Is this tour going to be another nightmare for
Team India like they had in England not very long ago? To be honest, Team India needs something like miracle because with the leader and performer like Michael Clarke Australia seems impossible to defeat. On the other hand, Team India is now literally rattled.
All eyes were on the batting maestro
Sachin Tendulkar. In fact, it will be not an exaggeration that Tendulkar got more attention than the entire tour, but
Michael Clarke took everything away, and he is now in the limelight after putting up an extraordinary exhibition of unbeaten
329 runs in the 100th Test match at
Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). With this tremendous triple century he also received few personal achievements like--he is now the highest scorer at SCG, highest scorer in Australia vs. India surpassing VVS Laxman’s 281 runs. Australia had to wait a long time for this triple century indeed. In fact, it is the first triple century after
Matthew Hayden’s 380 runs! Clarke was successful with
the ball as well because he got the priceless wicket of Tendulkar. It seems he made the right decision of not playing Twenty20I.
Batting first India was bundled out only for 191 runs. Then it was a good chance for the Aussies to take the full home advantage. They didn’t do any mistake. Australia made a gigantic total of 659 runs losing only four wickets. To be honest, Team India was on the back foot after Australia’s grand innings. Clarke proved everybody that the track was a pure batting paradise. Michael Hussy and former skipper Ricky Ponting did accompany him very well. Ponting got his first Test century after 720 days, 34 innings while Hussy was unbeaten at 150 runs. India did bat well in the second innings. Tendulkar, Laxman, Gautam Gambhir, and Ashwin tried, but all ended up in an innings and 68 runs miserable defeat.
While Clarke was the torch bearer for his team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was pretty dull with the bat and also his strategy. Legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Wasim Akram were really shocked by his some decisions like--not attacking Ponting and not using third man when they were essential to stop the fluid Australian batting.
Australia has now a 2-0 lead. One thing for sure, India cannot win the series as it is a four Test match series. India will be desperately trying to achieve something, and go back to their home with some pride. Australia will not let them do this very easily. They will be dying to take the revenge on their World Cup defeat against India. They do know they might not get a better chance than this in the near future. Let’s see what captain Clarke can do with his sticker less
cricket bat.