The ongoing one-day series between India and Australia, billed as the fight for the No. 1 spot in the ICC rankings, has so far turned out to be a battle of the batters from the two sides, says a report in Deccan Chronicle. The report adds that it looks like the bragging rights for the fourth One-Day of the series at the JSCA International Stadium Complex here on Wednesday too will be decided by the batsmen.
“The bilateral contest has fetched an astonishing aggregate of 1,864 runs with the 300-run mark being breached on all but one occasion. And although the inaugural One-Day International here in January between India and England was a lowscoring contest, the pitch dished out by the local association looks like one that will assist strokeplay and throw another challenge for the bowlers,” says the report, adding that India have a couple of problems that they need to take care of.
“While the batting has looked in top shape, the Australian pacers, led by Mitchell Johnson, have used the short-pitched stuff well to their advantage. Yuvraj Singh, who announced his return with a whirlwind knock of 77 in the one-off T20 against the same opponents, seems to have gone off the boil. But the more urgent issue on skipper M.S. Dhoni’s mind would be how to curtail the flow of runs in the death overs, with the new rule changes tilting the game further in the batsmen’s favour,” says the report.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, Dhoni is coming from one of his memorable innings. Not only is his crowd appeal at its peak, he is in the midst of a purple patch. “Australia got a taste of his prowess in the third ODI at Mohali; they know getting Dhoni will be half the battle won. It will also help keep a check on decibel levels. The series has become a see-saw battle with India and Australia winning alternate games, starting with the T20 game. For the visitors, that they can have a shot at the No 1 spot will be an added motivation. However, to displace India from their perch, Bailey’s men will have to win all the remaining matches,” says the report.
“The wicket is largely tailor-made for India — low and slow. Given how much they have banked on pace and bounce so far, it will be a bigger challenge to Australia. At the moment, however, the gods seem to be favouring the visitors. The skies were overcast on match eve, and if it remains like this, the pacers will enjoy the conditions. It will be good news for the likes of Clint McKay and James Faulkner, who rely on movement,” adds the report.
Meanwhile a report in The Times Of India says that the pacers seem to have realized the need to bowl yorkers. All the pacers tried it except for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has anyway been the most economical among Indian pacers, with the new ball at least.
“But pace bowling is not India's only problem. Nobody expects only the pacers to win one-dayers when you play on sub-continental pitches. What has hurt Dhoni's team is the failure of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to pick up wickets in the middle overs. They are averaging 54.33 and 69 at the moment. They bowled at the nets on Tuesday but the offie looked equally interested in going for the big shots. One can hardly blame him. The way 300-plus totals have been chased down in this series, it's not criminal for a bowler to feel all wrong can be made right if you can score a few with the bat,” says the report.
“Two men who spent extra time at the nets were the two whose bats have been quiet so far - Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh. Dhoni's decision of making Raina bat at No. 4 is yet to be proved right. His discomfort with the short ball is well-known,” adds the report.