Starting off with a win is always a confidence booster. A win against the Aussies is always special. You can catch the scorecard and other details @ cricinfo or cricbuzz.
Each player needs to take a few learnings from this match. The Indian think tank also needs to closely look at today's game and analyse each individual performance and the overall performance.
Sehwag:- While he looked confident throughout his stay at the wicket, there were visible periods of play where he was losing his concentration. He was not paying enough attention to the smaller details like running between the wickets. But he played some creative shots like the late-cut against Krejza. But he did not get to play the new ball, as much as he would have liked to and he was getting impatient.
Gambhir :- He had problems playing Brett Lee and looked mostly uncomfortable at the crease. With just a couple of confident shots, Gambhir now really needs to work on his batting against the swinging new ball.
Kohli:- He looked like the most organized of the Indian batters, leaving balls outside the off stump on a regular basis and playing some good looking shots. He was also not too bad keeping off the short balls. But again we need him to concentrate for longer periods of time. His running between the wickets also needs to improve.
Yuvraj:- He looked really out of sorts. We have not seen those flowing drives from him from a really long time.He seems to add greater value as a part-time spinner these days.
Raina:- A disappointing show. He seems to be expecting a bouncer every ball and ends up sitting on his back foot. He needs the coach to tell him to keep this out of his mind. I think its best for him to get back to the nets and get out of this habit of committing to either the front foot or the back foot. That may take out a shot or two out of his book , but I think it is worth it. In the current situation, I would pick Kohli, ahead of Raina
Dhoni:- He has been batting in the strangest of manners. He plays too many dot balls. Instead of trying to work the ball for singles, he presents a dead bat in the most awkward of ways. He needs to spend loads of time in the nets, in front of the wickets. We definitely need him to rotate the strike more. The big hits will come, once he spends sufficient time out in the middle and when he gains sufficient confidence, but that will happen only when he rotates the strike more
But the biggest positive as far as Dhoni is concerned is his wicket-keeping. He affected some smart stumpings today. On Indian pitches you can expect to see some more in the coming days. His handling of the spinners was also quite impressive
Pathan:- He played quite sensibly for a while. Someone needs to put a cap on the number of big hits he attempts in an over.Also he needs to work on his ability to work the ball around for singles. I think he is coping with the short ball better then Raina and Dhoni are.
Ashwin:- A good all round performance. A sensible stint with the bat. He looked quite comfortable, playing against the likes of Brett Lee and played a few decent shots.
His bowling was quite impressive as well, better than what his match figures show. He has a lot of variety and that was at display today. He seems to handle pressure quite well.
Sreesanth:- It was an impressive spell from him. Except for a couple of loose deliveries, he was always on the money. He should definitely be in the playing eleven and should be sharing the new ball with Zaheer.
Harbhajan:- When Bhajji picks up a wicket, he is on a roll, and thats what happened today. I feel he should be used as an attacking option, rather than for restrictive purposes.
Chawla:- The star of the day, he bamboozled the Aussies. He showed good control and guile.
With three spinners, all of them performing well, the Indian think tank is going to have a tough time picking the final eleven. Left to me, I would rotate the spinners in the matches leading up to the quarterfinals
Munaf Patel:- Ineffective and flat would be the best words to describe his bowling today. Though he got to bowl just two overs, he looked completely ineffective. With the ball not seaming around as in SA, I don't think he would be effective in Indian conditions.
Nehra:- He did not look 100%, and bowled too many loose deliveries in his short spell. His fielding was terrible as well. But with his skills with the old ball, it would be difficult to completely eliminate the possibility of keeping him in the team.
Overall, I think we need to be tackling the new ball bowlers better upfront and we need to play the middle overs better. Better co-ordination between the batters would certainly help. For me the greatest positive is the way Sreesanth bowled. With Zaheer nursing an injury, we need an attacking option with the new ball.
Thats my analysis for the first match, from an Indian perspective and yes, all the future analyses would also be the same, from an Indian point of view.
