Indian Cricket in Australia

Indian Cricket in Australia

Sleighing – a disturbing vocal or actionable comment or performance by the fielders on the cricket ground to break the concentration of batsman – is the trade mark and successfully implemented action plan of Australian Cricket is seems booming back on them special with the forthcoming [In fact Indian team is there in Australia only] tour by the Indian team. No one will dare to put a question mark on the talent and success of Australian team during last 10-15 years. They are used to walk into ground with the pride of being the undisputed kings of the game. A popular joke, after the ODI world cup in the West Indies goes like. Next ODI world being held in Asia will last for just two days, on the day one there will be inaugural function include glimpse of Asian culture and photographic session for all the participating teams. On the second day a star filled entertainment program will be held at Edan garden Kolkatta – Cricket stadium can accommodate hundred thousands people- and world cup trophy will be handed over to Australian captain. This will mark end of function and world cup.

World scene has changed since the almost insulting exit of Indian team from that ODI world cup. Look at the success run of Indian team after the world cup, not only in ODI but also in the traditional Test cricket, feathers are being added to hat of Indian team one after another. Even the First T-20 world cup saw the Indians emerging as the world champion in the presence and defeating the kings of the game. Won home away test series in England and clinched title for the ODI and Test match home series against the arch rivals Pakistan. Even the solo twenty -20 match between Australia and India, during last Australian concluded with an Indian victory.

Indians are progressing positively to create and pose a challenge for Australians not only on the cricketing fields but also on the other ground. Who will forget the aggression of Shrisanth during the last tour of Australian cricket team to India. It is set norm of Australian players and press to start bombarding of nasty comments on the touring captain to demoralized him even before taking place at war fields of the game. Unfortunately touring Indian captain Anil Kumbale has made them deprived of it. In fact the reflections of changed scenario were started to reflect from the T-20 world cup in the South Africa with the calm, cool and calculated behavioral postures by the Indian captain M. S. Dhoni. Instead of Australian this time it was Anil kumble to lead the sleighing front with the statement “Without Worn, Australian spin attack is at its weakest point and we have batsmen to take advantage of this.” Might this was not sufficient to produce fear waves in opponent camp, so the star wicketkeeper and hard hitting batsman M S Dhoni, who is visiting Australia for first time, came with the statement “ Considering the reports and past records I can say only that Australia pitches are most suitable for the batting style I have.”

The kings are at the receiving end this time and that too at home. It will be interesting to see how the offenders are able to cope with the defending tactics and how and to what extant Indian team is able to convert the words into deeds. We have to remember over the years it has always a tough composition for all the touring teams to get accustom with the Australian climatic and ground situations and time consumed for this often resulted in defeat for them. This tour of Australia might going to prove the last visit for some of indian stars like sachin Tendulkar, saurav, Rahul, Laxman, and Kumbale so they will not leave a space for their already brilliant record.

The dates included in the playing schedule of Indian cricket team in Australia read like as follows

December 2007
26 to 30 First Test Matches [Melbourne]
January 2008
02 to 06 second Test Match [Sydney]
10 to 12 Practice Match against A. C. T. Eleven
16 to 20 Third Test Match [Perth]
24 to 28 Forth Test Match [Adelaide]

Australians are also looking forward to February first when both the Indians and Australians will take the ground for the solo T-20 match of the tour, to compensate some what for the insulting defeat in the semi’s of T-20 world cup and at Mumbai during the last tour of India by the Australian team in the same format of the game. This tour of Australia might going to prove last career visit for some of star performers like Sachin, Saurav, Laxman, Rahun and Kumbale , Surely all of them are going to put additional effrots for making the tour memmorable.

Kangaroos on Indian Land

Kangaroos on Indian Land

Those were the days when we waiting over 2-3 years for a cricket series against teams like Australia or West Indies and these are the days when even cricket wonder and genius like Sachin are complaining in direct way about the excess of cricket with words like Now it hard to get time for the overcome fatigue and recover from injuries when there are matches one following other at the interval of 2-3 or 4-5 days.

Things on and off the cricket fields went under the dramatic and speedy changes with the introduction of twenty-20 format. Indian team was still busy with felicitation for winning the twenty-20 world cup at Wankhede stadium Mumbai, when Kangaroos landed on Indian earth at Banglore for the seven matches ODI series. It is not easy to change from one format of game to other and that too when you are still under the hangover of winning the world championship of shortest version and going to face three time world champions as the opponent in the longer version of the game. India is fortunate in many senses, this series is home series in well known and familiar ground conditions with the support of home fans, which will be touching sky after the winning twenty-20 world cup [ this might work for increasing the pressure and may produce the adverse result], Three most successful ODI Indians players, Sachin, Sourav and Rahul are back to team, in all probabilities one among the world best opening pair Sachin and Sourav are going to open the inning for India, The famous wall Rahul Dravid is playing the inaugural ODI on home ground and has to prove how his bating is blossoming without the responsibility of captaincy, Irfan Pathan is in the mood of celebrating his come back where as aggression of Shrisanth is creating a concern in the opponent dressing room. The new find of twenty-20 cup, captaincy of hard hitter wicketkeeper M.S. Dhoni is shifting the pressure ball in the court of Australians. Even all these favorable, it is quite possible that India might loose the Banglore encounter just because of hangover of twenty-20 world cup win, failure in maintaining the dressing room and on the field energy level as some of the twenty-20 team players are being replaced and it needs time to reach with same energy level and interaction among the players. Unfortunately Indian team is not with time, players will be hardly with just 24 hours for all these adjustments. One thing is sure Indians are over 70% of chances of winning the series.

Australian are wounded with semis defeat of twenty-20 and history supports that kangaroos always become hard to defeat team after such humiliating defeats. Though some things are going against them, Australian attack is not looking as effective as it should be in the absence of Glen McGraw, Ricky Pointing is not in the best of form and health,there off the fields statements like "return of three senior players will make Indian team weaker" are not producing desired effect just because new Indian captain Dhoni says we don't believe in winning or loosing, we believe in enjoying our game. It is sure when you are enjoying your job success is intended to follow you. All these are not sufficient to write off Australia, after all they are ODI world champions and know the business better than any body else so this is going to be turn into battle that promises cricket at its best, just cricket and pure cricket with all its uncertainty and glory, Who ever loose the series but surely cricket is going to emerge as the winner.