Preesure is a Privilege

That is what Billie Jean King had written to Maria Sharapova in a text message before the Australian Open final. May be, that helped Sharapova squeeze her large frame out of a tight corner, when she was trailing 4-5 0-30 in the first set.

And that is what India will need to remember when they get up tomorrow morning and gear up for the battle to save the test. A result not foreseen by many commentators. Dean Jones too, till yesterday, was only discussing the possibility of a draw or India’s win.

It may be a bit premature to discuss that possibility of survival right now at lunch time, but the possibility is real indeed considering the inability of the umpires to muster up the courage to give even the most glaring of leg before decisions. Nearing the business end of one of the most competitive of series, the umpires too seem to be playing safe, and why not! One can only say that they have decided to award LBWs only in the rarest of rare cases.

Australia, if they end up today day with a lead of around 125 to 150, may even declare overnight to put the top order of India under pressure.Scares of Sydney revisited? Well, they will if India try only to defend. They will have to fight with uncluttered mind as they go about the business of saving the test and hope that the umpires maintain the consistency, with which they have refused to give leg before decisions. Sehwag took a potshot at Australian slow scoring rate on Saturday saying ‘’they are scared.’’ Now, India will have to show Australia how to score on day five as a purely defensive approach could be suicidal.

The most disappointing factor has been, as Gavaskar said, the very very disappointing bowling. Strange things have happened in this test. India crossed 500 with six regular batsmen, and may have failed to put brakes on Australia reaching over 550-600 for the first time in the series. Though things could have been little different had RP not been ruled out little too early.

Meanwhile, Sania Mirza will be looking to create history in an hour or two from now. For once, tennis will upstage cricket with India’s chances looking much brighter in Melbourne, than at Adelaide!