Having managed to halt the Australian juggernaut in its tracks at Chandigarh, India will seek to carry the momentum when they go into the fifth One-dayer on Thursday, hoping to level the seven-match series. The problem, for any team in the world, with playing against Australia is that you're always trying to catch up. It is Australia who set the standards, Australia who call the shots, Australia who control the game. Of course, a team as talented as this Indian one has the ability to beat anyone, even the Australians, on their day.
The eight-run victory over Ricky Ponting's men and the semi-final win over the Aussies in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa last month clearly indicated that when put under severe pressure, even a champion team can feel the heat and fumble.This is exactly the kind of situation that captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team would be aiming to put the visitors in again when the two clash in another high-voltage tie in front of a capacity 20,000-crowd at the Reliance Stadium.
The script, even before the toss is done, suggests Australian dominance, and the challenge before Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team is to break this mould as early as possible. For the Australians, the fifth match in Vadodara, with the first of the series being washed out, is a chance to shut India out. It's a chance for them to ensure that they can't lose the series, and this is likely to translate into all-out attack. If India manage to turn the tables here again, they would have beaten Australia in two successive games for the first time in six years. But to achieve that, they need to show the sort of aggression they displayed in South Africa and in the fourth ODI two days ago.
Come back for the live action at 03:30 GMT, 09:00 IST and 20:30 PST from the
IPCL Reliance Stadium in Vadodara.
Njoi...
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