The Big Five
Players who can do it for India
By Goutam Das


All teams have their strengths and weaknesses. It is true for India as much it is for Australia. The great run of the Aussies may compel a few to disbelieve the fact that when a side looks invincible, the soft corners lie hidden. The Australians, playing under favorable home conditions and against a team that is mentally depleted, can find things surprisingly different, when touring India. With the right mix of youth and experience, with the pitch and crowd support, Indian tigers might just say it better to the Australian lambs: Your weakness lies in your over-confidence.

Come to think of it realistically. Grounds in the sub continent are batsmen friendly. Will Glen McGrath be as effective here as in the fast pitches of their country? To compound the visitor’s problems, India has a strong batting line up. The middle order is comparable to the best in the world. Rahul Dravid is the genius of technique. He has the ability to carry his bat through the innings, while frustrating the bowlers. He is definitely slow at times, but his slowness is a boon rather than a curse. His stone walling can absorb the shocks of tumbling wickets, it can allow his more aggressive partner to go for the kill. More importantly, the slowness, which some prefer to call 
'solidity', can create a positive confidence in the team.

Our ambitious skipper also happens to be an elegant left hander. On the off side 'he is God'. For the spinners, he is the Angel of Death. During India’s disastrous tour of Australia not too long ago, he was the lone star to refract some light. His genius can see him shine even more brightly this time. Good captaincy coupled with persistent efforts in other departments of the game can crown him ‘Maharaja’ yet again.

One man the Aussies admire and never feel hesitant to accept, they fear, is the indomitable big 'S' of Indian Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. If Dravid is for technique and Ganguly for elegance, Tendulkar combines in him both the aspects, importantly in the right proportion. To sum it up all, his character  the right temperament, balances his inherent aggression. Equated with himself by the great Don, voted the best contemporary batsman in the world, Tendulkar has little more to prove. Because he is the pivot around which Indian cricket revolves, his performance becomes crucial. And he has some old scores to settle, with Mc Grath, with Warne.

On the bowling front, Zaheer Khan can be a cutting edge. With age and pace on his side, he has no problems planting troubles for the opposition. He did it once at Nairobi and he can do it again. With Srinath to guide him, it is only time before he becomes a poisoned fruit, and the quicker he matures, the better it is for India. With Kumble dropping out, it is Sunil Joshi’s turn to display spin wizardry. He has been performing consistently in recent times, and his spell will be of prime importance for the home team. The turning tracks will of course be there for his aid. Be it Tendulkar’s bat, or Joshi’s spin that does the talking, it would ultimately be the combined team effort that will matter; it will decide the end result, and demarcate the victorious from the looser.                                                  

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Will the Indians survive against the toughies?
The next halt is Australia
By Ruchika Khanna

The season has started off well for the Indians as they won their first overseas match in 7 years against Bangladesh. Then they went on to beat the Zimbabweans at home and have won the One-Day series against them as well. It is time to celebrate the victories that have been achieved in the past few months but one must not forget that these have come against the teams, which do not have a very high standing in World cricket. If the Indian team is thinking of deriving satisfaction out of these triumphs, then they are spelling out their own doom. The next halt is against the Australians, who are touring India after three years.

Last time around, they did not have a very good outing and they only won the last test match. The Australians outplayed India in every department. Who knows, if there were more than three test matches to be played, the result might have been a bit different. Things are very different now as Australians are in a devastating mood beating every opponent that has come their way. With each victory, they have become better and Steve Waugh has made no bones about the fact that this is one win they are desperately seeking. They have beaten almost all their opponents in their territory except India. India’s invincibility at home is known to the world. But if one looks at India’s performance at home in the past few series, they would find that it has become more of a myth than reality. The downfall started off against South Africa, where the Proteas managed to beat them 2-1. It was a big blow for the Indians as they were beaten after 13 years at home. After that, the Kiwis toured India and it was a damp squib. The series was drawn and the Indian bowlers did not manage to get them out for more than one occasion. It was a disappointment for the team and the Indian public, who were expecting them to trample over their opponents.

Even the performance against Zimbabwe has been below satisfaction. They won the first match quite convincingly but the second match was a disappointment. It was drawn in the end as the Indian bowling failed again to get the Zimbabwean team out in more than a day’s time. It has been said over and over again that it is the team like Zimbabwe, against which India has managed to avoid defeats. The fielding has been a shame with almost 5-6 catches being dropped in every innings. These let offs can prove to be very costly, if they would be made against teams like Australia, Pakistan and South Africa. 

Sourav Ganguly has led the team well but even he has left a lot to be desired. A captain needs to lead from the front and that’s where he has missed the mark. When the going is easy, he is fine but the moment going gets tough, he looses his mind. A captain shouting and screaming and stamping his foot in anger never makes a good picture. Even his strategies have come under scrutiny. His bowling changes are blunders and his press statements, arrogant. He had declared the Indian pace(?) trio as the best in the world and guess what happened a day after that. Jayasuriya blasted them all over the park and in the process went to make 189 runs. There is nothing wrong in praising your team but one needs to be realistic at times.

No one is trying to be too critical about the Indian team.  They have no doubt had a good series with Zimbabwe but a lot needs to be done if they are to rise above this level and become a force to reckon with. They sure have got the talent. All they need to know is how to put that to good use. The series against Australia would be a big test for them and if they do well there, then it would be a great achievement not only for the team but also for their young captain Sourav Ganguly.  

World Champions Australia achieve a great feat
A tribute to the one of the best teams ever
By Ruchika Khanna

What sets the Australian apart? Is it talent or is it their determination or is it luck? Or is it the combination of everything? Whatever it may be, it has worked very well for them and in just a year’s time, they have achieved, what only the great West Indians could do years ago. In fact, Australians have gone a step further and got themselves, the unofficial status of the 'World test champions'. Steve Waugh has done his country proud by taking this team to such great heights, which probably would never be surpassed by anyone. To top it all, they are still not finished. According to Steve Waugh, this is just the beginning and there is a lot more to come. And when Waugh says something, everyone knows that he is a serious bloke who delivers whatever he has said.

This amazing sequence started in the one off test against Zimbabwe, which the Kangaroos won very comfortably. Then came the test series against Pakistan at home. Everybody thought that this was the true test for them, since Pakistan is a very talented side as they have the best pace attack in the world. Well, the outcome was very different as the scorecard showed 3-0 in favour of the Australians. It was a fascinating test series for the Australian cricket fans, as their heroes snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat not once, but many times.  It was an exemplary performance from the Australians, as they defeated one of the most talented teams in the world and reinstated their class in the cricket world.

They went on, and beat the daylights out of the Indian team beating them 3-0 again. It was yet another superlative performance by them, as they stamped their authority on the team, which boasted of the great Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. Except for Tendulkar and to some extent Ganguly, the rest proved to be incompetent on the fast and bouncy pitches of Australia against the attack, which is formidable to say the least.

True, both the wins came on the home turf but no one can deny that they were simply devastating. Then came the tour to New Zealand. Kiwis might not be a great force in international cricket but at home they are more than competent. A four test match series resulted in a dead rubber as Australia took all the matches with ease. This took the tally to 11.

Their next target was West Indies, who have been in awful form off late but the Australian team was not thinking about that. There sights were set on number 12. And before people could even blink, they beat the West Indies in the first two matches and broke the world record of 12 consecutive test wins. They achieved it in style, beating the West Indies within 3 days of both the test matches. They have three more matches against the Windies and unless a catastrophe takes place, this is going to take them to 15-0 record.

So, we come to the first question, which is what sets the Australian apart? Well talent and determination are the reasons but also the willingness to win every match they play. The team effort that goes in, with each individual wanting to chip in, when the going is tough. It is a fact, that they don’t have big heroes such as Tendulkar and Lara and it has been a blessing is disguise. True they have the Waugh brothers, who have carried big responsibilities to a great extent and in McGrath; they have the worlds best. But the fact remains that each of them is a hero in himself, may be, not for the world but for his team, who takes pride in wearing the baggy green. No wonder, they are the best that there ever was or is. They have taken cricket to such high standards and the beneficiaries have been us, the viewers, the cricket lovers.   

Will Aussies extra-ordinary winning streak be broken in India?  
By Vimal Kumar

By winning the third Test in Adelaide, the amazing Aussies have once again, retained the Frank Worrel Trophy. Now, the remaining two Tests against West Indies are of little interest and all eyes are set on the tour of India. In this article, we will be debating, whether Aussies phenomenal winning steak will be continued in India, as well.

YES, IT WILL: "Nothing succeeds like success” – Dumas Ange Pitou

Well, Aussies must be believing the veracity of the above quote. Undoubtedly, they are the best team in contemporary cricket and they have been winning, almost everything under the sun. By thrashing West Indies in home in a very ruthless manner, they are all prepared to take on India.

The lethal bowling attack of the kangaroos is capable of destroying any batting line-up in the world. The pace trio of McGrath, lee and Gillespie have the capacity to lift the pace and bounce, even on the flatter tracks of India.

Then, there is Warne, McGill and Collin Miller’s spin trio. In fact, the above spin trio would be perhaps, the best opposition spin attack on Indian wicket in recent times. The wily Warne along with the ever improving Stuart McGill and the utility man Collin Miller will pose great threat to Indian batting.

The strong batting line-up consisting of Slater, Langer, the Waugh brothers, Ponting and Adam Gilchrist is good enough to post huge scores on Indian grounds.

In fielding department, they will unquestionably out-smart Indians. The myth of Indian invincibility in home has already been broken by South Africa’s triumph over India in early this year. Although, India technically didn’t lose the series against Pakistan in 1999 but the fact remained that, they lost 2 Test matches out of three played in that series. Of course, the Test match at Eden garden was counted as the part of Asian Championship. And the way, the opponents like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have piled up 400 plus runs in sub-continent, it does augur well for Australia.

And last but not the least, the confidence level and hunger for more victories among the aussies is incredibly high. So, the Aussies are all set to conquer…!

NO IT WON’T: “Every good thing in the World has to come to an end”

Indians must be banking on that. The beauty of the Test cricket is that the 22-yard remains the greatest leveler of all. The glorious uncertainties and law of averages are part and parcel of the game. Notwithstanding the Aussies' staggering winning sequence, Indians are powerful enough to turn the table. It won’t be something miraculous. In other words, it is as simple as that. To counter Aussies menacing bowling attack, India possess a galaxy of top class batting line-up. The big three of Sachin-Sourav-Dravid can demolish any attack and the likes of Ramesh, Shivsundar Das and V.V.S.Laxman are strong enough to face the Aussies thunderbolts on Indian Pitches.

The bowling attack comprising of the veteran Srinath, the rejuvenated Agarkar and the fiery Zaheer Khan will test the Aussies top order. And the irrepressible Anil Kumble may be the decisive factor.

If the Joshis and Sarandeeps can improve a bit further, it will be ominous for the Aussies.

The outstanding run of Aussies is more of hype than on substance. As far as abroad wins  are concerned, they have defeated only Zimbabwe and New Zealand, not really a tough opposition. Prior to that, they failed to defeat West Indies in Caribbean’s, where Lara single handedly drew the series with 2-2.

In spite of India’s recent test defeats in Home, they are still a formidable unit to stop the Aussies rampage.