Not so long ago, Australian cricket was in the lowest of lows, losing all their Tests in the 2013 series against India, which was followed by demoralizing Ashes loss in England, losing 3-0. Already questions were being asked back home in Australia not just about Michael Clarke’s captaincy, but even on his continuation in the Australian Test side. There were many reasons offered for Australia’s poor show in England – retirement of Golden Generation of Australian cricketers, from Ricky Ponting to Michael Hussey in quick succession, the fact that the Australian players were largely inexperienced and that the opposition was simply better. The Australian public had almost given up on their national side, and a loss in the Ashes leg to be held in Australia would have dealt a devastating blow to the future of Australian cricket.
But something extraordinary happened when the confident England team arrived at Australia to reclaim the Ashes. The Aussies put up a fight. Not just put up a fight, the Australians destroyed the English team, beating them 5 – 0 in the series that followed. The Ashes was Australia’s again. In doing so, they helped the Australian public rediscover their love for cricket, rescuing the game just when it was losing out in the popularity stakes. And there were new heroes for the public to admire – the once maligned David Warner who now had his redemption, Nathan Lyon, the offspinner who could no longer go unnoticed, the skipper Michael Clarke himself, the honest toiler Peter Siddle, the aging war horse Ryan Harris and most of all, the sensational Mitchell Johnson, who was by now recognized as the fastest bowler in the world.
This was quickly followed by a hard fought series win against the world’s top Test team South Africa in their own backyard. How did Michael Clarke and his coach Darren Lehman turn around the Australian cricket team so fast, in such a short time, from being the most criticized team in world cricket to being the most celebrated?
The much criticized Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni would be eager to know the secret behind Australia’s big turnaround. The Indian team too, is in pretty much the same situation that the Aussies were in before Clarke and Lehman did their magic. Now that India are touring England, Dhoni would love to know what the Aussies did so well that England were so completely annihilated.
Lesson 1: Get a genuinely quick fast bowler.
Mitchell Johnson’s terrifying pace, the way he caused to ball to zip around at speeds of 95 MPH, completely stunned the English batsmen, who were almost like deer caught in the headlights. True pace is the most important weapon any team can have in Test cricket, as majority of batsmen, all over the world, cannot deal with. Dhoni has already missed out on this trick as the entire 18-man Indian squad has only one quick bowler who bowls upwards of 90 MPH – Varun Aaron, and he is nowhere as quick as Johnson.
Lesson 2: Attack the opposition’s new ball bowlers right from the start.
This is what David Warner did for Australia, smashing Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad all over the park, hitting them for fours and sixes right from the first over, never letting them get in their stride. The Australian scores would already be 100 plus by Lunch, always putting England on the back foot. Dhoni has Shikar Dhawan who can do the job that Warner did, but so far Dhawan looks seriously out of form.
Lesson 3: Have a plan for each bowler, get them to stick to it.
Every bowler in the Australian side had a role, which each fulfilled brilliantly. Mitchell Johnson’s role was to terrorize the opposition batsmen; Ryan Harris’ role was to make the most of the new ball; Peter Siddle’s role was to keep bowling consistently outside the offstump; Nathan Lyon’s role as the sole spinner to keep bowling at a single line and length, never allowing the batsmen to get away. And Australia won because Michael Clarke made sure that all bowlers stuck to their respective roles. Dhoni has to bring in that discipline in the Indian bowling attack as well.
Lesson 4: Get older, experienced players into the mix.
The problem with many cricket teams is the obsession with youth. Being young and new doesn’t automatically translate into performance. Australia won because of the presence of a few old heads in the dressing room, none as important as opener Chris Rogers. The 36-year old has been around in cricket for ages without really making it big until recently. It was remarkable of Darren Lehman and Michael Clarke to trust him with leading Australian batting. Rogers added much needed solidity, while the younger David Warner provided the firepower. Dhoni has done well to get Gautam Gambhir in the mix, and would want him to perform like Rogers did for Australia.
Lesson 5: Don’t complain about the media being too critical.
Dhoni has this habit of getting irritated by the critical Indian media, especially when the team performs poorly. The Australian press is as much an irritant as their Indian counterparts, and many behaved as though they had a personal grouse against Michael Clarke, the captain. But how did Clarke handle it? By scoring multiple hundreds and winning on the field. Nothing beats winning. Win and even your worst critic in the press will turn into your biggest cheerleader. Dhoni shouldn’t think too much about the Indian press or try to manipulate it. He just has to bat well and make sure that the Indian team wins the 5-match Test series in England.
Ultimately, that is what the entire thing is about – Winning. Win, and you rule the world, every past misdeed or failure is forgotten. Lose, and you will soon find the chickens coming home to roost.
