India vs Australia - The battle of the fallen
It all started on the third day of the Kolkata Test, 2001. It went on to Adelaide, came back to Delhi. Then to Sydney, Perth, before traveling back to Mohali. After which, it had questions raised to itself – the former riveting India-Australia rivalry. Indians were the only side that could so much as challenge them in arguably their global maxima, in around 10 years following the millennium. Now that the Aussies seem rather toothless, beating India in India doesn’t any more have the opulent values it might’ve had in the recent past.
I’ve been, time and again, tossed into dilemmas over which team holds the upper hand, and the views of acknowledged experts frequently baffle me. Just a couple of days back, Rahul Dravid and Ian Chappell pitted India as the superior team in this one. Here are the reasons why we can’t claim such preposterous comparisons.
Australia
Overview
Having come off an average season at home and a terrible practice match against India A, the Aussies are bound to be a touch nervous. There, I said it. With all the idealistic cricketing system back home and their so-called astute cricketing board, the Australians are facing an unprecedented dearth of talent.
The Albatross
Batting is a worry, no doubt. Falling like a pack of innocuous dominoes in front of rookie India A spinners must’ve been a wake up call for the selectors. Spin is a worry for them as well, as Lyon is no more than an average offie who will surely not run through this Indian line-up.
The Ups
Watson and Cowan are looking exciting up-front. Clarke is in stupendous form and will be the key, with his agile feet movements and his past records in India. Henriques is set to make his Test debut, making Clarke’s life much easier on the field with his abilities with the ball. The factor that has been buoying the Oz for long has been their feted fast bowling line-up, with the likes of Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson in its ranks. I’ll bet my money on this bowling unit taking 20 wickets each match against the much weakened Indians.
India
Overview
Indians seem confident. And honestly, I do NOT know why. They have just come off a horrendous series defeat at home against the English in Tests, and this one’s not going to be the easiest of rides for them either. But having said that, Indians have been near formidable at home, and this fact is enough in itself to give Clarke sleepless nights, if he didn’t get them already in this heat of Chennai.
The Albatross
Its high time and I’m rather fed up of this, and so should you be, and frankly it is needless to say that we have the worst fast bowling unit in the world now, with the cream either dropped or injured. Partially because of this and the fact that no-one else is able-enough to represent India in the International arena, they might play just the one seamer. The batting is shaky as ever, with no certainty over No.6. To add to that, you never know when this “highly rated” batting line-up malfunctions. So even though one might say that the bowling is India’s albatross on its back, batting is one key area where they need to improve.
The Ups
India’s the home team. Can’t think of anything else at that magnitude. Spin is another one. India has had a history of good spin department, and with Harbhajan back, you never know what the spinners can do on such pitches. Pujara has had a prolific Ranji season and will be hard to stop. As usual, there are no all-rounders in the team. Plus, Sir Ravindra Jadeja will always always remain an ‘up‘ irrespective of whatever he does.
The Bottomline
First Test’s going to be the most exciting one. If India wins, and as TRP predicts it might, the series will be wide open. If the Oz find a way through and nail the first Test, its going to another one of those hugely unlikeable, soporific Test series India has been a part of so frequently in recent times.
TRP Prediction for the series
Australia: 3 India:1