Aussies swipe aside the Indians

Awesome are how the Aussies have been described. And awesome they remained as the swiped aside the Indians by 337 runs in the first of four Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

From the first day, the Australians had the Indians groggy, got them against the ropes and delivered the knockout punch after tea on the fourth day.

With the game finishing in under four days, both teams earned an extra off day. While the Aussies will be celebrating, the Indians would be licking their wounds and wondering how they can get their game right and be competitors in the next three Tests.

The Indians arrived in Kangarooland full of hope promising to undo the Aussies and boasting that they have the warriors to fight the Aussies and win a Test series there for the first time.

But they did not bargain with the firepower of Ricky Ponting's awesome Aussies. The Sri Lankans too, like the Indians promised to stuff the Aussies when they played the two Tests there. But the Aussies just brushed aside the Lankans and won the two Tests without raising much sweat.

True that teams must talk big, in order to gain the confidence and psyche the Aussies and try to shake them a bit. But the Aussies are hard nuts and taskmasters and they are not a team that can easily be ruffled.

As a team they are an example. They are tight and explosive in every aspect and in Ponting they have a leader who reads situations, the game excellently and knows what to do at every given moment.

Their success comes from the fact that they play as one fighting unit. One is not against the other. They support and cheer each other and when the team wins you could see how they celebrate as one unit.

Why this kind of success cannot rub off on other teams would always remain a mystery, that will never ever be understood.

Most teams pay lucrative salaries and have a penchant to employ Aussie coaches so that they can play or attempt to play the Aussie style.

But sadly even the best of Aussie coaches cannot inject that kind of approach or that aggressive winning style.

Before the Indians arrived in Australia, they were a team in turmoil, with no one wanting to captain after Rahul Dravid relinquished the captaincy role.

For the 20-Twenty World Cup the Indians slotted Mahendra Singh Dhoni into the captaincy spot and he did a magnificent job by bringing that trophy to cricket crazy India.

But the Indian selectors did not see it right to continue with Dhoni and with the former captain Sachin Tendulkar too turning down the job, the selectors called on Anil Kumble to accept the challenge.

Kumble as an individual performed brilliantly as his figures of 5 for 84 in the Aussie first innings would show. but as a captain his first fling ended in disaster.

How their interim coach Lalchand Rajput would get them to raise their game and come out firing in the next three Tests would be interesting to watch.

Last time round, the Indians lost a Test and hit back strongly to square the series which was an outstanding achievement. Who knows with cricket being a funny game, the Indians could come back and undo the Aussies.

What the Indians need to do is to believe in themselves and not take the field imaging that they are the second best. The Aussies chalked up their 15th successive Test victory. They will be attempting to break the 16 successive victories achieved by Steve Waugh's side. At the form that they are now playing in, unless the Indians can pull the rabbit out of the hat, the Aussies will break Waugh's record.

D.S. de Silva a good choice

President Mahinda Rajapaksa was spot on when he picked D.S. De Silva to be his advisor on cricketing matters.

'DS' as he was popularly known needs no introduction to cricketers and cricket fans of a bygone era. But the present crop of cricketers should know that 'DS' a former leg spinning allrounder, sported the country's colours with great distinction and success.

He was the finest leg spinner the country had after C.I. Gunesekera and Gamini Goonasena and he continued to bowl with success like his predecessors.

As a right hand batsman he was always consistent and many were the brilliant knocks he played. He played in many champion teams for the Nomads and later went on to captain the country.

After his playing days were over he took to coaching and now he is a highly qualified coach having learnt the rudiments and passing out with great distinction in England.

Why the cricket authorities here did not make use of 'DS' as national coach would always remain a mystery.

Isn't it said that a prophet is without honour, other than in his own country.

D.S. De Silva is one of them.

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