Kohli, Yuvraj and Raina Thwart Clarke’s Century Storm in Vizag

By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

   After much anticipation, fans of Indian cricket and of one day internationals were witness to an enormous run chase. And it mattered little that the bowling attack on either side wore a little thin on the day.
      The second ODI of the India Australia series in Visakhapatnam gave cricket fans the thrill they wanted, a thriller run fest with scope for action, sequence and heart thumping drama. After the watered down affair at Kochi that did not see a single ball bowled in the first ODI, Vizag provided the fireworks.

       First came the stand in Australian captain, Michael Clarke, who combined with the finesse and grittiness of Michael Hussey to fashion a great foundation for Australia where runs flowed like milk and honey and Australia’s danger at two down for sixteen was effortlessly averted. Clarke was not only laying the perfect platform for Australia but also, silencing critics who were as skeptical about his coming of age as a captain as they have been of Ricky Ponting’s ability to marshall an inexperienced team. En route, the two men defied the quality of the squad and set the Indian team, branding new Nike uniforms, to pale ever so slightly in the face of a gargantuan chase of 289 runs.

     Given that the Indian team is missing as many as six members of the first eleven including the devastating experience of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir not to mention the bowling issues without Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, the chase was one held with trepidation. But on the day when Australia obliged through an inexperienced bowling attack of its own, India capitalized on every benefactor as they sensationally cornered the match.

          The accolades largely belonged to the fiery young Virat Kohli who proved at his destructive best with a valuable century, the Indian innings held similarities to the Australian batting and it is not altogether surprising given that the two teams are visibly low on bowling strengths while fielding a mixture of youth and experience in the batting department. Kohli and Yuvraj Singh did essentially what Clarke and Hussey did, take the match to the suffering bowlers and then edging ahead after gaining the early momentum. In that partnership of 137 ( as opposed to the 144 runs between the two Michael’s).

       But a huge partnership and a solitary century were not going to alone cut it for India. They would need the final flourish and devastation of Cameron White who proved to be a colossal nuisance for the Indians towards the end of the Australian innings when he scored eighty-seven runs at half the number of balls faced.

        If India were looking for someone in the pedigree of the much reputed White, their best bet lay in Suresh Raina whose sublime efforts should not be mistaken for being any less destructive. Rain’s subtle belligerence was at its best as Kohli occupied centre stage in the second most crucial partnership of the innings and once more when India lost a couple of wickets at a critical juncture en route to victory.

        Ultimately it was the combined force of brute India that virtually annihilated the glory of Clarke’s century earlier in the day as they rollicked home to a five wicket victory with seven balls still up their sleeve.