I think part of the reason is the frequency of the contests. India-Australia is becoming a little too frequent...so familiarity means that you run out of things to say. Second of all, I think the Aussies can be quietened down like any other team if you get amongst them...and I think India showed that earlier this year in Australia by playing aggressive, no-holds barred cricket which really put them on the back foot. So they're a bit wary of winding the Indian players up.

Do not make predictions based on Aussie performance against the BP XI casue that was a BP XI which had loads of youngsters and Talented one too ... The Indian team that is going to come out for test is so different and I am sure that it will be a lot more harder , Aus start favorites.

I think you are reading a little too much into Rohit's answers. What do you expect him to say? That Jason Krejza is so bad, it reminded of playing spin in high school, the Oz should not have played him?

I think the series is having a good buildup and the anticipation is high and no one has missed pre-series slanging except the media which is always looking for hype, sensationalism and sound bytes. The cricketers and fans are happy to let cricket do the talking for once after so many controversies. The media must understand that Krezja after all is still a debutant travelling for the first time to India and comments regarding him must be reserved until he completes atleast two seasons.

Wonder if the IPL has anything to do with this. It's tougher to say anything snide about folks that one might end up playing next to later in the year.

Australians have to be quiet now because they probably know that their secret weapon - Umpiring Errors will probably not be there to dig them out of corners any more.
Any "human errors" assisting Australia after Sydney will make evident the fact that Bucknor at Bangalore & Bowden / Benson at Sydney were not "human errors" they were management orders.

Given that Australian top-order batsmen must be aiming at personal scores of around 300 in India, to avoid defeat, a lot of stamina is going to have to be gathered together in a few days.

I am not quite sure that you are right. Firstly, it is strange for the Australian players not to resort to pre-series bombast. But then that may be part of their strategy to cause the India team to be over confident. I also understand that Krejza bowls the carrom ball like Mendis did recently in Sri Lanka. Yet he did not bowl this in the Hyderabad match recently. He also bowled pretty badly for a player thought to be good enough to play for Australia.That may have been a deliberate ploy. It is not unusual for captains to conceal their plans before the real action begins. I think that is the case here. However whether they succeed or not remains to be seen. Be that as it may, I think this will be a great series.

Do you not think it is because of the fickle and somewhat dangerous way the Indian public can act? Heck, even pointing out a true weakness of one Indian caused stampedes in the streets. They are quite smartly treating this series cautiously. It is not a sign of lack of confidence, change of times etc. It is just something which with India causes more trouble than it’s worth . Will be an interesting series – one that India should win on paper comfortably. However that has to take a whole heap of pressure of the Australians, so I’d say they are taking a slight advantage in. It is India with the poor record when it comes to being favourites. 2004/05 was definitely not won by an inferior aussie team. It’s funny how over time it is forgotton how incredibly hard batting was becoming in that second test which was lost to rain – I remember what a good effort it was by the Aussies to get that 200 run lead – one which I know they would’ve given themselves better than even odds to defend

It should not be forgotten that the Yuvraj-led BP XI was a younger, more energetic, and stronger team than the Test XI that we will field next week. So the Australians will definitely perform better in the tests than they did against the BP XI.

The only people worried that the Aussies aren't saying much before the series starts is the media. They don't have anything to write about adn were hoping they would get some juicy sound bites and are really disappointed that no one wants to offer any.

I don't think the Indian team of 1969-70 was superior to the Aussies under Bill Lawry. The Indian team had no fast bowlers to speak of - Solkar opened the bowling in a few tests - while the Aussies had McKenzie, Connolly, Gleeson and Mallet. The Aussie batting line up was also formidable with Lawry, Stackpole, Chappell, Walters, Shhehan and Redpath, if I recall. In contrast, the Indian batting side was weak and had a number of debutants such as Vishwanath and Solkar. The only thing strong about the Indian team was the spin attack but time and time again, the Australians crawled out of impossible situations because there was no pace in the attack to root out the tail.

I think this is a different Australian team which is feelling its way. There is no Glenn Mcgrath saying that Australia will win 4 -0 and Hayden is probably missing his Queensland mate who just went fishing at the wrong time.But Veeru has said that Australia will lose and India will win 3-0.Our Nawab is not quiet, not by any stretch of imagination. This series will not fit into the pattern of the previous ones as many of the players on the Australian side are too busy finding their places in the side and the others like Hussey will not shoot their mouth off, because Hussey is no McGrath. The series will not be about bold words but about actions and perhaps more about attrition.The more patient team will win and the team with greater resilience will win. We will know the answer soon enough.

yeah interesting comments... im sure IPL has got something to do with it. I also believe there are no loud mouths or world beaters in the aussie team to say comments like mcgrath used to say, besides im sure they're also aware that victory is not guaranteed this time around... like earlier this year also though india played really well, they still lost the series...

but im looking forward to the series... want to see some more kanpur like wkts to welcome the aussies. sporting wkts should be reserved for minnows and for domestic cricketers to practise on. to win, you just have to do whatever it takes. I dont belive in the davis cup final argentina will give clay court to nadal so that he can bury them in the same clay. they will give him a fast, faster indoor court. same logic should apply to cricket.

It seems too much too soon. Why couldn't the series be placed better like the Ashes with a two year break? No offence meant to anyone but I don't find India-Australia series all that interesting. The Indians are a boring team except for Sehwag. For me the '09 Ashes series is the real highlight of the next 12 months. I just wishe the West Indies would become stronger because their calypso brand of cricket is exciting. The subcontinent teams fall below England, WI and South Africa and even NZ (just for neighbourly rivalry) in my entertainment value, apart from perhaps the Sri Lankans. The IPL was the most irrelevant competition. I would rather watch a grade game in Sydney.

I very much disagree that 'India were clearly the superior side' in 04-05. That Australian team was one of the strongest line-ups we've ever had and were expected to win by the Australian public, even in the subcontinent.

It took an Ashes loss after wards to give us a bit of a wake up call and realize that our players are human too.

I think this series will be a draw. I think the pressure is on India to do well against a "weakened" Australian team. However, India themselves are not playing great cricket so i think Australia could draw or even win. I think India should be more worried about what will happen when Kumble, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman retire in the next few years.

After what they saw of India in Australia - they know better to keep their mouth shut uptight than to leak out a few words. Moreover the last series in India which the Aussies won - Thanks to the Rain in Chennai - was jus the luck they wanted... Given a score of 200 odd to chase in a wicket which was as good as the third days wicket and with sehwag bludgeoning Mcgrath right from the beginning - it was jus to easy to predict who wud have won that game. This series will be an evenly poised series with our strength being our Bowling. Game on!

Hmmm.. would it have something to do with the fact that for the first time in probably a century, the Australians will be held to the same standards as visiting teams are held to by Aussie media in Australia? I think the Indians are quiet because they dont want Ponting whinging to the match referee again.
Nice try Suresh, if you dont have any news, make it... sadly the Sharad Pawar still has the Speed family jewels in his lock box for Aus to say anything stupid..

India are very brave when playing at home, and they talk as if they are the ones who have dominated world cricket since 1995. Yet last check of the rankings they had slumped to 4th, and that is a well deserved slump considering recent series. Until India can win away and at home on a consistente basis they have no bragging rights. We Aussies tend to get a laugh at teams running off at the mouth when they have proved very little. While at the same time we just proceed with accumulating victories. Now we are not the team of the Waughs, Gilchrist, Warne and McGrath, but we still possess a winning culture and mind set. India only won a Test here in early 2008 due to their disgraceful conduct, and they way in which the BCCI forced Cricket Australia to bow under the weight of the threat of a tour boycott. But true power in world cricket is not won off the field in boardrooms and by unleashing lackeys like Peter Roebuck in the press. It is won on 22 yards of turf in every corner of the world.

Part of the reason for the silence might be the money in ICL. Australians aren't in a good position to attack a place or its players where they are making their bread nowadays-- or boats or whatever. The second reason can also be that their over-inflated bowlers might now finally be tried in dead tracks in the sub-continent. They are definitely more on the diffident side rather than on the confident side. However, crucially, India might hand them the confidence come the firt test with their top 4 batsmen not in ideal form. It will be interesting but the first test will set the tone for the series. I also think the Aussie team is nothing compared to Steve Waugh's team, but, meanwile, Indian star players are showing signs of aging as well, so the latter will have their weaknesses, too.
Good to see you writing blogs though. Much better than some other clearly biased blogs (with numbers), which find the perfect algorithm to reason their preconceived biases or otherwise engage in innuendo.

"Political correctness is the enemy of frisson in sporting encounters"

Bad cricket will be the only enemy of frisson. If the teams have great battles then it doesn't matter if there is no kitchen-sink psychology uttered before the series. Better to have silence before great matches than have all sorts of nonsense spouted before a drab series.

Its going to be a great series, always is in India, its my favourite tour.The Aussies(being one myself)can never be defended in their behaviour, but neither can India only from their last meeting with Australia. I just hope that we can all talk about CRICKET rather than any taunts, snide remarks or umpires. Remember, umpire mistakes have been around forever, and they cost Australia the ashes back in '05. Which ever way the decisions 'go' everyone should just play CRICKET. And lets get some respect from EVERY SINGLE player on the pitch. They are all great cricket players from both teams. Its always better when its played in the right spirit no matter what the result. Let's play cricket in one of the best tours that the cricket calendar has!

If you were actually to press the Australian players for a prediction of the score-line they would likely suggest a whitewash. As they do for every series they partake in. Anything else would be preparing to fail, and a tacit acceptance of failure, which isn't acceptable in the Aussie camp.

It's not rude, it's not disrespectful, it's just a good mental attitude.

As for player specific comments, there isn't really much more they could say about the batting line-up that hasn't been said by the Indian media, nor about Kumble. The only person worth saying anything about is Harbhajan, and even then it's only worth saying anything to him on the field as he's only one indiscretion away from being banned for life by the BCCI.

As for the Indian team being 'clearly the superior side' in the series you mention: they lost. The superior team is the one that wins. That's pretty much how sport works.

Are indians born with chips on both shoulders?

This childish obsession with finding fault with anything Australian is quite tiresome. I'm sure if any comments had been made, then the indian media and fans would have erupted with their predictable hysteria. Instead, the Australians make no statements and are still crucified by puerile journalism.

Maybe the Aussies are just concerned for their safety. We are continually told by those from the subcontinent how bad Australia and Australians are, but lets face it, copping some abuse from the crowd is hardly the same as being burnt in effigy, or perhaps blown up.

And Chetan, any complaints about umpiring should be made with consideration of the Australian tour of india 2001. I didn't see Bucknor celebrating with the Australians after last summer, I did see umpire Venkat celebrating with the Indians after 2001. This 'every time we don't win, it's a conspiracy' attitude held by some indians is so over the top, it's hilarious.

"One of sport¹s biggest mistakes is to underestimate an Australian team. India were clearly the superior side in 1969-70 in India, in 1977-78 in Australia, in 2004-05 in India, and yet lost all these series."

You've got to be kidding about 2004-05 right? What makes you come to that conclusion? Australia were at their peak, just look at the players they had: Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Ponting, Langer, Hayden, Clarke, Martyn, Gillespie & even Kasprowicz did ok. Whilst India had Gambhir, Kaif, Karthik & Chopra who have all struggled at international level. There is no comparison there... Sachin and Saurav only played 2 tests each and the bowling attack relied heavily on Kumble and Harbhajan whilst Australia had a much more balanced attack. This time around India are favourites and will surprise me if they don't win the series at home.

I think people are reading too much into Australia's performance in the practice games. They are still the best side in the world and come October 9th, 1st Test , 1st Innings , 1st Session, they'll prove it.

I don't need any trash talking or media hype to "get interested" in a test series. Just knowing what the two teams are capable of leads to the expectation of a tough and exciting series.

This series will draw.

Some excellent debate here! But I must ask Chetan if he is taking his medication as directed? How anyone in their right mind could even think that dodgey umpiring is a secret weapon used by Australia is beyond me! Indian and Pakistan relied on this for decades until finally neutral Umpire had to be introduced. I am a Kiwi by the way, so I'm all for giving the Aussies a hard time but to accuse them of relying on baised Umpirimg is ridiculous. Yes there where some bad decisions in Australia but they went both ways if you look at all the stats. Consider this Chetan. Sir Richard Hadlee wrote in one of his many books once "John Reid had played a chanceless innings against the Indians, chanceless because he refused to allow the ball the hit his pads. Unfortunately when he finally opted to pad up to a ball a full two feet wide of offstump he was given out LBW." Get the message Chetan? As for the discussion, Australia are playing Possum and Indian aren't gonna know what hit them!

Yes, I think the IPL has something to do with it - both in players from different countries becoming teammates and also foreign players not wanting to upset Indians in case they jeopardise their IPL money. However, I think the answer may be even simpler - the two biggest talkers, Warne and McGrath, have retired...

Chetan - suggest you review the Australian series again and also count the bad decisions that went against Australia. What a cheek to suggest that India is unfairly treated by umpires - one of the main reasons we have neutral umpires now is because of some of the astonishing umpiring that favoured India in past series in India.

Umpiring issues still on Indian fans minds!! Crikey. What a sad way to live your lives so bitter and twisted. No doubt that anti- antipodean Gavaskar has been firing you up with his daily rantings in whatever newspaper is foolish enough to pay him. Australia are at their weakest since before 1987, you've doctored your wickets to suit your own bowlers and you still worrying about umpiring from 9 months ago? Surely you rabid supporters are confident of a win in this series or is your natural lack of confidence coming to the fore!

Spot on Nathan & Toombs - the facts speak for themselves! India's paranoia about umpire conspiracies are growing a bit thin. I think the Aussies know that starting any verbal’s off-field will only fuel an Indian media starving for a shred controversy to shift attention away from a home side desperate to get back the Border Gavaskar trophy at any cost - however, that is one thing the ICC cannot buy with all its wealth.
Remember, we only have to draw the series to hold the trophy! Still, with the huge weight of a billion Indians desperate for victory, I’m not sure India (4th ranked test side) will handle the pressure.

I think you are on to something. The Aussies are uncharacteristically quiet and the Indian media and fans are bragging and making all the noise.

India wins when it is the underdog - they wear their emotions on their sleeves (particularly against Aussies). This is precisely why the Aussies are being quiet - they don't want to have the Indians riled up.

It would be interesting to see the Aussie aggressiveness on the field on Oct. 9th. The Indians will be in for a rude shock. Hope they are prepared.

India changed the rules last tour of Australia. They had their 'greatest victory ever'(Anil Kumble)...'stood up to the Aussies and they didn't like it'(every second blogger).
What they won was the PR battle and upped the ante with threats of a series boycott.
In cricket terms, a secondary issue for some, India lost the series after two tests, salvaged a good win (not the best ever)in Perth and batted out a lame draw in Adelaide without even trying to win it. Oh and they won the one day series.
I have always though that the team that gets the best of the umpiring is the bowling team who creates the most chances.

Nathan

Seriously you are one ignorant Aussie supporter, Venkat is hailed by the Australians more than Indians themselves. He is as good as one going around, are you sure you are talking about the right series here ?. Another thing I rem a certian Jason Gillespie getting away with a huge nick umpired by a Indian umpire called Bansal who eventually went on to his 40 and give Steve Waugh Valuable time to build a 100 run partnership ;).

@ Punter - The thing I find funniest about Gavaskar is that not too long ago he was hailing the Australians for being the best behaved team in cricket. In the time he took to change his mind nothing about the Australian set-up changed, but there was that ODI series where Symonds got called a monkey by the crowd, so Gavaskar went populist and started ragging on the Aussies.

As for the umpiring, well, that's the human element. India probably had the more go their way in Perth, whilst in Sydney they went Australia's way. That's cricket. Over the course of a career it'll probably balance out.

I think its going to be a well fought series with India winning it because of the lack of a quality spinner in their bowling lineup. Another fact that two of their frontline batsmen in Hayden and Ponting are returning from an injury. Its going to be a daunting task facing Harbhajan and Kumble first up in the dust bowls of the subcontinent.

My god people....please get some perspective. Aussies and Indians alike listen up: forget about the umpiring decision, forget about the fact that there has been no pre series banter and lets instead concentrate on the fact that some of the greatest players to have graced a cricket field will be going at it for one final time in India. Ponting, Hayden, Sachin, Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble...the list goes on. Hopefully this will be a series to remember for all the right reasons. Both teams have great players who, for any cricket fan, should be pleasure to watch! I really am looking forward to the Harbhajan VS Ponting battles, the Sachin VS Lee duel and of course the Laxman VS aussie bowlers clash as well. To clarify, i am an Indian who has lived in Australia for the past 6 years. Can we please forget about the umpiring decisions, the consipiracy theories and the pre-game shit-spitting and instead concentrate on what promises on being a very close fought series. Shame Symmo was dropped

Categorizing Rohit Sharma's remark as condescending is so NOT true. This is mischievous reporting. That dude can barely string together a few words in english (although he is improving). And I did hear him speak and it was a plain simple statement.

If India has to win than Shewag, Dravid and Tendulkar have to bat well. All these media gossips are of no use if they cant get Ponting and Hayden out early.

Fairdinkum my friend, who's making excuses for losing now? Let's face it, the Aussies were beaten in their own backyard in Perth. And India created way more chances in the Sydney test when they had the Aussies reduced to 6-131 until that deaf Bucknor didn't hear Symonds hitting the cover off the ball. And part of the reason the Adelaide game was a draw was because the Aussies batted so slow in their first innings...thus taking up time...so who's not trying to win now?

This Australian team does not have the high % of super-stars that they did in the past. The likes of (Gilchrst, Warne, McGrath, Langer): players who were established enough to back their bold comments.

With the exception of Hayden & Ponting, the remainder are yet to solidify themselves in to that mold; yet with a fantastic series win here can start to be bold.

The Australians are learning when to talk the talk & when talking the talk doesn't replace actions/form.

It is time for Clarke to stand up & recapture what he did last series, & Hussey to prove that he can make runs under duress. Katich needs to prove he is here to stay while Haddin gets his chance to show what he has been capable off for such a long time.

The bowlers need to learn to all chip in & not rely on one bowler grabbing a 5er & let's face it, the spin department is inexperienced & will not play a huge part.

Indians are no push-overs & ooze talent that has let itself down the past.

Great contest to come

Isn't this blog proof that the aussies can't win?

They are getting attacked by Indians now for not saying anything?

Maybe if you guys stopped using sport as a way to spread jingoistic nationalism you might enjoy it a bit more.

I am constantly surprised (perhaps naively) by the attitude of the Inidian cricketing public and media. if the indian team lose it is ALWAYS, without fail, due to the weather, a conspiracy between the Australian management and the umpires, aliens landing on the pitch, etc. The Australian team are labelled bad sports at times, and perhaps deservedly. The indian cricketing public and media are just downright delusional.

With the advent of neutral umpires, home-record of India has gone down significantly. They have lost test matches to Australia, England, South Africa, and New Zealand in India. When they had home umpires, they beat these teams hands-town which proves that those wins had a significant contribution from the home umpires. The thing with Indian umpires those days is that they mark the main player in the opposition and give them out the moment they get hit on the pad. But Australia has always been consistent and they won most of the matches no matter where they play them

Coming to the last series, I fail to understand why Indians don’t talk about Adelaide. Sehwag was caught plumb in front when he was on 0 and he saved the match for India. I think Perth was won by India because Australia didn’t play in their usual aggressive style. Aussies wanted to build a good “relationship” with the Indian board which is a cash-cow and hence they threw the Perth test.

So Indian press are looking for anything that seems to be a weakness in the Aussies. Krejza maybe inexperienced but the trio of Jhonson, Lee, and Clark can win the series for oz team.

Probably the Indian media is relishing the chance to repay the Australian media which gives visitng teams no chance when they visit Australia. It's for everyone to see. We see the attack from all quarters on Australia this time. Sehwag thinks we'll thrash Australia 3-1, Boria Mujumdar thinks we'll steam roll the Aussies and someone even quips - put everyone in a turban and Ponting will get out!! May be the times have changed, fo no more are we worried about the no. of runs a Tendulkar makes, we are more worried about the start Sehwag will give and how it will help our revered middle order to take the game by the scruff. And we are finding ways to say "Ponting won't succeed" and "Aussie bowling attack ineffective". And, may be, we are right. Certainly, ifwe win the series, it surely will be a shift of power on the field. (off it, we are the super power any how.)

I just love the Indian tours - either at home (Aust) or in India. To sum up Indian cricket it's 'expect the unexpected.' I look forward to the same in this series. They have such talent, which surfaces unpredictably at ramndom times. (One or two consistent exceptions.)

I think the the 'silence' is evidence of the Australians putting on their best behaviour - due to their fall in the public's graces after the Sydney test. They would have felt their own supporters' disapproval. Additionally, India is the powerhouse in cricket. Financially now, probably on field in time to come. Brett Lee has shown what a lucrative market India can be for the right promoters.

I'm looking forward to this tour far more than others. When travelling in India during a tour about 9 years ago I was constantly stopping for a bowl and bat with street cricket games (and amazed at how good the kids were - when development funding reaches all kids... look out world). The passion for the game there is amazing.

Does Hayden's latest comments on Harbhajan count as some form of mental warfare? Maybe, Suresh, you did speak early. That said, I think Australians are definitely not the bad boys they are made out to be. I never understood what exactly was the crime Australia committed in the infamous Sydney Test of the last series. Is it that Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke didn't walk when they were so obviously out? When did that become a crime? I can't think of any Indian batsman who's walked consistently.
Harbhajan's behaviour has been boorish ever since he started playing international cricket. Whether he did utter those 'racist' words are not, he's never been particularly - for lack of a more colourful word - nice. India waited till he slapped Sreesanth before they decided to even warm his knuckles. If there isn't a double standard there, I don't see where one is. I am a big, big Indian supporter but I think we often - very, very often - misunderstand what sport is supposed to be about.

C'mon - its is highly inaccurate to say that India was the superior team before the 2004-'05 series began. Despite losing Ponting for the first 3 tests, the Aussies were clear favorites in 2004-'05. The same can be said about the 1969-'70 series.

You can say by the reaction of some Oz boys here that these guys obv do not have confidence in their side anymore. For the benefit of most of y'al's knowledge, the Indian team gets scrutinized more than your Prime Minister would, so stop even TRYING to state that the media tries to bail out the team after a bad performance!
Second, umpiring blunders Down Under in favour of the hosts is legendary, and very well documented. You could do well to grab a copy of India's tours of 92, 99, 04, and check em up urself! Tendulkar has paid with almost 1000 runs thanks to ur hopeless local umpires, and Bucknor.
So India played for a draw in the Adelaide test eh? well, the strike rates of the Australian batsmen in the last innings compared to Indians' would tell you a different story mate!
As for this series, not going to predict anything, all depends on which Indian team turn up at the centre. And yeah, 04 Aus were by far the superior side! What were you thinking Mr. Monga?

Relax, its only cricket.

you mentioned that "This Australian team is either quietly confident or quietly diffident", but you might want to clarify that it may be quietly confident of not winning the series, given the inexperience needed to win in India. The unfancied Australian teams, and particularly the bowlers who played in 1969-70 in India, in 1977-78 in Australia, in 2004-05 in India clearly had more experience which saw them winning.

Having read through the comments made by fellow Indians, Aussies and some excited Kiwis ;-), I couldn't help but write in a line or two.

So, who are we all kidding about umpiring errors (deliberate or otherwise)? I have been watching cricket for close to 20 years now and have also followed cricketing history; I have never seen a series where the home umpires do not favour the home team - the degree may differ - but it's the case "every" time which is why perhaps the phrase "home advantage" ;-) was coined besides ofcourse owing to the knowledge of the pitches, the climate and the home crowd support.

I can go on and on and also put some examples of such home umpires but that won't be worth its while since all of you are quite knowledgable and also since it has happened in all the cricketing nations!

Having read through the comments made by fellow Indians, Aussies and some excited Kiwis ;-), I couldn't help but write in a line or two.

So, who are we all kidding about umpiring errors (deliberate or otherwise)? I have been watching cricket for close to 20 years now and have also followed cricketing history; I have never seen a series where the home umpires do not favour the home team - the degree may differ - but it's the case "every" time which is why perhaps the phrase "home advantage" ;-) was coined besides ofcourse owing to the knowledge of the pitches, the climate and the home crowd support.

I can go on and on and also put some examples of such home umpires but that won't be worth its while since all of you are quite knowledgable and also since it has happened in all the cricketing nations!

yeah... well interesting to note bout the umpiring bit. The aussies are trying to take Chetan down for the umpiring bit and saying "Neutral umpires were brought up coz of Indian umpires" THats like the most absurd thing i've heard. Last time i remember the worst umprinig decision ever made was when a guy called sachin was given shoulder before wicket... i dont recall ne other umpire ever giving that out lol.

Yes the aussies were the better team in the previous series. It wouldve been different if we had managed to draw Sydney. But these things happen I guess.

Media - Yes the indian media is absolutely diabolical. I dont think neone disagrees. They just need a line and they create a story with plots, subplots, conspiracies etc. Not just in cricket, but with all the bombings and attacks that have been going on as well.

I only switch on the news channel if i want to see some entertainment. not to watch actual news. Coz they stopped reporting actual "News" some months ago

A very well-written article.

Yes, this series lacks the pre-series verbal battle that Aussies are known to do. Probably, events of the last series have influenced their current behaviour.

Although I agree they have a weak spin department, you really can't be complacent. Think of what Michael Clarke did in the last series in India as an off-spinner. So, under-estimate them at your own peril.

It's called the calm before the storm. Remember what an angry Australia did to England. I eagerly await the latest conspiracy theory as to why India lost at home.

If you shout your mouth off you have to have something to back it and unfortunately this team don't have the confidence this time round. They know and so does everyone else that they are not a fraction of the previous team that dominated for the last decade or so. I am glad because I am sure we will have a much nicer less gobby cricket team.

I think this column is typical of Indian media. They cant stand it if things are quiet. They need someone to target and blame.

yuvraj is a elegant batsman in odi he is one of most india fine batsman in future