Team Australia has announced its squad to face India in the awaited Boxing day clash against India.
Speculations and discussions are seen and heard everywhere from newspapers to people traveling on train, buses and coffee shop, coz its summer and cricket fever is on here at the Aussie land.
I was at Canberra to watch the practice match between Cricket Australia Chairman’s 11 and India. I was impressed with Cowan’s batting technique and the way he played against Abhimanyu Mithun , Umesh yadav and yes, Zaheer Khan. He is surely a key player for Australia this time. But again if he fails then there is a fear that he might lose his spot just like Philip Hughes did, after failing against the Kiwis.
My focus was specially on Zaheer’s fitness and form , because for team India Zaheer is the key bowler. Zaheer looked a different bowler this time, he was not at his best, may be because it was just a practice match for which he is not giving his hundred percent. Among the spinners who replaced Harbhajhan Singh, R. Ashwin was at his best. His form and confidence could be seen. Pragyan Ojha seemed an OK bowler to me that day. Other seamers Mithun and Yadhav were spot on.
The Boxing Day Test will be a different type of match this time compared to previous clashes between these two teams. Team India looks balanced but their bowling attack could be a worry for them. Zaheer is back and Ishant struggled in the first practice match. When we look at the batting line-up, it is one of the best line-up in the world. With Gambhir and Shehwag opening the batting , Dravid , Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman after that, and MS Dhoni to follow, it should be a treat to watch. How VVS will bat against Australia will be worth watching. He has always made runs against Australia. Sachin Tendulkar could be in a bit of pressure as he seemed in previous matches against West Indies, in search of his 100th test century.
Team Australia has announced a balanced side for the first test. Beside Cowan and Warner, selectors are expecting a good knock from former captain Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey. They both failed against New Zealand recently. Ponting and Hussey have always made runs against India and that could be the main reason why they were picked. These two will surely be watched this time. Shaun Marsh has replaced Usman Khwaja. Khwaja struggled a lot against the Kiwi attack. When we look at the bowing attack James Pattinson will be the key bowler this time, his pace and the short ball could create a big problem for the Indian batsmen. Ben Hilfenhaus is back in the team because of his ability to swing the ball in the Australian condition. They will be bowling to one of the most experienced batsman of world cricket today and which will be a worth to watch. Beside these players, Aussie captain Michael Clark’s decision on and off the field will be watched keenly because experts still say he is ‘not a captain material’.
(Sudin Pokharel is currently in Sydney, Australia and is a contributing writer for Cricket Nepal.)