Romancing with the Indian batsmen

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">Was it just a whirlwind fling that had to come to an end along with the journey itself? Or will India''s gallant batsmen keep the flames of love burning for the beautiful, but often elusive, ladies called runs?<br /><br />That''s the silent question swirling in almost everybody''s mind as the Indian team prepares for another trip, another adventure.Probably the biggest and most challenging one in its lifetime. <br /><br />But then the question itself is so scary and overwhelming that nobody is daring to even look straight into its eyes, forget about mustering the courage to raise it. <br /><br />A lot more than victory or defeat is hidden within the labyrinth that might lead us to the inevitable answer. Is it pride? Is it vanity? Or is it just the fear that the voyage to Pakistan might bring us back to the cruel planet called reality?<br /><br />We are, of course, still revelling in the feel-good factor that the romance in Australia had kindled; the players too are floating in the clouds after serenading success for almost two long magical months.<br /><br />Nobody really wants to wake up from the dream run. Sadly, one has to confront the truth. Are our Big Five really the Best Five in today''s batting scales? Or did they enjoy unprecedented luck during their tour Down Under? Did Australia cut their own arm while unabashedly digging their fingers into the commercial pie?<br /><br />If the finals of the Tri-Series are taken as the only yardsticks the answer is yes, yes, yes. Cricket Australia exposed their over-confidence, if not greed, by scheduling the Tests on pitches that were conducive for run-making; they shockingly never got their best fast bowlers together either, allowing India to score freely, almost majestically.<br /><br /><formid=367815><br /><br /></formid=367815></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal">And Ricky Ponting emphatically demonstrated that the Sehwag-Laxman-Dravid-Tendulkar-Ganguly lineup could not only be shackled but also destroyed. He devised a plan for every batsman and he also managed to execute it with the finesse and speed of an experienced General.<br /><br />The wily Javed Miandad only has to study the two finals in Melbourne and Sydney to crack the aura of superiority around the Indian batsmen. But does he have the bowling and the bowlers to replicate those plans? Can Akhtar do a Brett Lee?<br /><br />India have enough reasons to be wary. They will have to slay a unique two-headed monster that only Pakistan can showcase in international cricket: raw pace with the new ball and reverse swing with the old one.<br /><br />It won''t be easy. The players expended all their energies while scaling those heights in Australia; it required just one little slip in Perth to bring them down to ground zero. They will now have to find the same strength and willpower to go back to the summit.<br /><br />Otherwise, the romance in Australia will go down in history books as just another sweet and short fling in the Indian team''s colourful life.<br /><br /><formid=367815></formid=367815></div> </div>