Dhoni’s world champs come down to earth with a thud, going down tamely to Australia by nine wickets in one of the most lop-sided T20 contests
Dhoni’s world champs come down to earth with a thud, going down tamely to Australia by nine wickets in one of the most lop-sided T20 contests
MELBOURNE: There is an uncanny similarity between McDonald’s and Twenty20. Both have eaten into their own areas.
While the fast food giant has shrunk people’s mealtime, T20 has shrunk cricketing time. From five days to 100 overs, the game has now become just a 40-over affair. It was a different story, though, at the MCG on Friday night.
There were a quite a few fast food stalls around the MCG but few had the need to visit the places. The nearly 80,000 crowd that had turned out, had enough time to catch up dinner at home. For, Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Co had shrunk the night’s T20 match by a further 10 overs.
All the hype and hoopla surrounding the much-awaited clash between the T20 champions and world champions came to naught as the contest turned out to be one-sided and lop sided. The nine-wicket win for Australia was a poor advertisement for T20 cricket.
The next time around, Cricket Australia may have to contemplate shrinking the boundary lines. The young Indian batsmen found the MCG ground too big for their comfort and calculation.
They failed to last 20 overs and at one stage, were close to breaking the dubious record of recording the lowest total in T20. They missed the mark by one run, but 74 was a total, Australians would have challenged in five overs.
Dhoni wanted to make the contest a launching pad for the ODI series. It would serve them better if they can wipe off Friday’s showing from their minds. The skipper admitted it in as many words. “We played too many shots too early,” said Dhoni.
“We’ve to put behind this disappointment fast and get on with the game.”
The Indian innings lacked momentum, thrust and direction. There appeared to be no plan, each batsman came and tried to swing the willow around.
There was no one to anchor. There was not a single stroke of any authority. A target of 74 was a stroll in the park for the Aussies and Adam Gilchrist (25), who got a standing ovation from the crowd, and skipper Michael Clarke put things beyond anyone’s doubt with a 57-run first-wicket partnership in less than eight overs. Four more overs later, it was all over for the Indians.
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