Perth shaking

Border view

Well, well, well. It was such an outstanding collective performance that people in Australia are applauding the way India have played.

The Indians outplayed us thoroughly by playing some outstanding cricket. With the kind of cricket they have played, they thoroughly deserved to win.

What was fascinating to see was that each individual had put in such a wholehearted performance that it was very difficult to pick the Man of the Match. This is what a team needs to be able to succeed consistently. You don’t need to bank on one or two particular players, instead the collective performance is what mattered.

In the end, I felt Irfan Pathan was the correct choice to be chosen as the man of the match. I guess his has been a fairytale comeback.

He was so fluent with both the bat and the ball, particularly with the ball early in both the innings that it was a sheer joy to watch him play. I think he has evolved into an accomplished all-rounder now, something that India have been missing from their repertoire for a long time.

Before the match started, we expected Australia to thoroughly dominate in Perth, primarily due to conditions. The wicket has a lot of pace and bounce, and it’s among the fastest wickets in the country.

And historically Indians have been vulnerable against pace and bounce. But they turned the tide around this time.

I think the Australians lost the match with the batting performance in their first innings. Look at how Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar applied themselves on the first day.

Despite the shocking manner in which Rahul got out, both of them applied themselves and kept the scoreboard moving.

The wicket looked like a 400-plus wicket, still the Australians managed to restrict India to 330. Then I thought they will bat really well.

But that didn’t happen, courtesy the Indian seam bowlers. The young pace trio stood up and delivered, which was good for the game.

But more than all the individuals I think Anil Kumble would be a proud captain. The reason I have really liked this Indian team is because I can see the camaraderie within them.

Even after the match finished, the players on the bench were as enthralled, if not more, than those in the eleven. And this reflects that this bunch has gelled together and is enjoying itself. And the captain plays a very crucial role in keeping the bunch together.

Congratulations to him for such fantastic leadership. The most important thing for a captain is to get the team together firing as a unit. And Kumble has done it to perfection.
Going into the Adelaide Test, the fact that the series is not yet decided speaks volumes about the quality of both teams. No doubt India would be on a massive high. And Australians will be regrouping, hoping to bounce back with vengeance.