da luck： Rustiness could well play a part. India and West Indies last played inearly July while Australia last got their flannels dirty on their tour of Bangladesh in April
Preview by Dileep Premachandran11-Sep-2006
If Tendulkar and Sehwag can revive the chemistry at the top of the order, evenAustralia’s famed bowling line-up could be in for a struggle © Getty Images
The three teams taking part in the DLF Cup will be hoping that historydoesn’t repeat itself. The last time they played each other in athree-cornered contest, way back in 1991-92, Australia went on to beatIndia in the World Series final. Yet, none of the teams went on to makemuch of an impression at the World Cup that followed, shunted out of thesemi-final places by the likes of New Zealand and the new boys, SouthAfrica.Some sections of the Australian media are already querying the value ofthis tournament. The spectre of injuries, with the Ashes just two monthsaway, and skepticism over the BCCI’s plans to promote the game innon-traditional centres had much to do with that. India and West Indieswill, however, see it as a tremendous opportunity to test themselvesagainst the very best. And with the exception of the rested AdamGilchrist, Australia have arrived here with as strong a team as they couldhope to field.Rustiness could well play a part. India and West Indies last played inearly July, and their one-day series – won 4-1 by the rejuvenatedCaribbean outfit – was as far back as late May, while Australia last gottheir flannels dirty on their tour of Bangladesh in April.Shortly before that, they had suffered the humiliation of being unable todefend 434 against South Africa, an eventuality that would have beenalmost unthinkable had a certain GD McGrath been in the line-up. Australiaremain a formidable side without him, but even at the ripe old age of 36,he’s the X-factor that can never be discounted. McGrath’s presence willalso give Brett Lee even greater freedom to let rip, and it will also beinteresting to see how the lanky Stuart Clark – impressive in his role asMcGrath’s replacement – goes against the shot-happy Indians, both East andWest.The batting is intimidating on paper, with the likes of Ricky Ponting andAndrew Symonds capable of turning a match in the space of a few overs. Andfor Michael Clarke, who launched his Test career so memorably againstIndia two years ago, it’s another chance to rediscover the sort of formthat made him one of the game’s most exciting young talents.India also have a couple of young ‘uns on the road to redemption. Aftersome stellar displays with both bat and ball last season, the wheels cameoff for Irfan Pathan in the West Indies. So too Suresh Raina, who caughtthe eye with some superb knocks before it all went awry in the Caribbean.India will be hamstrung in the initial exchanges by the illness that hasruled Yuvraj Singh out of at least one game. Yuvraj was in resplendentform last season, going from mercurial talent to genuinely consistentmatchwinner with some sublime efforts in pressure situations.His absence will be offset by the return of Sachin Tendulkar, the mostsuccessful batsman in the history of the white-ball game. If he andVirender Sehwag can revive the chemistry at the top of the order, evenAustralia’s famed bowling line-up could be in for a struggle. Tendulkarmay also play his part with the ball, as India explore their options aheadof the Champions Trophy on home soil. If Brett Lee’s assessment that theball will swing is correct, then India are likely to have Munaf Patel or SSreesanth sharing the new ball with Pathan, leaving the newly consistentAjit Agarkar to operate as first change.With so many part-time slow bowling options, Ramesh Powar may struggle toget a game in tandem with Harbhajan Singh, except in the unlikely event ofLes Burdett, the Adelaide curator, preparing a square turner.For a team that has always prided itself on its array of fast-bowlingtalent, West Indies also have one of the one-day game’s better slowbowlers in Chris Gayle, whose height and accuracy makes him so hard to getaway. Gayle though will be a second line of attack, with Fidel Edwards andJerome Taylor expected to provide shock value with the new ball. IanBradshaw and Corey Collymore form a steady support cast.With the last hurrah not far away, Brian Lara will also be keen to imposehimself with the bat. Gayle’s destructive capabilities in that regard areperfectly complemented by the maturity with which Ramnaresh Sarwan andShivnarine Chanderpaul bat these days. Their game-breaker, though, couldbe the ebullient Dwayne Bravo, whose allround skills and composure insweaty-palm moments had much to do with the pasting that India got in theCaribbean.If the rankings are any guide, it should be a tussle between Australia andIndia, with West Indies providing the nuisance value. Yet, as Bravo andhis mates showed not so long ago, rankings don’t count for much when youtap into the inspiration that can elevate your skills to a higher plane.And what better way to ambush Australia than to catch them cold, comingstraight out of a hibernation that would put a hedgehog to shame.