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“It’s the final frontier for this side…” – Steve Waugh, 2001
That’s how a rivalry began. A general, out to conquer the world, set his eyes on a land that had eluded his clutches for years. He and his world beating troop flagged their supremacy all over before they ran into another general with an army of extraordinary gentlemen. When the world-beating commander declared war on the unconquered territory, the man protecting it quietly smiled and said “Aane do” (let them come at us)! And then it happened.
India vs Australia – A rivalry that the cricket world looks forward to. Since the inception of the Border- Gavaskar trophy, it has attained a cult status. These two countries don’t share a tainted historical past like the Ashes neither do they ooze of the hate thy neighbor sentiments. This series has always been about cricket and it has produced the most spectacular on and off field battles.
But that was the past, a past as glorious as it can ever be. Time has changed, so have the teams. Both the teams are mediocre and it’s not a battle between the best anymore. However, it’s an endeavour towards gaining the lost glory. If the Michael Clarke’s men would love to win in India to consolidate their transition phase, for the Men in Blue it’s a fight to regain their lost ground.
Which team has the advantage? Both teams look evenly matched but MSD’s men might have an edge over the men from down under for the following reasons -
Spinners – The men who can tweak the series
Parvez Rasool took seven, Jalaj Saxena four while Rakesh Dhruv got a fiver. That’s how India’s domestic spinners fared against the Aussies in the practice games. Though Michael Clarke didn’t feature in any of them, it has caused a minor flutter in the Australian camp.
India has a better spin attack, period. The trio of R. Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha is certainly more penetrative, on paper, than that of Nathan Lyon, Xavier Doherty and Ashton Agar. Though the Aussies boast of a robust pace quartet, their wafer thin spin options might come back to haunt Michael Clarke when he looks for variety. Also, Nathan Lyon is no Graeme Swann. In spite of his meteoric rise, he will primarily look to contain the Indian batsmen while the pacers will go for the wickets. The likes of Doherty and Agar may not feature in the first half of the series and even if they do, they are less likely to have a Panesar-esque effect!
India, however, might throw all three in the mix. Though Ashwin and Ojha have been the top draw tweakers for India, Harbhajan Singh’s inclusion will definitely shake up the Australians. The Sardar has always had their number and with four left handers in the top six, the Turbanator would be smacking his lips.
The Batsmen – the men who matter
Keep talking about spinners or pacers but in India if you have to win, you have to bat and bat well. England did it, South Africa did it, but can Australia do it?
No Ricky Ponting, no Michael Hussey, no Dravid, Laxman or Ganguly – the middle order of both sides doesn’t look as strong as it used to. Although Clarke has been in sensational form in the last couple of years and Watson has enough sub-continent experience, the others look a tad unsettled. Warner will brave a broken thumb while Cowan, Hughes, Wade and Henriques will face the music. All of them might have had some T20 experience on the Indian tracks but batting in a Test match is just that much tougher.
India’s middle order, however, has a different battle to fight. The series may be tipped as a contest between the Indian spinners and the Australian batsmen, but the Indian batting too will be tested against the solid Aussie pace attack. Earlier this year, James Anderson and Steven Finn had shown the frailties of this revamped Indian batting and Siddle and company would also look to hit the deck hard. Pujara might have made the number three his own but Sehwag, Tendulkar, Kohli and Dhoni would be looking to negate the “Swing” threat and make amends for the past failures.
Conditions – the dust, the cracks and the heat
England came last winter. The wickets were fresh and the conditions cooler. However, this series starts in the back end of the season and summer is settling in. Barring Mohali; Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi will make the Australians sweat. The domestic tournaments too have done their bit to wear out the wickets. The cracks will widen and top surface will crumble as the heat increases. The Aussies shouldn’t be surprised if they start turning a square mile from Day 1.
Renaissance – resurgence of Team India
10 loses in 17 Test matches – enough to create self doubts and mayhem in a cricket team. This Test series is the moment of truth for MS Dhoni and his side. The captain needs to revive his fervor for the longer format of the game because both his batting and leadership skills will be under the microscope. He not only has to raise his own game by quite a few notches, but also pump up the morale of a deflated unit. The selectors have started to ring in the changes and the taken-for-granted seats aren’t that cozy anymore. By cutting Gambhir loose, the selectors have finally sent a message. The Vijays, Dhawans, Tiwarys and Rainas have started banging on the door and past reputation can hardly save the heads from rolling.
Sachin Tendulkar – one last salvo
There may not be a Glenn McGrath or Shane Warne to challenge him but Sachin Tendulkar has a few personal scores to settle. He hasn’t been in the best of form since a while, but Tendulkar has always left his mark on an India – Australia series. This is perhaps the last time that he will take on his favourite opponents, so a last salvo may just be on the cards. Having retired from the limited overs format, Tendulkar signalled his intentions and his performances in the domestic cricket show that the Little Master is gearing up for the Aussies. The last two years hasn’t been prolific for the GOD of cricket and the Kangaroos might be in for some special treatment. More than his personal performances, India still needs him to plug the gaping holes in the middle order by guiding the young men around him. Even more than that, the Indian dressing room is in need of some inspiration and who better than him to take up that mantle.
This series has always been about moments. Whether it the verbal duel between Ganguly and Waugh or the on field masterclass between Tendulkar and Warne, the Indo-Aus series has produced moments that have become immortal in cricketing history. This time there aren’t many greats around and this is where the Kohlis and the Pujaras must cash in. They are good but this is their chance to inch towards greatness. Forget what they did against the Kiwis, forget what they couldn’t against England because “Asli Test abhi baaki hai” (the real Test awaits them)!
