One, not three bowlers short

Did India give it all away or were Pakistan just too good at the Centurion last night? The response depends on one's perspective, but I am inclined to believe that Pakistan played better cricket and hence deserved the victory.

We might indulge in endless arguments or discussions on India's bowling and some rash strokes by their batsmen, but the match was as good as over when Malik and Yousuf added 206 runs for the fourth wicket at good pace. Pakistan had plenty of overs left at the finish to indulge in some big-hitting to push the score past the 300-mark.

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With Sachin getting out early, the signboards were up for India. True, Gambhir did raise some hopes, but in the face of mounting ask-rate following a middle-order collapse, even the most ardent India supporter would have been optimistic of an improbable win. I thought Pakistan took their chances in the field after weathering the early onslaught and came away victorious.

I felt India went in short of one specialist bowler. It is pointless to talk about the absence of Sehwag, Yuvraj and Zaheer, all on injury list. Dhoni had Mishra at his disposal and in my book, the spinner deserved to be played instead of packing the bowling with three seamers. At the end of the day, the captain was left crying over spilt milk when he said the team was "three bowlers short" when in fact, it was one.

The fact was that the two part-time bowlers, Pathan and Kohli, were clearly out of depth against the well-set Malik and Yusuf. Also, with the benefit of hindsight, I doubt if Harbhajan would have made any difference even if he had been introduced earlier than the 26th over.

The Indian bowlers, by and large, missed the plot after their initial overs. They never hit the right length or line and it was small wonder then that Malik and Yousuf were afforded the luxury of playing themselves in before opening their shoulders. As much as we berate India's bowling, it was smart batting by the duo that won the day. So, we would be better off by setting aside our patriotic leaning and applaud Pakistan's solid performance that went beyond Malik and Yousuf.

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With the game done and dusted with, it is futile to wonder whether Gambhir and Kohli could have curbed their big-hitting instincts. For all you know, they could well have got out the next ball even if they had stayed. It is a matter of conjecture and the more one speculates, the higher the blood pressure!

Of more relevance is the inability of Indian bowlers to think on their feet. The captain can only set the field that a bowler wants. Eventually, the onus is on the bowler to bowl to his field. Unfortunately, this did not happen and the Pakistanis were smart enough to make profit.

Looking ahead, India are up against Australia who were somewhat unconvincing in their win against the West Indies. But then, the Aussies have points in the bag and India do not. Thus, on the morrow, the Indians will be under more pressure than they were last night against Pakistan. If anything, it will be a test of character for the Indian players.

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Forget the No.1 ranking India stand to lose if they fail to make it to the semi-final, but the focus should be on the immediate task of getting up on the board by beating the Aussies, a task that is easier said than done, but definitely not beyond the realms of reality.

The Aussies did appear a tad fatigued against the Windies after a long tour that never seems to end. The heartbreak of Ashes series is still fresh in their minds and Ponting had a point when he asserted that the seven ODIs against England were one too many. Thus, flying into South Africa, the Aussies do not appear to be in the best frame of mind to subject themselves to another round of 50-over games.

If India can put behind the loss to Pakistan and play to their strengths, then there is no reason why they cannot put it past the Aussies. The Windies came closer than expected to achieving a surprise result, but collective inexperience let them down. It is time then for Indians to spend the Sunday break plotting against Australia than looking back on the Saturday night disaster.

India cannot do any worse if they bring in Mishra at the expense of a seamer. It is better to try and lose rather than stick to a formula that has not delivered the desired result. My Indian eleven would be: Gambhir, Tendulkar, Dravid, Raina, Dhoni, Karthik/Kohli, Pathan/Nayar, Harbhajan, Mishra, Nehra, Ishant.