India vs Australia: 5 gifts MSD & co. seek from Santa Down Under
As Team India gets ready to face Australia in the third Test on Friday, here's a look at some gifts MS Dhoni's men can really use to change their fortunes in the series.
Christmas is finally here and it's one hell of a time to kick-start the week-long party as we wait eagerly for the New Year. But while everyone's busy decorating their Christmas trees and painting the day red, the state of the Indian cricket team is nothing but blue.
MS Dhoni's men are trailing 0-2 against the mighty Australians in the four-match Test series ahead of their crucial third Test starting on Boxing Day, Dec 26. The grief-stricken Australian team, who were busy mourning the death of Phil Hughes, has come out all guns blazing to take an unassailable lead against the struggling Indian team.
On one hand where Australia will be busy celebrating Christmas, MS Dhoni's men will have their hands folded in prayers for some much-needed gifts from the generous Santa Claus on the auspicious day.
Here's a look at the gifts Indian cricket team would desperately need for Christmas:
Vegetarian food for Ishant Sharma
India's bowling spearhead Ishant Sharma was left red-faced due to the lack of proper vegetarian fare at lunch during the Brisbane Test. Miffed with the arrangements, Sharma and his teammate Suresh Raina went outside the stadium premises to procure proper vegetarian food for themselves. But the duo were in for a surprise when they were barred from bring the outside food in the stadium. With no option at their disposal, the duo consumed the food on the footpath outside the stadium. So for the sake of struggling Indian team, and most importantly for Ishant Sharma, we hope the availability of the vegetarian food will ensure enough fire in the belly for the seamer to come good in the remaining two Tests.
Sanity in umpiring decisions
If Team India's batting and bowling woes were not enough, the poor umpiring decisions kept victory at bay for MS Dhoni's men. The BCCI's opposition for the Decision Review System(DRS) came to haunt India once again when Cheteshwar Pujara, MS Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin suffered umpiring howlers in the 2nd Test. Umpire Ian Gould would have surely been asleep when he gave Pujara out caught behind with the latter's bat nowhere near the ball. And the replays only made the case stronger as the ball brushed off his helmet before going through to Brad Haddin behind the stumps. The Indian team and especially their fans wouldn't really mind some sanity in the umpiring decisions as they look to salvage some pride in the remaining two Tests.
Dog mask for Rohit Sharma
The record-breaking double centurion was selected for the Australian tour to add teeth to the inexperienced batting unit. But, the only contribution Rohit has made so far went against India. The Mumbai batsman asked Mitchell Johnson, "How many wickets have you got in the series?" And, the rest is history. Team India paid a big price for Rohit Sharma's stupid question as Johnson's resolve only got stronger. Mitch scored a crucial 88 runs off 93 balls to steady the innings for Australia as India watched helplessly. The sledging, if you really want to call that, also inspired Johnson to bamboozle the Indian batsmen. Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav and Rohit Sharma himself faced the brunt of fiery Johnson who guided Australia to a four-wicket win at Brisbane. So for the sake of Team India, it seems that the anti-bark dog mask is a must for Rohit Sharma if the visitors intend to salvage some pride Down Under.
Scrotal fortitude for MS Dhoni
Indian skipper MS Dhoni needs to grow a pair of balls to own up for his team's loss rather than blaming the occasional dressing room banter. Dhoni, during the post-match press conference, revealed that the debacle or as he called it the "unrest" in the Indian dressing room played a major role in India's batting collapse on Day 4 that in turn led to their four-wicket loss at Brisbane. The debacle was nothing but a chain of uncertain events that were triggered from Shikhar Dhawan's injury during the practice session before Day 4. Virat Kohli was asked to open the innings for India on a short notice and when the Delhi lad got out cheaply, he had an heated argument with Dhawan in the dressing room. But, seriously how does that justify the loss of four Indian wickets for a mere 11 runs. As the Indian veterans Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly put it, the dressing room skirmishes are not uncommon and it will be forgotten in a few days. We feel, MS Dhoni is too good to blame something as stupid as the dressing room banter for the Test loss and needs to rectify the errors committed during the Brisbane Test.
Feng Shui wind chimes for Indian dressing room
Team India skipper MS Dhoni had revealed that the unrest in their dressing room on Day 4 of the 2nd Test. It was none other than Indian batting sensation Virat Kohli taking on Shikhar Dhawan after the latter refused to open the innings for his side following his injury. It resulted in Virat Kohli's early dismissal and the Delhi batsman returned to the dressing room fuming. He questioned Dhawan's commitment towards the team and a heated argument ensued further. Dhoni said that the debacle was crucial in India's four-wicket loss against the Australians. So, we hope the Feng Shui wind chime will bring the much needed harmony in the Indian dressing room as they look to change their fortunes in the remaining two Tests. Or they just need to get in some astrologer.