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I don't think that will happen but given this Australian team it's within the bounds of possibility. If it comes to pass (and as fans of an Indian touring team we should always consider worst-case possibilities) international Test cricket might have to consider letting Australia field a second team at the Test level if only to allow other teams the satisfaction of beating an Australian side.

Even the second-worst possibility, losing the series 2-0 or 3-0, will mark a new low for Test cricket. Never has any team dominated Test cricket as completely as the Australians have, not even the West Indies under Lloyd. The fact that the present Australian team is competing against its predecessor for the record of most consecutive Test wins speaks for itself. One-sidedness in Test cricket isn't best illustrated by Bangladesh playing, say, India; it is increasingly illustrated by Australia on one side and Country X on the other.

There's only one team in the world that has played Tests against Australia in the twenty-first century on roughly level terms and that team is India. The last three Test series between the two teams have been split: one won, one lost and one drawn. Yes, I know, we would have won the last rubber we played in Australia 2-1 if we had closed out the Sydney Test, but, like I said, nearly isn't a number.

Still, the fact that India has been competitive over time is important not just for the morale of Indian cricket but for the Test cricket as a competitive sport in general. You could argue that England's Ashes victory was a bigger event on cricket's Richter Scale, given the history of that rivalry, but a country as consistently mediocre as England was never going to lead a sustained challenge to Australian hegemony and so it proved. There was a time when South Africa briefly threatened to take Australia on at its own game—fast bowling, fielding, aggression—but that was years ago and the robotic brittleness of Graeme Smith's team has been brutally exposed by the Australians.

That leaves Kumble's men gingerly holding the torch for the Rest of the World. What are their chances? If we overcome, as we did on our last tour of Australia, the jitters of the first Test and manage to draw it, I think we have a reasonable chance of splitting the series. Draw at the MCG, win at the SCG, lose at the WACA and bring out the batting heroics to draw the last Test in Adelaide. That's the sanguine but sane scenario. The insanely optimistic one is that we win at Sydney and don't lose at Perth. Everything else remains equal and we win 1-0.

It all hinges on Anil Kumble winning the toss at Melbourne and electing to bat. The two men who'll walk out to open the innings for India could any one of three combinations: Wasim Jaffer with Karthik, Dravid or Sehwag. I think Kumble will open the series with Karthik because Sehwag would be too large a gamble for the first game and forcing Dravid to open to accommodate Yuvraj would feel a bit like pushing your soundest batsmen to open in conditions where you're likely to need his solidity lower in the order. Unless Dravid volunteers to do the job; as I write this, he has opened with Jaffer against Victoria and is doing well. If we win the toss the Indian line-up has the opportunity to make a substantial score and scrap for a draw. If we lose the toss and field, we'll be a match down by the time we get to Sydney, because the Indian team has a scarily fragile bowling attack.

Harbhajan will likely play only the one Test, the match in Sydney, so for most of the time, India will be served by Kumble and three seamers. Three of them are left-arm fast-medium seamers. The two who aren't, Ishant Sharma and Pankaj Singh, are frighteningly green. Either Kumble and Zaheer, the two senior bowlers, turn on the magic with a regularity that's unfair to expect, or one of the support bowlers turns out to be a revelation. If neither happens I can't see how we're going to bowl this Australian batting card out twice with the bowlers we have. And if we come in to bat second with the kind of scores the Australians raised against Sri Lanka, say 600 for 5, our golden oldies will eventually buckle under the strain of playing catch-up.

So we need lots of luck with the coin, consistency from Jaffer, several last hurrahs from the Quartet, inspiration from Ishant Sharma (or someone like him) and umpires who aren't over-awed by the greatest team in the world. Otherwise Australia will get to eighteen on the trot, Phil Jaques could be confirmed as the greatest opening batsman since Gavaskar and Mike Hussey might, in fact, turn out to be a left-handed Bradman. It'll be the end of Test cricket as we know it. So it isn't just the Border-Gavaskar trophy that he's vying for: Captain Kumble holds the future of the long game in his hands.

mukul, i do not think that the indian team has a hope in hell of winning this series. What is really telling, though, is the "rest of the world" mentality, shown in this piece; we would rather the standard of cricket decrease in order to make the tests more competitive. The best team should, and usually does, always win, and even if india do manage to upset australia, it will simply remain an "upset".

We have to accept that the rest of the world's cricketing facilities, domestic competitions and sporting mentality will need to be bettered in order to compete with these guys.

Long let australia win every single game they play, until we see a rival worthy of beating them. That is what world cricket needs, an improvement in standard, not a decrease, that is what will save test cricket - it is simply survival of the fittest.

I agree with what you write, Mukul. I must add, that there is less uncertainty, in the minds of the Indian Team, unlike the start of the last tour. Ganguly was a Nelson like captain, ready to go down with the ship, such was his determination. However, Kumble is the same, with a difference. He is a tireless trier. This attitude germinates from his being an eternal optimist. He may be better for us than Ganguly was, sacrilege as it might sound.

Let me repeat the cliched statement once again: You need to take 20 wickets to win a test match. Now I look at the bowlers India would have at MCG and try to split the 20 wickets:
Kumble : Lets park him for the time being
Zaheer: 4-5
RP: 3-4
Irfan: 2-3
So if we add the best case scenarios for each, we get a total of 12. Thant means Kumble has to take 8-12 wickets in atleast 2 matches for India to have a good shot at victory. It simply means, he has to return back with a bag of 30 wickets in the series. That may be impossible given the sheer quality of Kumble's spin players in Australian line-up (Clarke, Hayden, Hussey, Symonds and Gilchrist).
What saddens me as a big fan of Indian cricket is an absolute lack of a fast bowling match winner over so many years. Its curious isn't it? A country where sports is equated with cricket(Countries like Toga and Burundi get more Olympic medals than India) failed to produce a single fast bowling match winner (with due respects to Kapil Dev).

Indian cricket fans (myself included) are 'sanely' optimistic bunch of people. And why not, we won the world cup when nobody gave us an outside chance and then won 20/20 cup when we were ousted in the first round in WC.
So, while it is still within the boundry of 'sanity' that we hope for an Indian win - it seems highly unlikely. Infact even to draw the series would be a huge favor to not only indian fans but to the overall world cricket. Let us continue to hope within the reins of sanity..

Mr. Kesevan, Well said. As you mentioned, last time we "nearly" won it all, but nearly is not enough, hopefully this time, with a skipper in Jumbo, who is willing to stand up to selectorial pressures, WE hope he does the right thing, firstly by picking the right team. for example, I believe that Jaffer and Karthik have to open, because Karthik, is much more comfortable on bouncier wickets, and that will allow him to play his natural game, while Jaffer can be the man of brilliance that he is, (he needs to use his feet a bit more though), and as long as we keep the overrated Offspinner on the sidelines, we should have no problems in coming close to taking the series.

Good article, Mukul...but don't write off the Indian team just yet. Yes, many people don't give us a chance, and I can see the reasons why, but given that, I think we are just as capable of challenging Australia as we were last time.

More than the record of consecutive wins, this series going to produce the real test for Indian teams appetite for success. So every match in this series going to be a record breaking one

I think asking Rahul Dravid to open the innings is not fair because we do not have a reliable player in no. 3 position although Laxman used to come at one down. I think we are taking things for granted with Rahul Dravid by opening the innings when you have 2 openers present. If you did not give chance to Sehwag and Karthik, what is the need for selecting them? We are making mess of things. Can you ever see Kallis or Ponting or Lara coming as opener even though their teams have opener problem at some stage especially with WI.

what a load of crap about your team trying to be a 'savior' of test cricket - to attract more supporters? if there is anyone who has saved test cricket, it is The BaggyGreens....more power to them, 4-0 would be sweet justice served to these pampered, arrogant indians..
& hope the crowd really gets under the desi skin...payback in kind for our shoddy treatment @ mumbai

India has the batting line-up to put runs on the board but bowling attack looks depleted with Captain Anil Kumble only looking above par. My prediction for the series 3-0 to Aussies (can be 4-0 too) but I am giving the benefit of doubt to the Indians.

superb writing mukul...You are abs right,If India loose the toss and bowls 1st ...I see a white wash...We need our fab four to bat with no pressure in order to see some tall scores...and eventually put some pressure on the aussies batting line up...

brilliant compilation and well said..kudos mukul!! This is quite practical thinking on how aussies is leading the game cricket now adays..It is very important to give life to cricket in order to entertain millions of fans over coming years other wise the game will die and people only wait for colour dressed games hoping some luck may favour against australia as a short format game. People tend to stand against australia and started cheering any team who takes australia..and wanted to win against the almighty. I feel even Roger looks some time rusty by exposing his weakness..but this team game cricket australia had so may cover ups and hence they never expose weak ness. The only weak ness for australia i think is boredom of players..they may get bored in coming years and dying to see some competitive cricket and hence may loose some concetration to leave way to other teams..if the day comes i think its good as saying cricket is dead which i dont want to see..i want to see game above!!

too many if's and but's...it's amazing how people try all permutations and combinations...

Realistically, if India do somehow win the series it only squares up for their loss at home on Australia's last tour. Realism does not enter the equation for most fans though (viewing a drawn series as a major achievement, when the opposition had half their bowling attack missing, would not happen in Australia). I fully expect Australia's decade plus of dominance and litany of achievements to be instantly forgotten, and India to be proclaimed the overriding world champion of the game should they win. But then, back to reality for a moment, Sri Lanka recently took 11 wickets in 330 or so overs with arguably a better bowling attack than India, so India will rely heavily on Australia's declarations.
India do themselves no favours by making big statements in the press either ... it's different to McGrath etc because he could back it up. It's like sri lanka saying they can handle pace and bouncy pitches .. by the time they were 4/60 in their first innings, the words don't count for much.

One of the most crucial things for India is the openers doing well, especially Wasim Jaffer who has got all the credentials to do the opening job competently down under.

Laxman & Dravid, along with of course the great Sachin Tendulkar are the one who would be the most crucial to Indian's plans. These batsmen have it in them to post big scores which would put Australia under pressure.

A lot has been said about India's weak bowling and in all honesty it does seem weak but the success of the batsmen will have a more significant effect on the outcome of the series. If India can out-bat Australia then it would be the Aussies who would be under pressure because for the home team a draw in the test series would be akin to failure. By posting big scores India can then pressurize the Aussie batsmen even with a weak bowling attack.

But the most crucial thing is that India should not play with the fear of failure. That may well decide he performance of individuals as well as the collectively !

Mukul, much as it is likely that India will lose, I don't think it is the end of test cricket. What will be the end of test cricket is if we continue to prepare pitches which don't give bowlers a chance(Like Ind Vs Pak in Kolkatta, Bangalore, SL vs England in Colombo). Michael Vaughan was contemptous in his statement that "it was the easiest draw possible".A contest between lesser but more evenly matched international sides can also be quite exciting if the bowlers are given a chance. Otherwise, none wants to watch a one - sided game where two teams score more than 500 each and consume the entire time in monotonous batting.
The best Indians can hope for is a draw - if the batting fires on all cylinders. Somehow, I feel Saurav Ganguly will be the key batsman for India this time around.

india will loose the first game in melbourne,as they r used to it for ages,loosing the first match of a series.sydney will be a draw.perth will be a disastor.they r going to loose again in adelaide.the result is 3-0 in favor of australia.simply because we cant take 20 aussie wickets.

Good article, but the Indian bowling is weak and the batting is aging. They stand no chance of even being competitive against Australia in the upcoming series. Scoring heavily on placid Indian pitches against a weak Pakistan bowling is one thing and taking on the Aussies in their own backyard is another.

Completely agree that the importance of this series is huge, and possibly goes beyond the immediate results. Pity the BCCI has a different point of view. For if they too had recognised the real significance of this series, we wouldn't have provided the team just one practice match before the real fireworks begin. Number of practice matches played does not show up in Wisden either.

Once again, we're left with a list of 'ifs' when we evaluate our chances of success. I'm as much an India fan as the next person, but I do not see a team whose performance potentail needs to be read in conjunction with a list of sub-clauses coming anywhere near stopping Australia setting a new record - I'm not even looking at leveling the series or winning it. I sincerely hope Anil Kumble and his men prove me wrong.

rightly said,it worries me too greatly whether with the limited resources in the bowling attack whether we can even visualise getting 20 australian wickets,the key will still be the batting,batting well and batting for a no. of sessions.The only weakness we could perceive from the series between Australia and Sri Lanka was that the current australian attack though strong on paper did indeed run out of ideas once their bowlers were made to bowl session after session, except Brett Lee who is still to be fully tested as the spearhead of the attack the rest of the bowlers haven`t needed to bowl long sessions in test cricket,so the indian team`s best bet in being competitive still lies with their batting, if the big 5 can notch up decent scores regularly we could be in for a fascinating summer, if not,well then for an indian fan and indeed for most of the cricket world it will be a long one..

I couldn't agree more with your assessment. Aussies definitely have an edge because of their pace attack & fielding. If you leave out the rain-marred Brisbane match, 4-4-1 result for the last 9 test matches played between these two sides tends to indicate parity. However, if you consider the fact that only 3 of those 9 matches were played in Austrlia it is clear that the 4-4-1 thing masks the disparity between these two sides. The fact that India were not able to win, when they toured Australia last time, even with no McGrath and Warne speaks volumes of the Australians. Kumble still remains India's stock and strike bolwer. RP could turn in a good show, but Zaheer & Harbhajan cannot win test matches. If all Indian batsmen do not put their hand up, they could be in for some serious beating. Here's hoping for a lot of interesting and entertaining test match cricket.

With such a brittle attack, we, as Indian supporters, have no right to think we can win the series.

Kumble has been given a pop-gun bowling attack. Also, he has the oldest set of fielders in world cricket. With long boundaries and fast outfields, it can be brutal.

I hope there is a power failure or cable blackout whenever Australia bats. There is too much blood and gore on TV already.

Nice preview of the series, Mukul. But can't believe that your "Yuvraj-not-good-for-Tests" bias still makes its cursory appearance. Get over it!

We did not have much of a bowling attack the last time we visited Down Under. Zaheer and Harbhajan were hors de combat, Balaji and Pathan were on thier first tour. Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar,Anil Kumble and, to a lesser extent, Murali Karthik was the bowling "attack".
If anything, the bowling looks a lot more solid that the last time around.

And if the Australians post 600/5, I would back our team to match it - we are better at attritional cricket than we were in 2003.

Good to know that you teach social history for living. Because clearly your writing sucks. "Captain Kumble holds the future of the long game in his hands." ?? Come on give us a break.

England - 'consistently mediocre', post 2005 who could argue but for 3 years prior England were excellent. Appalling injuries have destroyed any chance of the Ashes winning team remaining together. They have also matched India over recent years. India will get hammered I'm afraid and I am a fan of Indian cricket. Concentrate on the facts and dampen down the obvious chauvinism. It smacks on one enormous chip on your shoulder.

Everybody is talking about how weak India's bowling attack is. It wasn't much better last time round. And, Mr Kesavan, you are right that India needs some inspired performances in this area. But the same was true last time out, and if I remember rightly, Agarkar stepped up and provided that inspired moment. I don't see any reason why RP, Ishant or Zaheer couldn't do that this time. Maybe even Pathan (given the chance) or Ganguly!! I expect Kumble will have one good match - rock that he is, he always has at least one good match. I expect little from Harbhajan.

I just hope it isn't 3-0 or a white-wash (unless it's for India), that would be too much to bear.

Good that you spoke about need for consistency in umpiring. Tendulkar has already suffered by a Paul reiffel howler!

Absolutely spot on analysis. Couldn't agree with you more. I think it is a good idea to open with Dravid, specially if he is willing. The key to success in Autralia is the opening batting and our bowling. If that happens we stand a fair chance of standing up to the aussies. It is boring to see one sided contests - test cricket needs a rivalry like this to hold the interest of the fans.

Comparing Srilankan and Indian Teams,
a. Indian Batting Lineup is better suited for Test Cricket - a plus
b. Indian Seam Bowling - It is an enigma right now. But going by reputation, Vas, Fernando and Malinga combination is definitely more lethal when compared to Zahir & Co - a minus here
c. Can Kumble the bowler do what the great Murali could not? I will start with a minus here.

The sum total looks scary isn't it?
As you rightly said Sambit, it boils down to luck and mental toughness.
Let's hope for the best. This is only thing the cricketing world can do.

Being a little dramatic arent we Mukul?

Australia are favourites, and deservedly so. But India have a chance to spring an upset if they play intelligently, and that is a word that doesnt accompany Indian cricket much. But with a skipper like Kumble, they have a chance. To rely on the past success in 03/04 would be to rely on Brett Lee slipping back into old indisciplines. As you and I both know, there is a Brett Lee India will face that is much more threatening than the injury-maligned version of 4 years ago.
Sehwag must be given a shot. If it pulls off, he is the one guy that can upset the Australians rhythm, and then its game on. Otherwise its Aussies to win easy.

Mukul Kesavan is smart and does not want to come across as biased. Which is why he underplays the effect of umpires on the game in the final para. Australians as many have pointed out are at their peak and have put in place processes which will help them remain there. However, invariably every visting team has had to bear the brunt of poor umpiring decisions. None more so than the Indians. In 1999, in Brisbane, Ricky Ponting got a let off when Aussies were 152 for 4, Sachin and Ganguly copped rough decisions when they batted in the first innings. Indians lost that test and never looked like coming back. Same story in Melbourne. Gilchrist was caught and bowled by Kumble but third umpire said not out because he did not have clear pictures.

One more issue for visiting teams is catching. If visiting teams had held their catches most of these matches would have been far closer than they turned out.

Surely you are joking, Mr. Kesavan!The predictions are dire and am I glad you are not the coach of this Indian team - for surely they would crumble under the weight of your prophecy and the grim portents that you hold out for the future of cricket should they lose.
I personally think that the Australian attack is no better or worse than what it was in 2003/04 - though their batting is certainly formidable
Personally I think this will be a series more likely to have draws than win/lose results - though it is possible that due to lack of practice on pitches India have a tough time in Melbourne.
I think it will be more one sided in the One day series - where an Indian team - drained after fighting long and hard in a test series and the nonstop cricket of the last 7 months - might just throw in the towel.

I think it generally goes without saying; Australia - and this is coming from an ardent admirer of their methods - needs to be dethroned and fast.

I'll echo your comments on the current Australian team breaking the record set by the previous generation; it doesn't speak much for the general level of competition at test level. This time, though, it's not so much that they are breaking the record that is concerning, but that they are breaking the record with, essentially, a considerably weaker team.

WELL SAID,I THINK INDIA'S GAME A LOT DEPEND ON THE
TOSS!!!IN THE CASE OF OPENING ROBBIN UTHAPPA SHOULD HAVE GIVEN A LOOK IN BECAUSE GAMBIR AND KARTHIK HAVE BEEN GIVEN SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES! AS NONE OF THE EXPERIENCED BATSMEN WERE NOT READY TO TAKE THE OPENING SPOT!!!SACHIN WANTS OPENING SPOT IN ONE DAYERS BUT NOT IN TESTS!!EVEN YUVRAJ ALSO NOT WILLING TO OPEN !IN THAT CASE SOMBODY LIKE UTHAPPA WHO IS ALWAYS READY TAKE CHALLENGES AND EVEN READY TO BAT AT ANY POSITION WOULD HAVE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY!!!

Gud one mukul..you have highlighted every aspect of our team.Bowling for me is da weakest link...Froget Phil n hussye, Wt abt Hayden n ponting's score at the end of this series?ufff..Already talks are that Ponting is the greatest test batsmen..N playing in Aussie land..you got to bring int he umpiring factor with wtever hits sachin's pad is a LBW..but having said all these..I still have this hope where i strongly feel the awesome fourseom of rahul, sachin, saurav n lax...are going to have a series full of evergreen memories..a strong feeling..As u said MCG holds the key, A draw there..with an inspirational innings similar to saurav's when we toured last time would set the tone..Gud luck India...Chuk de India...Play without fear,lethargy n politics...all da best..:)

I think it generally goes without saying; Australia - and this is coming from an ardent admirer of their methods - needs to be dethroned and fast.

In response to the recurring theme of dominance by one team creating a lack of competitiveness for all others. This is a contradiction. If you are to look at all teams who have played against Australia in Australia and that lost the series, and then analyse thier next series afterward, you will actually see that the dominant team, just by din of thier excellence will cause the other team to achieve a higher standard of play and passion. Many sports have for long periods of time been dominated by one team or one individual. It is these teams and individuals that have truly achieved and discovered rare talents and also strategies and passion that others must aspire to and then embrace, if they are to prevail.

The fierce international rivalry of national cricket fans has created a negative perception of what is actually the one thing powering international cricket along: one teams brilliance in many areas. Desperation to defeat the reigning champions should not suffocate appreciation.

Posted by: hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh on 12/20/2007

To be honest this is probaly the strongest indian line up india has probaly had.

first of all, sachin is in great form, sourav ganguly is in sublime form all this year, jaffer is becoming now consistent, yubvraj, along with ganguly hit a purple patch, laxman record against australia speaks for itself, india has finally got a a briiliant batsmen in wicket keeper dhoni, pathan is a potentially good allrounder, zaheer, is one of the best seam bowlers of the year, RP singh had a briliant tour of england and south africa, and kumble is one of the best spinners of all time. However dravid our best batsmen over the last couple of years in both forms of the games, looks like hes losing concentration when batting very quickly, before when he got in the 30s it would be automatic that he would at least get 50 and a lot of time get big hunderds. but he is a class player and he anchors the indian batting. india hasnt got that fire power at the top with sehwag, but dhoni and yuvraj make up forit

Call this an era of domination. Eras don't last. In your whole piece, you've mentioned India's weakness, but totally forgotten about Australia's. If someone like Warne can be smashed, how do you think a lesser bowler like Hogg or possibly McGain will stand against an exceptional batting lineup that masters spin bowling?
echo your comments on the current Australian team breaking the record set by the previous generation; it doesn't speak much for the general level of competition at test level. This time, though, it's not so much that they are breaking the record that is concerning, but that they are breaking the record with, essentially, a considerably weaker team.

I agree - though I would make my point with a little less tabloid sensationalism and a little more reason - that it would be good for test cricket if India beat Australia. But I don't understand why you consider it necessary to wring an anti-colonial jibe into every article.

Re-read this quote, and convince me that it expresses anything other than residual bitterness:

"A country as consistently mediocre as England was never going to lead a sustained challenge to Australian hegemony."

I will only say Sri Lanka almost chased 500 and we have better batsman. Let the games begin.

C'mon Mukul, Its too soon to say its doomsday for this form of the game that we all so love. Even if India do lose to the Aussies, I think calling it the end of Test Cricket is being too dramatic. It wasn't so long ago that England won the ashes against this team albeit in their own backyard.
I mean look at tennis. Its alive and kicking even though no one comes close to challenging Federer.

Fantastic! Oh you beauty Kesavan! Boy! Won't this buoy up the Indian spirits! If this doesn't make them pull out something special out of their hat, nothing will. But, after the 1st day in the warm-up test I'm pretty confident of India putting up a great show- they sprung up some surprises, Tendulkar decided to hook and pull- good attacking strategy, and Dravid chose to consolidate his wall image. So they are doing what is expected of them- and they will revive Test Cricket like never before- after a long time.

Lets talk of the Indian team. Bowling department first, except for kumble and zaheer, when at his best, the lot is a juicy one for the aussies to build on their figures. Batting on paper and on an aussie pitch is all together a different ball game. If we see the previous auusie tour of the Indians, every batsmen chipped in with atlaest a huge score in one or the other match and the rest supported. That is what helped the team overall. Even if that can happens again, i cannot convince myself of a series win. Drawing two tests atleast is a realistic hope for me talking of Indian batting alone and one win from out of the blue would be a bonus for the cricketing fraternity

I think India have as much of a chance, if not a better chance of beating Australia this time than the last tour in 2003/4.There is no arguing that Zaheer and RP form a more potent seam attack than the previous tour's seamers , and Kumble the chief architect of the drawn series is still going great guns.Unfortunately Sehwag is not in form , but the rest of the batting order is and our keeper is considered one of the rising stars in world cricket.Plenty to look forward to , and though India start as underdogs , it would be foolish to write them off.

I haven't read all the comments above however people seem to be forgetting that the Australian boiling was hit badly by injury during the 03/04 series. Missing McGrath and Warn certainly didn't help Australians chances.

I know that in this series Australia are down McGrath and Warn but Australia now have 4 fit bowlers capable of taking wickets. In 03/04 no one could replace McGrath and Warne. Not sure but I think the Australians had other injuries in the series also.

If both teams first 11 stay fit India has no chance.

I'm a huge India fan. But let's face it guys. If both teams play to potential, Australia will come up on top at the end of the series. We need our team (more specifically our bowling) to significantly exceed expectations to have a chance. But it's possible ... stranger things have happened ... the Indian team is always good for a few surprises, both positive and negative. They should go out and play with flair and without fear ... if they do that, it's going to be an intriguing series. I can't wait!

true our fast bowling is not good but i think australians aren't the best bowling team either. in test cricket one good spinner is a must, which at the moment the australians don't have. and mitchell johnson and shaunt tait are both quite new to test cricket, therefore if india can face the new ball without losing too many wickets i see the austrailan bowling lacking variety. and it remains to be seen if brett lee can last all 4 tests since they are playing so much cricket. without lee i think india has an awesome chance. so chin up guys......we can do it....chak de india...
*my optimisim borders on insanity*

"It'll be the end of Test cricket as we know it"- hmmmm, i think not. Test crickets enduring charm is its ability to rise above the fortunes and failures of the wider society. One teams dominance is not going to end Test cricket; of more concern is the continued inablity of other 'test playing nations' to not improve (Bangladesh), get worse (West Indies), be dragged down by political interference (Zimbabwe, Pakistan, to some extent Sri lanka) or refuse large portions of its population from playing due to their 'position' in society (India). Australia is the greatest Test team because as a society 97% of the male population is able to play and be chosen to represent their country based purely on their abilty as cricketers and their desire to reach the top. Unfortunately the other 3% are denied this, that being the Aboriginal population. Hopefully this will change: no society is perfect. India COULD be the best team in the world if only they allowed their whole population to take part.

How utterly hilarious to see that just a couple of articles after berating the England team for being unhappy about an umpiring decsion, Kesavan is already whingeing about umpiring decisions in a series that hasn't even happened yet! I do love to see a hypocrite exposed for what he is! (As ever the idiocy is lapped up by a few simple minded sheep, including one still blubbing about a game in 1999 - for heaven's sake grow up).

Also how tiresome to see that this author cannot help but yet again throw in typically tiresome digs at England and South Africa. There is a word for this man but apparently we are not allowed to use it in comments but it is readily apparent to anyone with open eyes what kind of person he is.

Cricinfo's role in the continuing publication of Kesavan's chip on the shoulder propagandising also needs examining. Put it this way, an English or South African correspondant would never be allowed to make so many snide and fatuous comments at the expense of an Asian team

Cross your fingers and hope someone hits the kind of patch Laxman did last time around. One of the big 4 must score a century in almost every test and the others in every other. It should be a delight to watch australias bowling take on indian batting

I think one things for sure - We need to win the toss and bat first at Melbourne.. and hope like crazy it rains... or dada or someone else steps up and plays the kind of devil-may-care-i-didnt innings that dada played at the gabba last time around. Coz one things for sure - we have to not lose the 1st test to be alive. Consider this - we draw the 1st test. 2nd test is at Sydney wherein lies our best chance to win and go 1-0 up (Provided we bat first again). Then.. and only then... can we entertain the thoughts of beating the aussies. Im not sooo sure as to we will lose the Perth test - thats exactly what the English said when we went to Headingly in 2002 - on the seamers paradise. But we came out on top. Same with the Barbados test in 2006.
So pray pray pray - that we win the tosses and it rains a lot in the 1st test...
CHAK DE INDIA!!!

This is the ultimate test in all of cricket: beating the best team on this planet on their home turf in conditions that suit them the best and suit you the least. If India so much as manages to draw this series it will be their greatest achievement since winning the '83 world cup. It will also allow for a fitting farewell for a couple of the folks in their famed middle-order. My only prayer would be to allow Yuvraj Singh to play this series...it will allow him to truly prove to himself and to the world how good a player he really is.

That was a fair description of what Test cricket has become over the years full of Australian domination, no wonder if they do reach the no. 18 Phil J would be best test opener, but it would be so un-fair given the talent elsewhere available and kind of challenge India can pose this time too(they are a good side. It would be a very tight series for Indians as Aussies are not going to give away an inch...still there are some chinks in their armour too notably the lack of depth in their Bowling attach, India better make a killing out of that...

Mukul, I see that you are already popping them little pills. You should get yourself some more, those which will hopefully get you through post-traumatic stress.

Seriously people, which planet are you all living on?

One more thing Mukul: cricket does not revolve around India you know. The world is not going to crash just because we got thrashed.

Interesting points Mukul.If India needs to win this series, it has to use certain tactics. Straightforward victory is out of question. No bowling team has taken 20 wickets against the Ozzies consistently and the Indian bowling line up has no chance except in Sydney where 2 spinners will play and have a decent chance.
So India has to draw rest of the games and one option is to load the team with batsmen and include Pathan (with Zaheer & RP) in the bowling line-up who can bolster the batting. Also Dravid should open, a gamble worth taking; if survives the first session we have an extra middle-order batsman in Yuvraj who can be accommodated. Perth will be most difficult to draw but bringing in Ishant (in RP's place) in perth (not before) would be a surprise for the Ozzies.
Also Sehwag should be played in Sydney in place of Yuvraj with bhajji & Anil where the team should go for an all out victory.
Barring injuries if things go to plan, India can pull an incredible 1-0 win.

When India have held number 2 in the Test rankings for several years, maybe Mr Kesavan might then have some basis for saying that England are a "mediocre team".

Every team has its ups and downs (e.g. failing to reach the second round of the ODI world cup) but in this century England have turned in some great performances. Perhaps India have too.

But why needlessly denegrate teams from other countries in order to talk up your own importance?

think taking 20 wickets is not at all a problem, it all depends on how pitch plays on last day, if we are bowling on last day and theres swing in the pitch its easy to get 10 wickets on last day, remember zaheer and rp are natural swing bowlers, when agarkar can swing the ball and win us a match why not zaheer and rp. Our main problem is not to finish of the tail quickly,if we are able to finish of the tail then we have good chance to win the series 2-0. Remember the sydney test when we were so close to winning the test, if at all parthiv had not dropped steve waugh we could have won the test

It burns me how Dravid will be asked (or will volunteer) to open, to ensure the remaining paper tiger middle order is accommodated and mollycoddled. It’s laughable that the best Indian batsman, and India’s series prospects, will be sacrificed to provide adequate room in the middle-order for past or future superstars.
I am tired of Saurav being lumped into the so called Fab Four. His last series is the only one to my mind that was a monster from a batting perspective. And that required easy wickets as well as a kick-in-the-pants wake-up call through exclusion. And for you Tendulkar fans, wake up. The "king" is dead. In fact he died a long time ago. He may have some good one day innings ahead of him, but his future test career will be modest at best. As for Yuvraj, one big innings does not a great batsman make.
I don’t even want to discuss Harbhajan. In these days of conservation, excess baggage is evil.
I want to see India do well, but c'mom, don't make it so hard.

I pity for Adams.England is a mediocreteam living with their words and allegations. They dont have qualit ybatsman or quality bowlers. See how they crumbled against a quality seem bowling. They became No 2 recently beating second quality teams like Bangaldesh, West Indies and some other teams in their back yard and says they are great team.
As far as cahnce for India in Australia, it would have been nice to see Sreesanth there along with other rookie bowlers and Kumble. I believe it is difficult to defeat Australia, but their bowling line up has combined experience of less than 50 tests and in a tight situation they are going to be exposed. If Indian batting line up could fire means they are going to be in trouble. Hope Dravid will be back in form. It doesnt count whether h eopens or come at NO3. Runs matters. All the best for the team india.

India needs to go into every match believing it can win, whether batting first or second. They cannot afford to go with a mindset like we may win in sydney and lose at Perth. There are potentially 20 days of test match cricket and 60 sessions, India needs to go in with an intention of winning them all. Spin will eventually play a role and there will be a time when the aussies collapse in an innings, India needs to be patient and strong enough to seize that chance. 1 - 0 to India if we play it smart and wily !

Well Mukul,
being a ardent cricket fan esp indian fan can be painful at times.Still i got to appreciate ur well groomed patriotism for india. Do u know when did india manage to win matches in australia when the ball seamed a bit? U can draw heart from the fact India won a test in australia. But do u know how the pitches played last time? Those pitches played like hell flat pitches of india and when the ball seamed a bit in mcg, india lost. I guess we got to be practical abt our chances. India might boast a wealthy or healthy batting lineup, but it all comes to perofrming in pressure which india never did. Only time india came back being 0-1 down in a series was in 2001, apart from that
its all downhill. I guess most of the series wins in the recent came when india were leading 1-0
and it remained 1-0, because india simply didnt possess an intention to conquer an poosition when they were 1-0 up.. That shows how defensive we are when it comes to winning.

Just want cricket needs, another excuse for Indians to be cocky. After the cricketing world had to endure their relentless prattling after the inconsequential T20, non-Indians will completely stop coming to cricinfo.

Ofcourse, I doubt cricinfo would mind too much. It is ofcourse written by Indians, for Indians. India is the only team a neutral can support Australia over. Hopefully the irritating trio of Harbajan, Ganguly and Sreesanth will get their stumps (if not heads) blown off by Lee, Tait and friends.

I hope Wayne and especially Maveric will read this comment. First of all as an Indian I apologize for the racial slurs from some stupid racists. Man, Maverick you are hilarious. You being an Aussie are calling others arrogant? I am stunned by the level of hypocracy. Now, back to cricket, I assure you that imagining an Indian win is not insane. Look at their form. I also think that we should all stop putting pressure on them. Indians usually suffer under pressure. I do want to see kumble men stopping ponting men from reaching that milestone, not because I am jealous but if there is one team who could do it, it is Team India. Speaking of Srilankan bowling attack being better than India's, I beg to differ. They were not in form. and Mutthiah is usually not at his best in Aus. But Kumble has a much better record in Aus than Murali. So people shut up and watch India at least draw this series.

My first point would be: win or lose all any cricket team can do is their collective best, and if we see India's best cricket we should all be grateful even if the end result does not flatter. The fixation on results is typical of people who don't play competitively and rather obscures what cricketers should actually be doing, which is playing to the limits their potential.

2nd point: India's population is 50 times that of Australia, for every Ponting, Warne, or Gilchrist India should have 50 players just as talented. More relevent to the current situation, India should have 150 players of the caliber of Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Stuart Clark. Three or four injuries should not leave India with a second-string pace attack. THAT's the issue Indian cricket needs to address.

Where is the Aussie blog entry? Why does an Indian get to write about perceived greatness, about his hopes for Harbajan and Jaffer? Why isn't there an article stating that the "great generation" of Indian cricketers have yet to win a World Cup or beat Australia at home. Why doesn't anyone mention that India's bowling attack looked juvenile bowling to basically three in-form Pakistani batsmen. Why doesn't anyone lament the fact that the big Three and the two Princes (Yuvraj and Dhoni) were made to hop by just one quality quick (who could only post 10 over spells) on dead wickets.

I'm sorry that I have bored people with a second post, but I really am quite irritated at this new bout of unrestrained bout of Indian confidence. I can tolerate it on Reliance Telecom ads, but not on a global cricket website. For heavens sake, you went out in the first round of the World Cup, this year no less.

Pundits blabber many about Indian cricket but I don’t think India would struggle in Australia what happened when they played last time, Although we didn’t have quality bowlers other than kumble Aussies were put under the mat. If we play really well in Melbourne and even draw the first test, the pressure will go to Aussies. This time India have great chance of winning test matches both in Sydney and Adelaide. It all depends on the team selection, last time both chopra and sehwag opened for India although chopra was new he stayed at the crease for long time and that made a huge difference this time we have jaffer a specialist and who will be at the other end? Sehwag or Dravid. If we pick the right bowling combination we will show to Aussies how good we are.

On what basis Indian pundits and of course the great Australian pundits and media are writing us off and as if aussies bowling line up is top of the world. No way Look the Aussies bowling line up other than Lee (61 tests) Tait Played just 2 tests, Hogg 4 tests, Clark 11 tests and Johnson 2 tests. From Indian point of view Khan 52 tests, Kumble 121 tests, Pathan 26 tests and Harbajan 60 tests would play definitely most of the tests and instead of Pathan or Bajji RP singh or the new comers will play probably in Perth test. I believe we have a strong bowling line up compare to Aussies.

vermacelli...wow. U say Rahul is a better batsman than SAchin? Well, it's your opinion. But like i say, "everybody is entitled to their own opinion, it's just that yours is stupid". Tony, your analysis was pretty dumb. Sorry but it was. You say since India had a better population, we should have more better players than Aussies? Well, the difference, we are more of an Educational society than a sporting country. In almost every leading corporation in the world, there is an Indian in the top officials...now, speak for your country. Even then, we have Sachin, Rahul, Laxman and Sourav for your ponting. We have Yuvraj for your Symonds, we have Sehwag for your hayden, Dhoni for Gilly and last but not the least, ANIL FOR SHANE!!!...so think before you speak mate.

Nice post... but it misses out the simple fact that our bowling is pretty much in tatters, without a hope in hell of getting 10, let alone 20 wickets in a match.

Zaheer is clearly not match fit, and still recovering from injury.
RP Singh is coming back from injury
Harbhajan is simply not able to buy a wicket for love or money
Ishant Sharma and Pankaj Singh, for all the abundant talent they possess and hard work they will put in, are going to be cannon fodder for Australian batsmen in the form they are in.
Pathan has regained a bit of swing and pace since his comeback, but nowhere near the kind of bowler he was last time around.

That leaves us with Captain Kumble dragging a lonely furrow. He will bowl at least a couple of hundred overs this series, with lots of near misses, close appeals, and yes, some wickets too, but it will be futile.

In Melbourne and Perth, the series will be decided... in Australia's favour. 2-0 most optimistic, 4-0 nightmarish, but 3-0 most likely.

Dear Grud. India has only 60% literacy, so I dont know where you came up with the "educational society" thing from. The business leaders you speak of either leave India, or run government-backed monopolies. I say this not out of any spite, but its about time the Indians on these comment walls stop taking random non-cricket related shots at other countries. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

I just read this piece as well as the Cricinfo Round talk bw some SM,IC and TG (:P).The one common theme has been that India doesn't have a bowling line-up capable of taking 20 wickets and consequently India have little chance.SM even went to the extent of saying that he knew that India will fare well last time,but he knows that it wudn't be the case this time.

The only thing I gotta say is that you never know!Last time Zaheer got injured after a sensational 1st Test Match and I didn't knew who will bear the burden now.Kumble was yet to get his act right in overseas(which he did get in the same tour) and therewas no other pacer.Suddenly,an old mercurial horse came back to surprise all,a young greenhorn burst into the scene and a proven warrior reinvented himself.Two of these players are loast or may be half-lost now.The moral is you never know.An Ishant Sharma might just do things.I remember Irfan Pathan :),but I also remember Thiru Kumaran :|.Ye Never Know :D.

HOPE FOR THE BEST.

India will this test series, mark my words! There is enough experience and quality in batting lineup. And Zaheer, Irfan, Kumble and Harbhajan are not pie throwers. You never know what Sachin, Saurav and Yuvraj come up with

great artcicle mukul simply great spoken like true fan not these 24 channel guys i mean relaistically lets say will a 0-2 be fine i dunnoo!!

I would like to bring it to the notice of the writer that we were in winning position last time without just one heroic performance from any bowler. The guy who won us a test was Ajit Agarkar averaging over 50 per wicket. The batsment who performed were Sourav, Laxman, Dravid and to some extent Sachin who played really well in Sydney. But for every batter in this line up has toured to Aus and always scored runs there, So why are we so one sided in feeling that they are going to crumble. We don't have to be optimistic to say that these players will do well because they almost always do well against Aussies. As far as 20 wicket theory goes, I feel we are letting our players down. When a new fast bowler is making a debut, why we always say that they aren't going to make any impact on match. We take it forgranted that they are there to play rubbish but that's not the case. We used to have Venkat Prasad bowling at 125KPH now we have bowlers bowling over 140 isn't that an improvement?Cheers!

Excellent article, Mukul. I suspect your last paragraph scenarios will ring true. The one assumption you're making all along is of an Indian win in Sydney - not too sure about that though, with this Indian team. Remember, Kumble has never had much success Down Under, no reason to expect him to start turning them square overnight. RP Singh is my dark horse and could well put in a match-turning spell (I'm hoping!) in one of the games (atleast). On the batting front, Dravid, Jaffer and Yuvraj would be my picks to make a difference - the key question being whether they can turn it on early in the series. Otherwise, as you say we will be a match down by the time we start the New Year and it will be a long road back.

Good luck, Kumble and co. - you will need every bit of it.

india can win the series if umpiring is not one sided like it was the last 2 times specially against sachin...

Mukul,

Great article. I am really hoping for a Christams miracle.

As so many people have pointed out we simply dont have the bowling fire power to win a test series. A single test, may be. Zaheer Khan's brilliance got us a test in England, Sreeshant's brilliance got us a test in SA. Agarkar's 6 for got us a test the last time around. Whose turn is it? My bets on RP. He is reasonably sharp, swings it a bit and has good control.

I predict a 2-1 in favor of Australia. I would be happy with that result. And dont you worry about the batting. Cometh the hour cometh the man. This is a welcome change from the Indian team a decade ago. Invariably, somebody comes in with a big score when it is needed.

-Ram

I don' Australia are bored by the no. of times they win. They keep challenging themselves and are constantly improving. An example for this are their WC victories in 99,03 and 07. In 99 they lost 2 matches, in 03 they won all matches but a with few hiccups (eg v Eng and v Ken in super six and Semi final v SL).In 07 they won all their matches again and this time they beat all teams comprehensively (better than 03).They keep lifting themselves all the time. Their domestic cricket is the best in the world. I watched quite a few of their matches and its like watching an Aus v Aus match. This is the reason why they have dominated so long;they keep producing good players consistently.Despite being such a large country they have only six teams which ensures that only the best play first class cricket.
As far as this article goes I must say that the writer is very biased and illogical in his thinking.
This series will be won by Aus but I think its gonna be very competitive and exciting.

Mukul,
I don't agree with your thinking that this Indian team needs to win and be the savior for Test cricket. I believe if you are not good enough to beat the best, then you cannot be the best. I think if Test cricket were to survive, all teams need to improve - and you cannot improve without improving domestic /grassroots level cricket. India really needs to think about improving the playing conditions - be it the wickets on which we play our domestic competitions or the outfield conditions, or the gyms, or whatever - we can't expect to be world beaters without the right infrastructure. With regards to this series, we might not be able to win the series primarily because our bowling lacks quality, however, to draw you a match - you need quality batsman and I think we have them in our side.

keep on dreaming..India is going to get thrashed 4-NIL..TRUST ME..Yuvraj won't be able to even buy a run..his technique will get exposed real bad and Tendulkar and Ganguly won't score much..there is a difference between scoring on flat dead pitches against a 2nd string (& half-fit) bowling attack of Pak and scoring runs against the Aussies..they should prepare a fast pitch at the MCG and play the 4 fast bowlers..Ind has been playing for 60 yrs and can't yet face quality fast bowling..they are full of s**t..all hype and no substance.

talk about putting pressure on your team dude. We Sri Lankan crashed in Australia recently, and this was without too much media hype and pressure of this kind.
I know India has a good batting line up, but the most important aspect they need is professionalism and consistency. The Aussies too have a few new guys in the team (talented no doubt), but they're a success b'cause of the consistence and professionalism they display. If India can mirror this, then they can succeed. I hope this can happen. From a Sri Lankan to a fellow South Asian, I wish India every success in this rubber.

India's bowling is a blackbox. Zaheer, RP and Kumble are in...with Ganguly doubling as a gentle medium pace, we should go with Pankaj Singh who promises accuracy. Ishant has a 5 for, but pace doesnt seem to be his strength nor is accuracy..although he is a better known quantity. Pathan should not get a look-in, because he brings the same dimensions as Zaheer and RP with lesser promise. His yorker no longer exists, he needs the ball to swing, and his pace is pathetic. I dont see a role for him, other than the potential of scoring double digit runs..

Mukul, cmon get over with your bias against Yuvraj, on current form he should be the second name on team sheet for middle order after Sourav. Tough to believe erudite writers like you can be so biased against Yuvraj.

MK - The 21st century is only 7 years old, yet you've made the case that test cricket is already dying.Onto cricket, instead of making silly statements like the toss of the first match deciding the series, better would be if the Indians buttoned up and faced the Australians with everything they have, whats with this excuse mongering even before the series has started.
Australia will win this series, but barely just, maybe 2-1 or 1-0. They're definitely winning the WACA game.
Surprising no Paki supporter is complaining that you failed to mention them in this story. ;)
One thing I do concur with you is the treatment of England, they are a bunch of spoiled players, too much comfort and they have an excuse consultant for a coach.They blame snakes, heat trees the batsmen , just about anyone but themselves for their pitiful display, so you're right, they are pathetic and they deserve all the criticism they get.
India - Play to win NOT to draw only then will you survive.

If ever there was a time India can make a wish from Santa it is this. A post card at cricketfiles.com does exactly that - ;)

Indians are hopelessly optimistic. Whenever the team embarks on any important tour, the one billion Indians chanting slogans as if India is the ONLY team that can win. Just recall all the hype and drama that was created just before WC 2007 and I hope all still remember the result.

The same is happening to this tour. India losing 4-0 is a real and absolute possibility, 3-0 if Indians are lucky, 2-0 if rain plays its part and 1-0 if India plays the best cricket of their life time.

i am afraid the cricinfo web site is going to lose readers if this unabashed focus and obsession with Indian cricket continues. Even some of the professional writers are allowed to get away with such ridiculous comments as " It'll be the end of Test cricket as we know it. Captain Kumble holds the future of the long game in his hands".
India got knocked out in the first round of WC
Their bowling attack looked particularly mediocre against against a depleted and essentially a 3-man Pak batting lineup.
when was the last time IND won a a series in SL, if ever
First they have to prove themselves consistent over a period of time in the longer version of the game and in all sorts of conditions, like AUS have over the last decade or so to claim greatness. And please do not berate other teams as mediocre unless u have the results to back it up. I wish them well, but please have some perspective.
thnx

England - 81 all out...Mediocre ? need we say more ?

Folks, let's be optimistic and hope the greats (in what will be their last series down under) will bring back the most cherished prize of them all - beating aussies! Ishant & Pankaj, here is your opportunity to make a difference. I don't have high hopes for zaheer (unless he reproduce the magic of English summer)but expect a good series for RP and Yuvraj. Bhajji, back up your words with wickets and you will be the toast of India or expect someone else filling your spot soon.

I reckon India will get flogged.

BCCI is one of the most inept organisations.
Money is corrupting the game in India.
CRICKET ISN’T CRICKET ANYMORE

The best two in form test batsman Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga could not do it for Sri Lanka.

Do you think India with three medium pacers can do it?

Except Kumble none of the Indian bowlers will ever get selected for Australian state teams.
These bowlers could not bowl out Pakistan in the recent test series

We are going to see Rickey Pointing Phil Jaques, Mike Hussey improve their test averages.
All the hype will evaporate by the time the Sydney test match will be over.

Anthony,
Good point...but just so you got your math right, 60% of literacy means over 60 million people. 3 times ur population. Now, yes most of these people did leave country but they r still Indians and they are still respected and given jobs because they are Indians. True it is not cricket related...but i was explaining why don't often excel in sports....nothing against Aussies. They are a very good sporting nation.

Thank god I am not one of those very pessimistic Indians that I am reading all along. Indian fast bowling were never expceted to challenge English batsmen but they won series for us. Indian fast bowling always delivered when they are given right pitches and good fielding. Indian fast bowlers are capable of getting 20 wickets and mark my work they will get the 20 aussie wickets more than once in this series. A war or a game is won at mind first and then on the field. I am sure unlike Indain supporters Indian players are not so pessimistic in their minds. One more thing I would like to say to BCCI is Indian Cricket is golden Goose as long as you give it a fair chance to win.

Very balanced and dow-to-earth piece by Mukul. One point I would like to raise: If Dravid does open at the MCG, why would we use that extra slot to bring in another batsman - when it is the bowling that is the weak link?

In addition to Jaffer, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman - we also have a keeper-batsman in Dhoni. So the last thing we need is to further shore up the batting stocks. What we need is a 5th bowler. We should be demanding that our 6 batsmen deliver the goods, and the extra spot created by getting Dravid to open, should be given to another bowler. That is the kind of aggressive/positive thinking we need going into this test series. Having 7 batsmen and only four bowlers indicates a defensive mindset where we do not give ourselves a good shot at bowling them out twice.

Yuvraj will get his chance. He will end his career as one of our leading lights. But the first test at the MCG is not the right time to bring him in - it does not fit with the needs of the team.

It's interesting to note the various levels of optimism from the Indian fans here. Mukuls assertion of Test cricket's death pays no attention that one day Australia will be faced with a mass exodus of their stars. How can one then assume that another nation wont step up?

India can win this series if they play SMART. dont provoke the aussies into a verbal slanging match, coz the Aussies will always win. Instead, provoke them by concentrating on cricket, maintaining pressure by tight bowling and good fielding. If that happens, theres no need for verbals. India's deeds will get the job done.

It wasnt two tests ago that Australia's bowling attack was questioned, so why has that changed now? Lee and Clark will hold themselves well, but Johnson, Tait and Hogg are men the Indians can target. Thats why I'm hoping for a few wickets that can give the bowlers some encouragement and that batsmen have to work for their runs. That'll make a real contest & give both batters and bowlers have a shot.

As always the case, Mukul writes compellingly enough to provoke a zillion responses. I don't know anyone remembers but he wrote and accuarately predicted victory over England not out of hope but out of assurance. Mukul seems to have taken a backstep while predicting the likely outcomes of the forthcoming Ind v/s Australia series. Agreed that Australia has terrific test record and they bully opponents but their bowling never ever comes close to the 'irresistible' bowling attack of Windies of late 70's to late 80's. Imagine 4 pure strike bowlers in one team!!! Bottomline....India need not fear being blown away at all....Australian attacks have been very efficient rather than utterly fearsome! In fact Brett Lee scored a double hundred(bowling)in the Sydney test last time around where even Parthiv was also pasting him all over the park. Trust our batting to deliver and our bowling to be resolute! If India wins it's not going to be an upset, as someone pointed in all naivety,it's a fair res