The Surfer

In Sydney, India need to reassess their line-up so that Kohli is not the last man standing. If they want more impetus at No 3, Laxman can provide that. But either he or Dravid must bat at No 6, so that the younger man is not burdened by the consequences of possible failure.

In any case, humans love the idea of perfection rather than perfection itself; we strive for it precisely because it is unobtainable (though you wouldn't know this going by some of the incredibly pedantic debate on the mechanics and accuracy of the technology being used). But if it at least reduces the number of really bad decisions, holds umpires to a greater degree of accountability (and as a bonus is entertaining viewing) then what is so wrong with it?

When I was eight, my grandfather took us to watch the English from the Bob Stand. I remember the SCG smell - a cocktail of tomato sauce, hot chips, beer, cigarettes, turf, soot, old concrete and metal. Even though they've replaced all but the Members and Ladies stands, the SCG smell lives on. There was a man that day whose beer gut enlarged the strained lettering on his shirt: ''POMMIE B*******''. We giggled at how rude it was to have the B-word on a T-shirt. The Bob Stand was replaced by the Pat Hills Stand, named after the SCG trustee and Labor MP. My grandfather thought this a scandal: ''How many wickets did Pat Hills take?''

First, you can't blame the BCCI for not using the DRS. The ICC decided to allow its members to make a choice and they did. They know decisions will go for and against them. Second, despite the fact that Aleem Dar, one of the best umpires in the world, has called for the DRS to be uniformly adopted in all international series, I have a major problem with it. I have always been told that the umpire's decision is final. If we're going to use the DRS it has to be the umpire's decision to refer it upstairs or we shouldn't use it at all.

2. Jesse Ryder loses weight and gets fit

Gambhir seemed to feel this burden at the MCG, his anxiety conveyed in his bottom-hand grip. When he's at his best, the hands work in unison, top leading, bottom modulating. In both innings of the first Test, his left hand was taking undue control of most strokes. His footwork, which had so noticeably improved during his return to Test cricket in 2008, was less certain as well.

Both bowlers did pitch the ball up more often in the Australian second innings, and therefore had more wickets to show for their efforts. But they were still trying too many things instead of taking the cue from Zaheer Khan and sticking to a line and length to make the percentages work for them. The Australians, from the third day onwards, were pitching four or five balls up every over, whereas it was only two or three balls an over for the Indians. Apart from the inconsistency in length, Umesh and Ishant also kept switching between bowling over the wicket and round the wicket, often letting off the pressure or losing their rhythm in the process.

In a short time, the DRS has come to be accepted as infallible. This fits a tendency in all walks of life to devolve responsibility, if possible, to inanimate devices. Fans dwell on it. For players, to walk or not to walk is no longer an ethical issue; the technology will decide. Umpires yield to technology, just to be safe. Two of the effects of the DRS are to show that umpires mostly are right and, at the same time, to shake their confidence.

Soon the required run-rate, which had threatened to climb into double figures, was heading south. “There wasn’t too much going through my head,” O’Brien says. “I just cleared my mind and told myself to enjoy it. We probably knocked them back a bit. With 16 overs to go, we needed six or seven an over. From there we thought: ‘Gee, we could win this game’.”

At the heart of Indian cricket's predicament lies an emotional response to a practical problem. Succession plans are ruthless in their design and do not rest on the current ability of the men who are sought to be replaced. Of-course Tendulkar is still the best man for number four. Undoubtedly there aren't any batsmen more suited to bat at three and five than Dravid and Laxman. But must the immediacy of a task be the over-riding concern at all times? Must the desire to let them choose a "grand exit" over-ride the shape and form this cricket team takes in the future?

As a young player all that matters is cricket and batting. One hundred per cent of one's mental capacity is devoted to training and playing. Doubts are pushed to the back of one's mind by the excitement and expectation of a big score. As one gets older other things start to impinge on that mental space. The doubts find a way to slip to the front of the mind; being careful takes over from looking out for scoring opportunities.