Do Aussies suffer from the winners syndrome?
By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee
Before the start of the Aussies tour of India the host were being touted as the favourites but who would have imagined that the mighty Aussies would be crushed by 320 runs in the second test. This is India's biggest victory in terms of runs suppressing the 280 run defeat they had handed over to South Africa.
The kangaroos right from the word go looked vulnerable in the match. Their only solace coming in the second session of the 1st day when they got three quick wickets.
The one question that many might ask is do the Aussies suffer from what is called the 'Winners Syndrome'? The problem with winning more often than not is that when such players are pushed to the wall they look clueless. That is exactly what happened with the world champions during the Mohali test. They seemed fish out of water not knowing what to do. Most of their youngsters are not used to situations where they bat to avoid a follow on, or wait for declaration to come from the opposition captain.
Australian team's strength lies in its aggression but this team seems to have landed in India without it. Their attack looks toothless without Glen McGrath and Shane Warne. Although the latter was never successful in India his art and craft was never in question. Michelle Johnson looks the only wicket taking bowler in the team and has got very little support from the others. Also the visitors did huge mistake by landing in India without a quality spinner giving the host a chance to produce turning tracks with Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and the young gun Amit Mishra in the side.
One more interesting fact is that Aussies usually murder their opposition but when it comes to close games they tend to loose their nerves especially with the five day version. In the last decade most of their test wins have been in four days. Most of the matches that have gone to the fifth day have resulted in a draw or their defeat. They have regularly shown that when under pressure they tend to crumble.
As far as the Indian team is concerned the only thing we cannot afford to do at this stage is be complacent. They have got a crucial lead in the series and should aim to finish the series in the next test itself. Not many teams have had the privileged to have the Aussies on the defensive mode and the hosts should take full advantage of the fact that everyone in their top and middle order have been among the runs. As for Ricky Ponting and his man they are on course to go empty handed this time around.
Before the start of the Aussies tour of India the host were being touted as the favourites but who would have imagined that the mighty Aussies would be crushed by 320 runs in the second test. This is India's biggest victory in terms of runs suppressing the 280 run defeat they had handed over to South Africa.
The kangaroos right from the word go looked vulnerable in the match. Their only solace coming in the second session of the 1st day when they got three quick wickets.The one question that many might ask is do the Aussies suffer from what is called the 'Winners Syndrome'? The problem with winning more often than not is that when such players are pushed to the wall they look clueless. That is exactly what happened with the world champions during the Mohali test. They seemed fish out of water not knowing what to do. Most of their youngsters are not used to situations where they bat to avoid a follow on, or wait for declaration to come from the opposition captain.
Australian team's strength lies in its aggression but this team seems to have landed in India without it. Their attack looks toothless without Glen McGrath and Shane Warne. Although the latter was never successful in India his art and craft was never in question. Michelle Johnson looks the only wicket taking bowler in the team and has got very little support from the others. Also the visitors did huge mistake by landing in India without a quality spinner giving the host a chance to produce turning tracks with Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and the young gun Amit Mishra in the side.
One more interesting fact is that Aussies usually murder their opposition but when it comes to close games they tend to loose their nerves especially with the five day version. In the last decade most of their test wins have been in four days. Most of the matches that have gone to the fifth day have resulted in a draw or their defeat. They have regularly shown that when under pressure they tend to crumble.
As far as the Indian team is concerned the only thing we cannot afford to do at this stage is be complacent. They have got a crucial lead in the series and should aim to finish the series in the next test itself. Not many teams have had the privileged to have the Aussies on the defensive mode and the hosts should take full advantage of the fact that everyone in their top and middle order have been among the runs. As for Ricky Ponting and his man they are on course to go empty handed this time around.
0 comments:
Post a Comment