India vs Australia 2013: Expect another run fest in the final ODI
Shikhar and Rohit Sharma in action against Australia
Finally, we have come to the end of what seemed to be a Whac-A-Mole contest rather than a bat and ball tussle. And it isn’t like that the ingredients for a great contest weren’t there. They were always there: Good Australian Bowling attack versus Good Indian Batting. But somehow it didn’t work out.
This skewed competition might be attributed to the new set of ICC rules that seem to have made batting quite easy as compared to the earlier times. Thus, these rules denied the spectators of some beautiful cricket and instead, we were introduced to countless boundaries and some outrageous chases.
And finally, we are now at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. A stadium which is famed for its small boundaries which in turn leads to?
The last three matches have seen an immense churning out of runs. In the last world cup, Sachin Tendulkar and Andrew Strauss together wove a tapestry so delicate that it still is savoured with delight. The tied match brought just enough competition into the match that the spectators took the mammoth scores on a lighter note.
This was followed was Kevin O’ Brien making a statement of intent on the behalf of all the associate nations that they were not here for free lunches but to win matches. The spectators in turn appreciated this fight and forgot about a high scoring match again. But, the countless IPL matches that took place in the wake of these matches have confirmed one notion in everybody’s mind. The notion is that M. Chinnaswamy stadium is a batting paradise and that they are going to see a slog-fest at the Chinnaswamy rather than an even contest between the bat and the ball.
So this batting paradise will lead to another bat dominated match. And what does the Australian think tank do to address this issue? Put Mitchell Johnson, their best bowler on the tour, on a flight back to Australia. Supposedly, an extra batsman is more effective in these batting conditions rather than a bowler who might stop some runs, take some wickets and make the competition more interesting.
Thus, the series continues to be a nightmare for the bowlers who toil pretty hard but with no results to show for. Eventually, the series turns into a half boiled, half cooked Bollywood plot which needs some more action to save itself.
And action, you will get, but cricket? That is the question that ICC needs to answer not the spectators.