Line & Length
R Mohan
Team India go Down Under with new hope
December 16, 2007
To touring teams the island-continent-nation represents the toughest terrain on the cricket planet. First, they go up against the best team in the world, Australia. Second, the media wages a proper psychological warfare long before the tourists arrive. Third, the pitches are sporting with more than a bit of bounce in them. Fourth, the leading home stars start chirping about various aspects of the deficiencies in the cricket of the tourist.
To India, a Test series win in Australia is the Holy Grail. Having come near enough to achieving it in 1986 (0-0) and again in 2003-04 (1-1), they now travel with hope once again. The country's Fabulous Five - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman and Anil Kumble - will be going Down Under with tonnes of experience and a fine record to boast of against the world's best.
The five will also be touring Australia for the last time, which means they will be extra keen to excel. What they need is support from the other six in the playing XI, among whom will be the star batsman who is in irresistible form, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan who is the natural leader of the pace pack without whose contribution it would be impossible to win Tests. As a horse for the course, the Test discard Viru Sehwag also makes it.
Sehwag may have lost form since last touring Australia. His is a positive attitude that might help the Indians. Here are some points that India may consider in trying to measure up to Australia as they did the last time they were there, although it must be stressed that two fine bowlers in Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath did not play any of the Tests then and this time around they may be facing a genuine pace attack spearheaded by Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, a tearaway quick.
First, India must learn to ignore media baiting, which is a common practice as seen in headlines like "shape up or ship out" and "Indians knackered" that will often find their way into tabloids. Second, Team India will have to stand up to the big guns of the Australian batting lineup like Matthew Hayden who simply loves to bully the bowlers into submission. Third, the pace bowlers would have to give up any fancy notions of engaging in a war of words or sledging because such tactics only backfire as we saw in the case of Sreesanth in the ODI series in India recently.
The advantage team India have, as acknowledged by former skipper Steve Waugh, is the itinerary featuring Tests at MCG, where the drop-in pitch has proved to be without great pace and at spin-friendly Sydney before hitting Perth where a fiery reception can be anticipated before the tour ends in that batsmen's paradise at the Adelaide Oval.
The small matter of taking 20 Australian wickets on true pitches remains. This will be the greater challenge than making runs. Knocking over Pakistan in one Test was fine enough an achievement. The signs seen in the Kolkata and Bangalore Tests on flat tracks without pace were worrying enough to suggest the Australian tour will be tougher than can be envisaged as the Indians set off this weekend. A Test win last time out was made possible as much by Ajit Agarkar's late away swingers as by that supremely arrogant attitude Australia used to take pride in under Steve Waugh. They are a different combination altogether under Ponting when they have lost three Tests, two in an Ashes defeat in England and another on a Mumbai spin whirlpool after having won the series at their Last Frontier, India.
Is India's bowling attack, comprising pace and spin with a few support cast like Ganguly, Tendulkar and Yuvraj thrown in, good enough to knock over 20 wickets? India could do so in England where the ball was swinging all day long and the Zaheer-R.P. Singh combination proved deadly. In Australia, the red Kookaburra will not swing that much and seam movement is achieved only with great difficulty on true pitches.
If the T-20 in Perth is any indication, then it will be a test of technique and reaction time by pace in 2007, far more tan it was four years ago. Australia is also considering unleashing a four-man pace attack to confront India's immense batting prowess. To stay positive against such bowling is more easily said than done. If an Indian batting lineup, with such quality to it, cannot stand up to a barrage, what chance then for less equipped teams.
Importantly, India's would have to compete against Team Australia's cricket, not its cricketers, not the national media, which all too often is excessively supremacist sport-wise, not its handful of yobos who taunt visiting athletes at sporting arenas. What Team India would need is gall and a bit of the Chak De spirit.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
To India, a Test series win in Australia is the Holy Grail. Having come near enough to achieving it in 1986 (0-0) and again in 2003-04 (1-1), they now travel with hope once again. The country's Fabulous Five - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman and Anil Kumble - will be going Down Under with tonnes of experience and a fine record to boast of against the world's best.
The five will also be touring Australia for the last time, which means they will be extra keen to excel. What they need is support from the other six in the playing XI, among whom will be the star batsman who is in irresistible form, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan who is the natural leader of the pace pack without whose contribution it would be impossible to win Tests. As a horse for the course, the Test discard Viru Sehwag also makes it.
Sehwag may have lost form since last touring Australia. His is a positive attitude that might help the Indians. Here are some points that India may consider in trying to measure up to Australia as they did the last time they were there, although it must be stressed that two fine bowlers in Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath did not play any of the Tests then and this time around they may be facing a genuine pace attack spearheaded by Brett Lee and Shaun Tait, a tearaway quick.
First, India must learn to ignore media baiting, which is a common practice as seen in headlines like "shape up or ship out" and "Indians knackered" that will often find their way into tabloids. Second, Team India will have to stand up to the big guns of the Australian batting lineup like Matthew Hayden who simply loves to bully the bowlers into submission. Third, the pace bowlers would have to give up any fancy notions of engaging in a war of words or sledging because such tactics only backfire as we saw in the case of Sreesanth in the ODI series in India recently.
The advantage team India have, as acknowledged by former skipper Steve Waugh, is the itinerary featuring Tests at MCG, where the drop-in pitch has proved to be without great pace and at spin-friendly Sydney before hitting Perth where a fiery reception can be anticipated before the tour ends in that batsmen's paradise at the Adelaide Oval.
The small matter of taking 20 Australian wickets on true pitches remains. This will be the greater challenge than making runs. Knocking over Pakistan in one Test was fine enough an achievement. The signs seen in the Kolkata and Bangalore Tests on flat tracks without pace were worrying enough to suggest the Australian tour will be tougher than can be envisaged as the Indians set off this weekend. A Test win last time out was made possible as much by Ajit Agarkar's late away swingers as by that supremely arrogant attitude Australia used to take pride in under Steve Waugh. They are a different combination altogether under Ponting when they have lost three Tests, two in an Ashes defeat in England and another on a Mumbai spin whirlpool after having won the series at their Last Frontier, India.
Is India's bowling attack, comprising pace and spin with a few support cast like Ganguly, Tendulkar and Yuvraj thrown in, good enough to knock over 20 wickets? India could do so in England where the ball was swinging all day long and the Zaheer-R.P. Singh combination proved deadly. In Australia, the red Kookaburra will not swing that much and seam movement is achieved only with great difficulty on true pitches.
If the T-20 in Perth is any indication, then it will be a test of technique and reaction time by pace in 2007, far more tan it was four years ago. Australia is also considering unleashing a four-man pace attack to confront India's immense batting prowess. To stay positive against such bowling is more easily said than done. If an Indian batting lineup, with such quality to it, cannot stand up to a barrage, what chance then for less equipped teams.
Importantly, India's would have to compete against Team Australia's cricket, not its cricketers, not the national media, which all too often is excessively supremacist sport-wise, not its handful of yobos who taunt visiting athletes at sporting arenas. What Team India would need is gall and a bit of the Chak De spirit.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
