India vs Australia 2018: Hosts under pressure, India favourites - ICC needs to keep a strict vigil
The series in Australia is all about courage, power, skill, quality, competition,opportunity, bounce, pace, sledging.
In a recent interview Michael Clarke has put forward a point vowing Australian cricket team to play "tough Australian cricket" in upcoming test series which may include a barrage of sledging or a bit of ball tampering saying keeping history as a reference on a lighter note.
Michael Clarke a batting legend and a former Australian test captain usually a calm task master is famous for his one off incident with James Anderson where he was involved in a bitter verbal spat with the bowling legend.
However, in a stark contrast with the Clarke's statement Simon Katich, who has shared the dressing room with Clarke both for New South Wales and Australia, believes that Australia need to understand that they are in this particular spot because they blatantly cheated and have to rejig the entire process to garner respect.
While the Ashes conntinues to flare tempers down under, there is a unique rivalry which Australia shares with India. As far as the TRPs are concerned, the Indian series continues to rank up there for Australia the host broadcasters milk the opportunity.
Having said this, the current Australian side, especially the batting is not the strongest and this would definitely test the patience of the spectators who have become so used to seeing their sides win matches at home. The Indian side are overwhelming favourites and thus, the tactics employed by Australia will be closely monitored.
There are mixed signals coming through from Cricket Australia. They have upheld the bans imposed on Steven Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft, but at the same time have allowed them to train them with the national side in the nets. While this may well be to give the bowlers best match-practice leading into the Test matches, it also raises questions over the sanctity of the bans.
And then there is the issue of Tim Paine, who is under pressure after the loss in UAE. He has to build a team around him, give them confidence and then lead them out against a very good Indian side. Winning and competing is the Australian DNA, but this 'win at any cost' has now given way to 'elite honesty' as far as the optics are concerned. How will it pan out on the field remains to be seen, especially when the going will be tough for the hosts.
Hence, So as to prevent any such controversial event Cricket Australia and ICC would be keeping a strict vigil and may be counselling the players of both the team to play the game in the spirit of sportsmanship considering they are representing their country which hold invaluable importance for both the teams so that the players behave within the cricketing laws and the pressure should not mount unnecessarily on any of the team such that they resort to things which will bring disrepute to them , country and to the gentleman's game.