Australia's demolition act shows how hard India are hit by Ishant's loss

It’s hard to realise just how big a blow it was for India to lose Ishant Sharma to injury on the eve of the World Cup… hard only until you watched the destruction of the Indian bowling attack by Australia in the warm-up match.

Then you understand, that if there ever was a death blow to India’s chances in the World Cup, it was this.

As the two captains – Mahendra Singh Dhoni and George Bailey – walked out for the toss, the Indian skipper made it amply clear that this was just a warm-up match. India had not practised much during the break and if nothing else, the coaching staff will hope the poor bowling effort by India was nothing more than rust – but we know and trust it was much more than just that.

Australia didn’t just score 371 – but they did it with such a degree of ease that one couldn’t help but worry about India’s future in the tournament. If Bailey’s side had really decided to go for it, there is no doubt that they would have got much more.

When the Warner-Maxwell duo were done, India’s attack had been smashed to all parts – Stuart Binny (6-0-41-1), Bhuvneshwar (5-0-31-0), Mohammad Shami (9.2-0-83-3), Mohit Sharma… Ishant’s replacement (6-0-62-2), Akshar Patel (5-0-47-1) and Ravindra Jadeja (2-0-19-0). Only Umesh Yadav (9-1-52-2) and Ravinchandran Ashwin (6-1-29-0) escaped with a modicum of pride.

Shane Warne was perhaps being funny or desperate when in the commentary box he said that the Indians aren’t showing all their cards. He suspected that this was a ruse – but after three months of watching this team in Australia, even he should know that this is their limit. This isn’t a ruse, this is reality.

India once again bowled short all the time, not enough deliveries were full and they went to pieces the moment, the batsmen decided to go after them. The Indian innings had a total of 139 dot balls in their innings – but they also conceded 42 fours and 10 sixes. Point being there were just too many boundary balls on offer.

India just lacked a plan once again – they have now been in Australia long enough to have figured out the line and length they need to bowl but far from it – they seem just as clueless as they were before the first game of the Australia tour. And honestly, that takes some talent; the talent of choosing not to learn at all.

For a long time, Dhoni has complained about India’s bowling in the death overs… so what kind of performance did the bowlers dish out? At the end of the 40th over, Australia were 268-5… by the time, the innings ended in the 49th over (48.3 ovs), they had amassed 371. You could count on one hand, the number of yorkers bowled in the last 10 overs and one of them was the delivery from Shami that ended the Australian innings.

Before the start of the game – India must have had a list of things that they wanted to achieve in this match. But it’s hard to believe that they would have achieved any of those goals.

Now, this was a warm-up game and we probably shouldn’t read too much into it… at least that is what Dhoni would like to say but after this game, India have just one warm-up match before the start of the tournament proper… so we must at least be at 50 percent in order to peak by the end of the tournament. But they are nowhere close to being prepared.

The only good signs for India in the game were the knocks by Shikhar Dhawan (59 off 71 balls), Ajinkya Rahane (66 off 52) and Ambati Rayudu (53 off 42 balls). But at no point did they look capable of matching the madness of Warner or Maxwell. This was a match that India never looked like winning and the 106-run defeat was as just a result as it gets.

After the game, Dhoni can only really count on the World Cup’s lengthy format and hope that it gives his team enough time to find it’s feet.

“It is a very long tournament… very long and the team that does really well is most often the one that comes from the bottom, come the knockout stages you have to start clicking together and then go forward,” said Dhoni succintly acknowledging that India start the tournament as distinct underdogs. “Dressing room atmosphere is good – which is to say that it is tough to get up once the morale is down, so I don’t think it will be a problem.”