What does this series mean for India?

It’s always an exciting affair to watch a good Test match. Nothing else can give the same amount of joy for a cricket fan than cheering, shouting and applauding his team at every moment as they toil on the field for five days in their whites. As India prepares to host the Border-Gavaskar trophy, both teams are trying to give their best shot on the field. This series means a lot for both teams and they have a lot to prove. India, with a string of defeats and a budding team, have a lot of ground to cover up in order to take on the Aussies who are here after thrashing the West Indies.

Any tale of Indian cricket always starts with the Master Blaster, as it always did in the last two decades. Well, he has nothing more to prove to the selectors, the fans and the cricketing world. His passion, love for the game and his hunger for runs hasn’t dropped in all these years. Now comes the captain cool, who was under a lot of fire for his captaincy and form in Test cricket. The numbers speak for themselves and he needs to pull his socks up and set the standard for his team. Viru and Bhajji are travelling in the same boat now. With all these years of experience and wisdom, they both know they have to perform to compete with the prowling youngsters or make way for them.

For years, the Indian batting line up was unconquerable and was the reason for its rise to the No.1 position. And the likes of Dravid, Ganguly and VVS are the best middle order any team could have asked for. With all of them out of the game, the youngsters have a lot to prove to reach anywhere near their standards. Pujara comes in to the slot where Dravid did all the hard work, wearing down the ball, standing under the scorching sun for hours and days. Kohli is doing good for the past two years and I hope he carries his good as his team require his services at that slot.

Bowling was never the strongest department of the modern Indian cricket team. But on the subcontinent pitches, its spinners created havoc. India sorely misses the services of Kumble as he was always the go to man. Can Ashwin or Ojha live up to standards of their predecessors? Only time can answer that. And there is always the curious case of Ravindra Jadeja. Is he a bowling all-rounder or batting all-rounder?

On a whole, India badly needs a win for all the obvious reasons. It has the ability to take on the Aussies and to prove the world again why they are to be taken lightly. They are still a formidable bunch to defeat in their own backyards. It’s going to be an interesting series and one worth watching. And for an Indian fan, he is beaten down with the team’s Test defeats and requires something to cheer him up. There is nothing like a thrilling Test match for any cricket fan.