Australia's advantage of winning the toss on an under-prepared Kotla wicket was offset by their inept and out of character batting, which gave India a distinct advantage. It was quite ob- vious that the Aussies' distrust of the wicket put them under severe psychological pressure. The wicket, of course, did give an advantage to the spin bowlders. The ball deviated at various heights and at times kept low, putting the batsmen on ten- terhooks.
But though it was a tricky wicket, it was by no means as full of land mines as the Aussies imagined. Their game plan should have revolved around grafting for runs and a sound defensive technique - instead, they kept trying to hit their way out of trouble. And against the probing spin of a resurgent Kumble aided by the orthodox left arm spin of Sunil Joshi and the right arm spin of Aashish Kapoor, this attitude was bound to result in disaster.
India's out-cricket was sharp, and Tendulkar's handling of his bowling resources by canny rotation of his spinners helped restrict the Aussies in the first innings. For far too long have we seen India loosening the stranglehold its spinners take on opposing batting sides thanks to shoddy fielding and poor catching. For bowlers like Kumble to be effective, sharp close catching is vital - and this is what India maintained throughout the game, with hardly an error.
If at the end of the Australian first innings the Indians thought they were sitting pretty, then they had a rude shock when their leading batsmen Tendulkar and Azharuddin self-destructed. But for make-shift opener Nayan Mongia, who exceeded all expectations and played the kind of innings that was required on this wicket, India may have been in trouble. Mongia's determined defence, unflappable temperament and sustained effort over almost a day and a half put India in a position from which it could dictate terms. Mongia's knock of 150-plus would not however have been possible without the efforts of Ganguly and Dravid, both bat- ting in contrasting styles.
The Australian batting in the second innings, facing a deficit of 170 runs, was even worse. Obviously, they had not learned from their mistakes in the first innings, and lost two of their top order batsmen right in the beginning to casual strokes not in keeping with the seriousness of the situation. Kumble was once again at his most penetrative, and it required all the defensive skills of Steve Waugh to combat him.
Waugh realised that on this wicket, it was necessary for him to play as late as possible, with soft hands. He found an ally in McIntyre, who despite his lack of pretensions as a batsman kept his senior partner company and ensured that India would be forced to bat again.
The home team stuttered a bit, losing three quick wickets including that of Tendulkar before getting to the target of 56 runs. It was left to Azhar and Ganguly to calm things down and take India past the target. Azhar in particular played some exquisite strokes in a cameo of an innings that must have done wonders for his confidence.
The national selectors have named the Indian squad for only the first three one dayers.
Out goes V V S Laxman, after being picked for the one off Test against Australia but not getting a chance to play. Why? Neither of the incoming youngsters, Pankaj Dharmani or Sujith Somasundar, make much sense as replacements for Laxman.
Keeping Laxman in the fourteen, even if he didn't get a chance to play in the XI, would have bolstered the youngster's confidence no end. Being left out of the side without even getting a chance to play will, on the other hand, be a blow to his morale.
Salil Ankola must have been taken by surprise at his recall - he is another of those players who have been picked for tours and tournaments and never given a chance to play. But welcome though Ankola's recall is, one's heart goes out to David Johnson who, after a good showing on a wicket not particularly helpful to his kind of bowling, must be a disappointed young man after being dropped.
Sujith Somasunder has bulldozed his way into the Indian team with a spate of big knocks, and in context of Vikram Rathore's inability to deliver the goods, his entry into the playing XI as opener seems pretty inevitable.
However, India's dilemma regarding the opener's slot continues. And the sooner the selectors pick a combination to open for India and allow them to settle into their jobs, the better for the side - this sort of makeshift, chop and change stuff is going to affect the batting lineup right down the line.
The team will also miss a genuine all-rounder like, say, Robin Singh of Tamil Nadu. Singh, easily one of the best fielders India has ever produced, must be wondering what he has done to be left out in the cold for so long, and what he must now do to earn the recall that is his due.
South Africa, who India is slated to meet on October 17 in Hyderabad in the first match of the Titan Cup, has under Hansie Cronje become one of the shrewd- est one-day outfits in world cricket, a group of hard-headed professionals with a never say die attitude. Their coach Bob Woolmer, with his laptop computer packed with data on every international cricket, has added the hi-tech dimension to their preparations. And even though South Africa are without four of their key cricketers Shaun Pol- lock, Craig Mathews, Paul Adams and Jacques Kallis it is still a side that cannot be taken lightly.
India's young captain Sachin Tendulkar, who after beating Australia in his first Test as captain must be oozing with confidence, now has to lead his men with verve and style in the one-day games to follow, and redeem the country's sagging image in world cricket.