An out-of-sorts Dravid

Rahul Dravid opened for India after nearly two years and spent over one and a half hours for his five runs. Dravid was in terrific form in India's previous tour to Australia and a philosophical Peter Roebuck says cricket defies conquest. A batsman may feel supreme one day and a duffer the next. Regardless of past performances, a batsman walks onto the field without a run to his name, takes guard with failure beckoning and 11 men at his throat. It is not a journey to be undertaken lightly. He writes in the Sydney Morning Herald:

From the outset, Dravid looked vulnerable. He thought only about survival. Frozen at the crease, he did not think about singles to rotate the strike and ease the pressure. India can bat and bowl but are a long way behind their opponents in the basics of the game.

Also read Siddhartha Vaidyanathan's analysis of Dravid's poor form over the last year and a half on Cricinfo.