It was a stupendous effort to come back from a two-test defeat and still beat the Aussies at Perth. That said, winning teams take a few lessons even from those matches that they've won convincingly. If one were to bring out the magnifying glass and scrutinize this performance, the following analyses would emerge:
(i) The Indian bowlers frequently allow the bottom half to pile on the runs. One could put this down to a drop in inspiration after getting the top half cheaply. The alternative theory I have is that at team meetings, perhaps there is a plan for the top half, but none for the tail enders, who by the way are no mucks with the bat.
(ii) Key top order players allow the team to be way laid even when they are in strong positions. In all fairness, the top order crumbled in the second innings and it took another Laxman special to give us a respectable overall lead.
(iii) Catching still needs some sharpening - crucial catches went abegging in each innings and threatened to undo some brilliant bowling.
The absolute positives for me were Ishant Sharma's bowling and Dhoni's wicket-keeping. He's quite clearly not in the Gilly/Healy mould, but my word has he been effective in this series! The ball was swinging quite a bit after it had passed the bat, but he kept his eyes on the ball and was safe, if not spectacular.
When matches go in favour, captaincy usually gets a little pat and in this case Anil truly deserved the victory. Save for the last hour or so when Johnson and Clark put the attack to the sword, he seemed well in control of his troops. Aggression comes naturally to him and herein lies the difference between his and Dravid's captaincy.
Our selectors don't like to be left out of the limelight, do they? It is the umpteenth time when they've made an announcement on team selection when some contests are still to go - in this case the last test. Asking Ganguly and Dravid to prepare to go home now is sure to affect team spirit. And who are there replacements? Electric fielders, but unequal batsmen, in Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. Let's just hope that Ganguly and Dravid leave their footprints all over what will be their last Test on Australian soil. As indeed, one would expect from Sachin, Laxman and Kumble.
