Indian Cricket
Another Indian Summer Down Under?
By Gaurang
December 15 2007
Last time India defied the skeptics and managed to not only survive, but actually take the lead against the home team, and then returned with their grip on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy unbroken. This time around too the critics are quite skeptical. And why shouldn’t they be? Australia has an awesome record at home in Test cricket.
But India has been the only team to consistently challenge the Australians in Test cricket this decade. The question is will India be able to continue doing that?
India has a slightly better balanced team this time compared to 2003-04. The batting, at least on paper, has been bolstered by the inclusion of Wasim Jaffer in place of Aakash Chopra and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in place of Parthiv Patel, the later substitution also hopefully improving the wicket keeping. The addition of Yuvraj Singh to the squad has also strengthened the batting. Balanced against this is the fact that two of India’s key batsmen, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, are currently in a slump. Also of concern is the fact that all of the main batsmen, except Yuvraj and Sehwag, are past the prime batting age of around thrity, so one does not know whether they will be able to perform like they did last time.
The Indian bowling though looks stronger this time with Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, both fully fit, plus Anil Kumble and R.P. Singh, with Irfan Pathan and Ishant Sharma in the reserves. This is a much healthier situation than a bowling attack relying on Ajit Agarkar and Anil Kumble as the only fully fit and experienced bowlers, as was the case last time around.
Australia, on the other hand, is just as powerful in terms of batting as it was in 2003-04. Steve Waugh, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn have been replaced by Michael Clarke, Phil Jacques, Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds. Arguably the batting has actually gotten stronger not weaker. The Australian bowling, especially the pace bowling, too has clearly gotten much stronger this time. Last time around Jason Gillespie was the spearhead, and though Brett Lee joined the team for the final two matches, he was coming back from a long injury lay off. This time Lee will be the spearhead supported by Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait. The availability or not of Stuart MacGill will not be an issue, not only because MacGill didn’t make much of an impression last time around against India, but also because it is unlikely that the pitches will be conducive to spin, given India’s significant advantage in that department.
Last time India’s pre-tour preparations were much better and India was a well rested outfit too coming into the series. This time the team arrives after almost non-stop cricket since May, and just days after completing a big home series versus traditional rivals Pakistan. Last time the Indian team played two matches before the first Test, compared to only one this time. Also, the amount of time between when the Indian team lands in Australia and when it plays the first Test match is ridiculously short this time. Add to this the fact that the only warm-up game is scheduled to be played, not at the MCG, but at a tiny club ground, against a Victoria side that is likely to rest its key bowlers, will add to the sense that India will enter the first Test half-baked at best.
However, this time the itinerary does offer some hope to India. India do not play a Test match in Brisbane, one of the fastest and bounciest wickets in Australia. Also, India don’t play in Perth, another fast and bouncy track, till the third Test, i.e. after playing in Melbourne and Sydney, two venues with lesser bounce, and some spin, where India has done decently in the past. The final Test is at Adelaide, is another venue that the Indian team will have fond memories of.
However to balance the favorable schedule is the fact that the BCCI failed to negotiate and sign a contract with a coach in time for this crucial series. The Indian team is also without a proper media manager, though they have the media savvy Chetan Chauhan as the tour manager. It is well known that in Australia the local media acts almost like a member of the home squad and attempts to pressurize the visiting team and captain. One hopes that the phlegmatic Chauhan is up to the dual task of communicating with the local media while shielding the team from unwanted pressure. from the local press. And while it is infinitely preferable to have no coach, rather than the wrong coach, Team India certainly seem to be flying into enemy territory with little more than the traditional “Sab Kuchch Ram Bharose” to fall back on.
However, at least the pilot in charge of the Indian team is a veteran of many such sorties. Dilip Vengsarkar and the selection committee took the somewhat unpopular but correct decision of handing Anil Kumble the Test captaincy, instead of burdening the popular but inexperienced Mahendra Singh Dhoni with it, after a hesitant Sachin Tendulkar wisely turned it down.
Australia love to target the captain of the opposition and really know how to go after him. If Dhoni was the captain the Australians would have targeted him with a vengeance and subjected him to a barrage of short pitched bowling, lots of on-field verbals, and all sorts of tactics on and off the field designed to rattle his confidence, and hence that of the team.
This time around it is going to be interesting to see how Australia try and put pressure on Anil Kumble. If they try to attack him, it could back-fire and he could become more effective, not less, as a bowler. As for targeting him with the ball, they will certainly not be able to pressure him with short-pitched bowling or verbals, etc., not only because he plays short-pitched bowling well, but because he is not a regular batsman, and such a ploy would only create sympathy for Kumble. The Australians may try to use the media to put pressure on him in subtle ways, but Kumble is not going to be easy to get after in the press either. He is clean, uncontroversial, and liked and respected by all, yet unafraid to speak his mind. In fact compared to the spoilt brat image that the Australian captain seems to project, Kumble comes across as the sensible adult in charge.
So, on balance Team India have more than a decent chance to do well in Australia this time as well. And if they do, not just Indian fans, but even Australian fans, will be glad to see a real contest in Australia for the first time since India last visited their shores.
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The only time they lost a match when the series was ALIVE was at Adelaide in 2003....
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Spot on there mate..
I must admit I wish Perth was the first game..
I wud have liked the ODI series in AUS bfr the test...this was one of teh main reason India did well in England tests recently, as that gave time to the Indian to get used to the conditions..
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Anyway, it is true that India had plenty of time to acclimatize themselves in Ireland and Scotland and even played a couple of practice matches IIRC before the first Test... and yet we nearly lost the first Test...
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Says Hogg is NOWHERE near the class of Warne and MacGill...
Harbhajan wants Hogg to play at MCG
From CI...
Cricinfo staff
December 17, 2007
Harbhajan Singh, who faced up to Andrew Symonds in India, says "if somebody gives it to us, we will give it back" © Getty Images
Harbhajan Singh has taken aim at Brad Hogg by saying he believes there are no quality spinners in Australia behind Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill. With India due to arrive to prepare for the Boxing Day Test, Harbhajan has landed an early verbal blow as Australia consider whether to employ four fast bowlers or look to Hogg.
The Indians would love Hogg to be picked for the MCG. "From our point of view, we would be happy to see how Hogg would go against the best players of spin in the world," Harbhajan told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It would be a big test for him, and we all know how he bowls."
Harbhajan said Hogg was "not close to the class of Warne and MacGill". "If they play Hoggy, I will wish him all the best because I have nothing against him, but I would be happy to see him bowl at our batsmen."
Hogg has been a major weapon for Australia in one-day games, but he has not appeared in a Test since the Zimbabwe series in 2003. He has played only four Tests and was part of the squad for the first match against Sri Lanka in November. MacGill was due to be the No. 1 spinner after Warne's retirement, but that changed when he had surgery on his wrist in the hope of correcting carpal tunnel.
Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, said Australia would be better off not using Hogg on Boxing Day. "It depends on how the pitches are looking, of course, but India doesn't have a problem playing spin," he said in the Herald. "Hogg has been great in one-day cricket but I think ... Australia should use four quicks." Lawson said Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds could chip in to provide the slow bowling.
Lawson, whose team lost a series to India last week, warned the Australians they would not take any physical or verbal backward steps. "They will stand up to whatever is thrown at them," he said. Harbhajan agreed with Lawson's view.
"We're not just going to take it," he said. "If somebody gives it to us, we will give it back. We have the quality in our side, and if we all stick together we can give the Australians a good fight. We respect their team and the kind of cricket they play, but we don't fear them."
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Tendulkar is the greatest cricketer of all time
Quote:are past the prime batting age of around thrity
I strongly dispute that 30 is the 'prime batting age'.
so for a SRT starting at 16 yrs.. his prime would have to be when he was 25 and untill he was 33 or so... assuming most talented batters retire around the 36-38 age mark...
but for a Hussey prime batting age would be 33-37 with retirement at 38 or 39...
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Tendulkar is the greatest cricketer of all time
A real bummer, gotta go the video on demand way(worldondemand.net or some other service).
But it is a friggin pain to see it on the computer....
Quote:"Leading up to the [final
Sydney Test match it was 1-1 and we did extremely well in the last Test series [to draw], so it's going to be very crucial for all of us," he said.]
[www.rediff.com]
see the attempt to give context [to draw]... yeah right...
last test day of series, Aus have a target of 443 to win and end up on 340/7 and India are said to have drawn the series...
yeah right...
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Quote:right now i'm watchig Aus-NZ ODI delayed by 1 day.
You mean the rain curtailed one?
If you are watching the one that Australia won... that was many days ago...
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Quote:It is well known that in Australia the local media acts almost like a member of the home squad and attempts to pressurize the visiting team and captain.
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Quote:This time around it is going to be interesting to see how Australia try and put pressure on Anil Kumble. If they try to attack him, it could back-fire and he could become more effective, not less, as a bowler. As for targeting him with the ball, they will certainly not be able to pressure him with short-pitched bowling or verbals, etc., not only because he plays short-pitched bowling well, but because he is not a regular batsman, and such a ploy would only create sympathy for Kumble. The Australians may try to use the media to put pressure on him in subtle ways, but Kumble is not going to be easy to get after in the press either. He is clean, uncontroversial, and liked and respected by all, yet unafraid to speak his mind. In fact compared to the spoilt brat image that the Australian captain seems to project, Kumble comes across as the sensible adult in charge.
Once again seems I was on the money... Ponting is the SPOILED BRAT and Kumble the sensible mature adult in charge...
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most of my predictions were pretty spot on...
Only the Yuvraj bolstering the batting was a total HOWLER...
But then nobody expected that!....
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