It was amazing to see India play with confidence and ease to get past Australia, the reigning champions of Cricket in 50-over format. When Indian Captain lost the toss and was put to field, I thought to myself, well if they could restrict Australia below 250, they had a good chance to win the match. And they did just that. Having restricted Australia to 260, India won the match with 14 balls to spare and with 5 wickets in hand.
Indian innings started well with Sehwag getting into his stride and playing well. But he fell victim to Watson short ball. Sachin Tendulkar and in-form Gautam Gambhir played a wonderful innings. Sachin got reached 18,000 run mark in ODI and completed his 50 in style. Gautam also played a crucial innings and scored a brilliant 50. Then suddenly Sachin got out and Virat Kohli stepped in. Although he too started playing well and started hitting nicely, he fell to David Hussey to a full toss while trying to clear the mid-wicket.
When Yuvaraj walked in, the target was still reachable. A quick mix up saw Gautam Gambhir walking back to pavillion due to runout. Dhoni also soon departed after a flurry of strokes. The score card stood at 187 for 5 at 37.3 overs. Suresh Raina walked in and they both played brilliantly to deny Australians entry into semi-finals for the fourth time in succession.
Just before the start of Quarter finals, Indian team made two changes - brought in Ashwin and Suresh Raina. Ashwin for his part, took 2 wickets and restricted Australia batsman. Raina played a wonderful and a calm knock of 34 (not out) to ensure India went into semi-finals beating 3 time World Cup winners.
As for the Indian bowling, I still feel we need a good fast pace bowler. Both Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel showed today that they have not successfully filled the gap - a supporting role for Zaheer Khan. I think it would be better to bring in Yusuf Pathan and drop Munaf in the next match.
Yuvraj Singh has been slowing building is form during the course of this World Cup. He is playing a bit calmer and played intelligently. He knew that if he stayed, that the runs would start to flow and he would guide India to a win. He did exactly that. He was promptly supported by Raina on the other end and fittingly scored the final boundary of Bret Lee's ball to seal the win. I sincerely hope that he continues in this current form and scores more runs in the upcoming matches.
Australian's Struggle
For the Australians, a few things were troubling. From what I saw I felt the bowling attack, except for Brett lee who bowled brilliantly, was ordinary. They really didn't get into their usual groove of winning the match. Even before the World Cup begun, Australia has been a victim of series of injuries and players had been replaced. The squad missed Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz and Michael Hussey. They were replaced by batsman Callum Ferguson and spinner Jason Krejza.
Australia batting scenario was best described by Cricinfo commentary as 'Start-Stop' cricket. Everytime a batsman started to settle, Indian bowlers removed him. It was fantastic to watch. But one player who stood the onslaught from Indian bowlers was the Australian Captain himself - Ricky Ponting. He played a superb knock of 104 after being out-of-form for the entire series. It just goes to show how good of a batsman he is. It also shows the character of a Captain rescuing his team from dire situations. Had it not been for this century Australia would have reached the 260 mark. Hats of to you sir!
Jason Krejza who bowled today took most of the brunt from commentators for bowling so poorly in a pitch that was well conducive to turn. But it was Shawn Tait who got hammered by the Indians. His bowling figures where 7 overs 52 for 1 with 7.42 rpo. This is not what we usually see in an Australian bowling scorecard.
Now, with this victory, the Indian team should be all pumped up and ready to have a go at Pakistanis at Mohali in Mumbai. It doesn't get bigger than this. I will be sure to watch this match from coin toss to final match presentation. I hope that next time I blog about it, I will be jumping with joy :) as India would have beaten Pakistan to enter the Finals.
Source: IndianMirrors
Indian VictoryIndian innings started well with Sehwag getting into his stride and playing well. But he fell victim to Watson short ball. Sachin Tendulkar and in-form Gautam Gambhir played a wonderful innings. Sachin got reached 18,000 run mark in ODI and completed his 50 in style. Gautam also played a crucial innings and scored a brilliant 50. Then suddenly Sachin got out and Virat Kohli stepped in. Although he too started playing well and started hitting nicely, he fell to David Hussey to a full toss while trying to clear the mid-wicket.
Source: Google Images
When Yuvaraj walked in, the target was still reachable. A quick mix up saw Gautam Gambhir walking back to pavillion due to runout. Dhoni also soon departed after a flurry of strokes. The score card stood at 187 for 5 at 37.3 overs. Suresh Raina walked in and they both played brilliantly to deny Australians entry into semi-finals for the fourth time in succession.
Just before the start of Quarter finals, Indian team made two changes - brought in Ashwin and Suresh Raina. Ashwin for his part, took 2 wickets and restricted Australia batsman. Raina played a wonderful and a calm knock of 34 (not out) to ensure India went into semi-finals beating 3 time World Cup winners.
Source: Google Images
As for the Indian bowling, I still feel we need a good fast pace bowler. Both Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel showed today that they have not successfully filled the gap - a supporting role for Zaheer Khan. I think it would be better to bring in Yusuf Pathan and drop Munaf in the next match.
Yuvraj Singh has been slowing building is form during the course of this World Cup. He is playing a bit calmer and played intelligently. He knew that if he stayed, that the runs would start to flow and he would guide India to a win. He did exactly that. He was promptly supported by Raina on the other end and fittingly scored the final boundary of Bret Lee's ball to seal the win. I sincerely hope that he continues in this current form and scores more runs in the upcoming matches.
Australian's Struggle
For the Australians, a few things were troubling. From what I saw I felt the bowling attack, except for Brett lee who bowled brilliantly, was ordinary. They really didn't get into their usual groove of winning the match. Even before the World Cup begun, Australia has been a victim of series of injuries and players had been replaced. The squad missed Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz and Michael Hussey. They were replaced by batsman Callum Ferguson and spinner Jason Krejza.
Australia batting scenario was best described by Cricinfo commentary as 'Start-Stop' cricket. Everytime a batsman started to settle, Indian bowlers removed him. It was fantastic to watch. But one player who stood the onslaught from Indian bowlers was the Australian Captain himself - Ricky Ponting. He played a superb knock of 104 after being out-of-form for the entire series. It just goes to show how good of a batsman he is. It also shows the character of a Captain rescuing his team from dire situations. Had it not been for this century Australia would have reached the 260 mark. Hats of to you sir!
Source: ESPNCricinfo.com
Jason Krejza who bowled today took most of the brunt from commentators for bowling so poorly in a pitch that was well conducive to turn. But it was Shawn Tait who got hammered by the Indians. His bowling figures where 7 overs 52 for 1 with 7.42 rpo. This is not what we usually see in an Australian bowling scorecard.
Now, with this victory, the Indian team should be all pumped up and ready to have a go at Pakistanis at Mohali in Mumbai. It doesn't get bigger than this. I will be sure to watch this match from coin toss to final match presentation. I hope that next time I blog about it, I will be jumping with joy :) as India would have beaten Pakistan to enter the Finals.