It's a relief to be involved in a day-night game tomorrow, especially after having had to bat first in both the games that started at 9am.
A 9am start was not necessary in Pune as there was good light even an hour after the game was over.
Coming from New Zealand, I am hardly in a position to complain about seaming wickets. But back home the wickets seam consistently for 100 overs. In Faridabad and Pune, the wicket was hard to bat on only for the first 90 minutes, after which it became pretty easy to negotiate.
We learnt our lessons pretty quickly from our Faridabad game, which is why we focused on preserving wickets at Pune.
But batting in one-dayers is not about trying to survive, it's about entertaining the crowds from the start with some positive strokeplay. The early starts forced us to play more cautiously than we would have liked to, and that's unfortunate because the team chasing is able to go hammer and tongs right from the start.
All this is not to say that we did not have our chances in the Pune game. Jacob Oram was outstanding late in the innings, and his knock ensured that we were in with a chance, having posted 250 plus.
Unfortunately, that effort was not backed up when we came to field. It was disappointing to see fielders who are normally reliable catchers drop crucial chances late in the game. As a team, we set ourselves high standards on the field and it is a concern that those standards have dipped a bit in the last game.
Tower (Daryl Tuffey) was wonderful as usual and we were in a great position when the Aussies were four down. But we allowed Michael Clarke to flourish, and that proved pretty costly.
The last over was particularly disappointing, and when we returned to the dressing room each one of us knew that we had let the Aussies off the hook and missed an opportunity to score a crucial win.
A win against Australia is always special, and to let a chance go by hit some of the guys very badly. It did not help that Chris Cairns, who was supposed to bowl at the death, sustained an injury, which forced us to bowl him through so that he could go off for some treatment.
Two defeats against Australia in the last one week means that we will have to win all our games from now on if we are to stay alive in the TVS Cup. We have been in similar situations in the past, and I have always seen that as a team we play our best cricket in such desperate situations.
We know that we are capable of beating both India and Australia if we play well. It's just a question of raising the level of our game from where it is right now to where it can reach when we play our best cricket.
We are working hard on our game. We practised in Mumbai on Tuesday, and while our kit has not yet arrived we plan late nets in Cuttack to get used to the evening conditions.
Looking ahead, as a batsman I feel a lot more confident as two of our next three games have late starts. In Pune, I was feeling confident and stroking the ball well, but since there was the pressure of keeping wickets intact, I could not go on the attack.
I know that day-night games in India bring with them their own set of challenges like the dew factor, but it's quite comforting to know that the pitch will play consistently right through the game.
The team is not likely to change, though we will take a final call on Thursday afternoon. The only worry is Cairns's injury, which is being monitored right now. The physio will decide whether he will play after a check-up on Thursday.
Off the field, I got an opportunity to meet and interact with some schoolchildren in Pune in the first of a couple of clinics that ESPN-STAR Sports has organised. The kids were all devoted students of the game and listened intently while I shared a few tips with them. The level of interest in cricket never ceases to amaze our team, and watching really young boys wield fairly heavy bats with consummate ease told me one thing -- the future of Indian cricket is in good, strong hands.
(Gameplan)
