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Indians hide from wrath

'Unlucky' India hide from criticism

01/25/2012 09:17:42 PM

India's under-achieving cricketers are purposely sheltering themselves from criticism in their cricket-mad homeland as they stare down the barrel of a 4-0 series whitewash against Australia.

Paceman Ishant Sharma confirmed the tourists aren't feeling the heat from back home, as they perhaps should, after deliberately avoiding reports of their disastrous performances on tour.

"Actually, when we are playing abroad it's very good for us," Sharma said after the second day of the fourth Test at Adelaide Oval, which ended with India 2-61 in reply to the home side's colossal 7-604 declared.

"We don't watch TV and everything."

"Even my family don't talk about whatever's going on in India. We just talk about how is everything - except cricket."

Sharma, who battled his way to 0-100 in Australia's innings, has played every Test this series for just four wickets at a bloated average of 106.

It's a long drop from the immense potential he firstly showed when he toured here as a teenager four years ago, and then revealed at home against the Aussies later in 2008 when he was named Player of the Series.

He believes the rub of the green has gone against him this summer and is hopeful of more luck in the second dig.

"Cricket is a funny game - you never know what's going to happen next," he said. "The only thing you can do is hope for the best."

"The wicket is flat; you can't do much about it."

"We bowled well, but I think luck is not favouring us."

"This is the kind of track that you can find in India - it's really slow. You just need to keep patience and bowling into the right areas."

Sharma said the Indian camp will be drawing on the tourists' famous comeback triumph in Adelaide in 2003.

Australia batted first on that occasion and smashed 556 in quick time before having India reeling in reply at 4/85.

The visitors recovered courtesy of a 303-run partnership between Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, before knocking the Aussies over cheaply in the second innings and then chasing down the runs with four wickets in hand.

"In 2003, they (Australia) scored 550-odd runs and we won the game form there," Sharma said of that famous win, which Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Dravid and Laxman all played in.

"There is a positive we can take out of that."

"Everyone is positive and looking forward to the next three good days."

One man who played a pivotal role that day was Dravid, who batted for almost 14 hours for a brilliant double of 233 and 72 not out.

India will have to do it without 'The Wall' this time around - at least in the first innings - after he was knocked over for one, bowled for the sixth time in seven stints at the crease this series, and ninth time in last 11 innings in all Tests.

Despite this glaring and well-documented stat, Sharma is unconcerned about his 39-year-old teammate's increasingly regular mode of dismissal.

"If you're talking about his technique, no other batsman in the world has a better technique than him," Sharma said defiantly.

"I think his (career) performance says everything."

"He's the second highest run-getter in the world in Test cricket, so I don't think he needs to worry about anything."

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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