History Beckons India

India have a rare opportunity to round off a goldensummer for themselves on Australian soil. Much as their batsmen have frustratedthe home team, true lovers of the game have relished their silken style at thecrease. They have been unhurried yet dominant, graceful yet ruthless.

But it is the Australians who have a psychological edgegoing into the tri-series finals. I am not saying this because Indian battingstruggled in the two league games at Perth. It is just that Ricky Ponting's menhave that extra confidence with Brett Lee back to his destructive form. Again,it is not because of his success in Perth. It is just that matter of feeling.

Indian bowling has been good and I cannot overstate thecase of Irfan Pathan and company. One of the many good things that has happenedfor India on this tour is that their bowlers have continued to develop.Youngsters like Pathan and Balaji have shouldered the responsibility well. Theyare India's bowling hopes, in this series and beyond.

Yet they have not been able to stop the Australian run-making machine. There isnothing at this point of time to make us believe that they would do so atMelbourne and Sydney either.

There have not been very clear-cut messages on AnilKumble's fitness, so I would go with the media reports and believe he isstruggling for the finals. It is a shame really, for Kumble has the class andexperience to lift his performance that extra notch in the finals.

He is a big match player and there is this pride toplay and win titles for your country. He was not given a chance in the World Cupfinals, and he would not like to miss a similar opportunity again. He would loveto finish off a process which he could not do in the Tests.

The Indian batstmen then will have to take up theresponsibility. They have to be at their very best to keep Australia on the mat,and it is not going to be easy. It is an irony indeed, for they have had the worldchampions at their mercy on this tour.

But let me not give the impression that I am completelywriting off Saurav Ganguly's men. Throughout the summer they have shown they areperfectly capable of giving the Australians a run for their money. And a few ofthe Indian seniors would love to lay their hands on a rare trophy in Australia.

Neither am I inclined to read too much into thestruggle of the Indian batsmen in Perth.

Even for us Australians it is not easy to come and score runs at WACA. There wasa time when Western Australia had a dominance in domestic cricket and it wasbecause they enjoyed such unique conditions at the WACA. The other state sidesused to come here every year and struggle.

So, when even the locals take some adjusting to itspace and bounce, you cannot read too much into the Indians' failure. Over theyears Australia have loved giving visitors a taste of the WACA's uniqueofferings. Except for the West Indies of the 80s of course! The Perth pitch hadits typical pace and bounce and, in retrospect, Australia would have loved toplay India on such type of wickets.

The other venues offered good wickets and the Indiansbloomed but here they struggled. It was not because of any technical deficiency,they remain marvelous to watch. It is just that the WACA, like hot spicy Indiancurry, takes some time getting used to.

Lee of course has now got his tail up. He was fired upon Sunday. He was responsible for the Indians losing half their side for 79 runs-- a rare happening this summer. It was very difficult for tail-enders to makeany substantial contribution from then on.

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag might have beenrusty but they are too good players to fail regularly.

They would be in far more familiar terrain in Melbourne and Sydney. Everyoneknows they chalked up their best Test scores at these venues -- 195 for Sehwagand 241 for Tendulkar -- and the memory of those knocks should keep theAustralians uptight.

Ganguly did not play the last league game (againstZimbabwe) but one cannot be too worried about him. He knows his game and it doesnot serve any psychological point either way to presume he would have beenbetter off playing on Tuesday. His absence has thrown up Hemang Badani'scredentials for the left-hander took India past the finishing line.

Looking at all those clutters at the helmets at theWACA, you tend to think all these protective gears have been a boon for batsmen.Over the years, helmets have saved some very serious injuries.

Mark Vermuelen fractured his skull and it could havebeen a far more serious injury had the grill not been around. It has givenbatsmen that courage to stay in line. It has prolonged a few careers and othergears have avoided rib injuries -- a common occurrence when facing a fast bowleron wickets which are doing a bit.

It is a shame that Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne werenot around. They might have been tested as never before in their careers. It is one of those ponderables of the series!

PTI