Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2010

India vs Australia

The two teams have faced each other in 27 Test matches in the last fifteen years. Honours have been even with both teams having won 10 matches each and 7 of them ending in unlikely draws. This stat shows how closely these two teams have competed over the last decade and a half. The rivalries might not be the same anyone. India has lost stalwarts like Azharuddin, Ganguly, Kumble, Srinath etc and similarly Australia doesn’t anymore have legends like the Waugh brothers, McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, Hayden, Langer, Brett Lee and Gilchrist in their ranks. There isn’t a Tendulkar vs Warne, a Tendulkar vs McGrath or even a Tendulkar vs Lee rivalry alive anymore. Both teams will depend on their most experienced campaigners Tendulkar & Ponting, also the two highest run getters in Test cricket, to guide to safety in times of despair. Both teams have other seniors like Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag for India and Clarke, Katich, Hussey on the Australian side who will be expected to play stellar roles in leading their team to victory.

India’s last test series was an away series against Sri Lanka where India came back from behind to square the series 1-1. Earlier this year against South Africa at home, India again came back after losing the first test by an innings to defeating the Proteas by an innings in the second test. Australia on the other hand just had an extremely well contested two match test series against Pakistan in England where Pakistan came back from behind to level the series 1-1.



For India as always batting holds the key. Tendulkar is in the purplest patch of his career with eight centuries in tests in the last year and a half. Sehwag & Gambhir will be depended upon for rousing starts. Gambhir will be expected to carry on his fine form. Laxman will be facing his favourite opposition, the Australians. He is known to save his best for the Australians. Dravid is going through a lean period. He needs a long stay at the crease to find his bearings, a big innings isn’t too far then. Raina is the man to look forward to. His willingness to stay put on the crease was on display against the Lankans. His ability to attack and defend whenever need be is crucial. Dhoni’s role will be to provide some pyrotechnics when the team total needs a boost. His more important role would be to guard the tail when the top order has failed. He has done both tasks with élan and will be expected to do so in this series too. Indian bowling will depend heavily on Harbhajan and the Australian tendency to lose wickets to his wily off breaks. Zaheer’s come back must be encouraging for the Indians but he being fully fit is vital. How Sreesanth supports Zaheer to will be critical. India will probably decide on the eve of the 1st test who the fourth bowler should be. Ishant, it would be if they opt to play 3 seamers and Mishra or Ojha if they opt to play two spinners. I feel playing two spinners would be a good option even though the wicket at Mohali might support the seamers early on. Mishra would be my choice for the second spinners. His loopy spin would draw the Aussies into committing for the shot and eventually getting beaten. Pujara & Vijay are amongst the best young batting talents available in the country will be left on the bench but only to gather more experience.

Australia has a well balanced line up starting with Watson & Katich. Watson is probably in the form of his life, playing like a dream in the last year or so. His worth in the team is on the rise each day. Ricky Ponting is surely not getting younger and his batting surely isn’t getting better either. His record in the past year or so doesn’t exactly reflect the quality batsman he really is. His record in India in test matches needs some correcting to do. This may be his last chance to do so. Clarke, Mike Hussey & Marcus North maketh the middle order for this Aussie team. North is in fine form having scored a ton against Pakistan recently. Hussey’s form in test cricket in the recent past is worrisome. Compared to his initial stats, his stats over the last two years are contrasting. Clarke is their experienced man for the middle order. He is also the man Aussies would like to believe may also be the future captain after Ponting. In Haddin’s absence, it’s Tim Paine who’ll do the wicket keeping duties. Tim Paine’s no muck with the bat. Aussies are rich in the spin bowling department with Hauritz having a partner in Steven Smith who proved his worth in series vs Pakistan in England. Hilfenhaus, Johnson & Bollinger is the pace battery Australia would like to unleash on India, though Peter George & James Pattison will be eagerly waiting for their chance to impress the selectors ahead of the Ashes. My money is on Bollinger to be Australia’s best bowler in the series. He’s got a big heart to slug it out and bend his back on Indian pitches. He is a bowler in the Gillespie mould. Hauritz’s off breaks too have a major role to play if Australia are to threaten India in this two match series.



Australia have begun playing mind games ahead of this crucial series. Johnson challenged Sehwag’s abilities playing the short pitched ball. Hauritz tried to psyche Tendulkar by over hyping him and undermining his own abilities. Not in few words can the significance of this short two test match long Border-Gavaskar Trophy be described in the context of world cricket today. After a controversy ridden two months for the game with players and teams accused of match fixing, spot fixing and ball tampering, the fans need a taste of some hardcore cricketing action and hear news about happenings on field rather than off field affairs. Lately with all the talk about Twenty20 getting more importance from players, administrators & fans alike and Tests & ODIs losing the impact it had on aficionados, its important this test series between two well balanced sides is played in the spirit of the game and restores the fan’s faith that the Test format is still alive and kicking.
Tendulkar vs Johnson, Sehwag vs Bollinger, Harbhajan vs Ponting, Harbhajan vs Mike Hussey, Zaheer vs Clarke, Hauritz vs Dravid are some individual battles which may be worth observing.

In all I would say this series is going to do a lot of good for the game’s reputation and will surely bring some fans back who might have sworn off cricket after the disgraceful allegations the Pakistanis faced and brought nothing but disrepute to the game.

To someone like me, nothing can bring disrepute to the game. No corruption, no cheating. The game of cricket, I feel is paramount to all these trivial things and will always emerge the winner.