The tried and trusted duo of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar struck a telling blow for the inexplicable extraneous pressure the 'seniors' in the Indian team have been placed under. Typically, the experienced pair did it with bat rather than lip.

Especially in the wake of the Twenty20 World Cup triumph, there has been a clamour to induct youth at the expense of gentlemen who have stacked up impressive records and played their part in many a victory for more than a decade. At the Sector 16 stadium against Australia, Ganguly and Tendulkar reiterated that while they might be close to the end of their careers, there is plenty of fight left in well-used bodies yet.

The third in the troika under fire, Rahul Dravid, made no more than a token appearance right at the end of the Indian batting stint, and didn't dawdle along either. Hold your peace, people, and let them be.

Monday's eight-run win, India's first against Australia in 11 matches was set up by the industry of Tendulkar and the adventure of Ganguly, in his first bat of the series. Their 91-run opening stand provided the platform under whose weight Australia slipped to their first defeat in 15 one-day internationals.

More through ability and experience than great fortune -- and, to be fair, both men had their fair share of luck -- Tendulkar and Ganguly came through the most tricky batting conditions of the match unscathed. Brett Lee cranked up the pace and swung it too, while Nathan Bracken got the ball to go at almost right angles. The bounce was inconsistent, the noose tightening with every delivery for the first ten overs, but like twin Houdinis, both veterans slipped through without damage.

Ganguly's 41 was more entertaining, Tendulkar's painstaking 79 no less significant as he sacrificed gay abandon for watchful cirumspection. The first-wicket association set the base for the power-hitters to build on. Along the way, Tendulkar became the maker of the most one-day runs against Australia, and stacked up 1,000 runs in a calendar year for a record seventh time!

"The seniors are excellent, you just can't replace them," skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni acknowledged. "That kind of talent is hard to find. Sachin and Sourav batted excellently and laid the platform, because initially, we thought even 250 would be tough to get on this track. Had they been dismissed early, we would have really struggled.

"At the same time, we must think about grooming young guys for the future as well. In case the experienced players decide to retire all of a sudden, we will be left in the lurch. But we need the seniors. They are all performers, and I know they will keep performing till such time that they play."


Robin Uthappa, coming below Dravid, made an 18-ball 30 at the death, and Dhoni was asked about the wisdom behind the younger Bangalorean not coming ahead of the older one. "You should see Rahul's strike rate in England and the way he batted," the captain answered, simply. "It is not just about who can come and hit the ball."