to strike gold because the Aussies were a notch lower than their usual lethal self. But I beg to differ and say that the Indians played some good cricket which Australians could not match to on that given day.

The world witnessed yet another special innings from the veterans of the game for Team India. Sachin, Dravid and Laxman’s innings in the test match were the most crucial for the team. It provided the team with a challenging score enabling the bowlers exploit the natural Perth conditions. Ishant Sharma, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Sehwag and of course the captain Anil Kumble responded well enough for the team to open their account of wins in this series.

A lot has been spoken about this win extensively, but I just wonder if this overall team effort will be existent even at Adelaide. Agreed, that the team has secured a win at the same ground against the Aussies in the past, but it a new game all together now. With Australians on the back foot, they cannot be underestimated at this stage. A fighting reply will come from the champions. Though the Indians have yet again stopped the Australians from securing a world record of 17 consecutive test victories, we cannot count them out.

What the entire nation would want now would be for Team India to level the series 2-2. This would bring in a lot of confidence within the dressing room assisting them to enter the tri series with a positive frame of mind. One thing I cannot stop mentioning is about the team’s gesture throughout the series. The team has been very calm and composed, showing some classic temperament. Lead by skipper Anil Kumble, India has let their game do all the talking and you bet they have played in the right spirit of the game.

Can the magic be recreated at Adelaide? Only time can tell but the Indian’s do have an upper hand now. But let’s not count the Aussies out of this yet. Hope that the spirit of the game lives throughout and the best team emerges victorious.