INDIA WINS HISTORIC CB TRI-SERIES

India beat Australia 2-0 in the best of three finals to clinch the Commonwealth Bank tri-series, which is incidentally the last traditional tri-series down under. India beat Australia by 6 wickets at Sydney in the first finals. Then they followed it with another win at Brisbane beating Australia by 9 runs.

SCORECARD: India vs Australia, I Finals – CB Triseries, SCG, 2008
SCORECARD: India vs Australia, II Finals – CB Triseries, GABBA, 2008

ATLAST SACHIN ENDED UP BEING THE MATCH-WINNER
It is not that Sachin has not won matches for India, but these kind of victories are rare and Sachin’s contributions in finals are correspondingly rare. One always remembers the way he single-handedly won a tournament at Sharjah in 1998. Along with Ganguly he had been instrumental in winning a tournament in Srilanka in 1998. Apart from that nothing is in the cupboard to be shown.

SACHIN – A FAILURE WHY?

This victory is certainly a one of the greatest moment in his long career. He led from the front and scored his first one-day international century in Australia in the first finals at SCG and then followed it with a knock of 91 at Gabba. It is indeed the long-awaited performance from the Master.

YOUNG GUNS FIRE
The performances of Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Gambhir and Praveen Kumar are very refreshing and note-worthy. They have to be consistent in the future and continue their good work. Rohit Sharma always promised to be a special talent and he justified that belief. Ishant Sharma promises to be the one great fast bowler this nation is looking for very long years (Still I believe that if properly guided and supported Munaf will join him). Gambhir has certainly cemented his place. He begins to display consistency and performing well against top teams. Praveen Kumar is really the surprise package of the lot. He lends balance to the team and his batting skills need to be translated into runs in international arena.