A well-calculated victory by Indians

India earned a well-deserved victory against the Australians in the first match of tri series in spite of resting 4 star players. The victory was commendable and in fact we were holding the upper grip throughout the match. The bowlers did bowl well except Shardul Thakur and it was heartening to see Mohd Shami and Ashwin bowling so beautifully. The victory came much easier than expected as Gill and Gaekwad not only batted with authority but at a very fast pace. KL Rahul also batted with responsibility and determination. He has proven that his knocks in the Asia Cup was no fluke. SKY also justified his talent in the extended opportunity.

It seems our preparation for the forthcoming world cup matches is going in the right direction. We need not worry about the batting line up as most of the batsmen are in good form and basically we have plenty of choice for every position. The pace battery is also good as even a class bowler like Shami was cooling his heels in the dressing room most of the time. We have three very good allounders Pandeya, Jadeja and Ashwin in the team whereas the spin department is also very compact. The spinners are going to play a big role in this World Cup, especially by Kuldeep Yadav who is in terrific form. I failed to understand why he has been rested quite frequently in spite of his excellent performances. The fourth choice should be Axar Patel as a backup bowler. India should play with two pace bowlers, three spinners and Hardik Pandeya as a batting allrounder.

The Indian team is in terrific form, well balanced but there are certain weak links which are matter of concern. KL Rahul is a good batsman but not a good wicket keeper. His keeping may falter in the tense situation and in close matches. He should play as a batsman and keeping responsibility should be given to Ishan Kishen. There should not be any place for Shardul Thakur in the squad as he is an ordinary allrounder. In all respects, Ashwin is miles ahead in comparison to Shardul.

The composition and form of Indian team is very high and one can wish that we should be the eventual winners but cricket is the game of glorious uncertainties.

–C K Subramaniam, Mumbai