Getting ready for Thunder Down Under

It is here. The series that matters most to many Indian cricket fans. India in Australia is ‘mind blasting’ if I may borrow a line from a TV commercial, but as I see it, India in Australia is never going to be the same again. In all likeliness, this is the last tour Down Under for the triumvirate of Sachin, Rahul and VVS. Zaheer Khan may also not be around for the next time we tour Australia. So, this is the final chance for the celebrated Indian middle order and India’s pace spearhead to conquer the Aussies in their backyard. This is the final battle between these Indian greats and their Aussie counterparts (Ponting, Hussey, and Clarke) to put an end to the many tussles they have had over the last decade and go down in the history books as the ones who came out on top. As Rahul Dravid pointed out in his Bradman Oration, India have to prove that the whitewash loss in England this year was just an aberration. Australia on the other hand are in a rebuilding phase and this might just be India’s best chance to win in Australia.

There is something special about cricket in Australia. Why is it that most cricket pictures imprinted in my mind are of cricket played on this land? Is it the quality of the telecast, the wonderful commentary team of Australia, the heated arguments between Sunil Gavaskar and Ian Chappell with Harsha Bhogle playing the peace maker, the amazing crowd that turn up in huge numbers for Test matches? Perhaps, all these ingredients (and many more) make for a compelling viewing. One may have noticed that Australia has consistently witnessed high percentage of Test matches which have ended in a decisive result compared to the other nations. I don’t remember watching a dull game of Test match in Australia. There is always an exciting passage of play around the corner. One has to give credit to the aggressive brand of cricket Australia play and the result oriented pitches prepared by the groundsmen. The atmosphere created by the crowd, the buzz around the stadium add to the beauty of Test match cricket in the land down under.

Being in India, getting up at 5 in the cozy winter mornings, curled up in a warm blanket in the comfort of the living room and watching Test cricket is something I look forward to every year. These timings are perfect for me because I can watch upto one hour into the post lunch session before heading for work. And just as I make my peace with fewer hours of sleep, the WACA test breaks the rhythm (matches start at around 8am India time).

Back to the Agneepath series, of the last two tours of Australia, if India have to learn something, it is probably about their opening batsmen. The last time India toured Australia (2007-08), they did not have a settled opening pair and Rahul Dravid was made the sacrificial goat (as usual). On the previous tour (2003-04), however, Aakash Chopra and Sehwag performed extremely well occupying the crease and making life a little easy for the celebrated Indian middle order. More recently, Alistair Cook lead the way for the English and was instrumental in their Ashes victory. So, a lot depends on Sehwag and Gambhir this time around, to say the least.

Both the teams now have almost completely different bowling attacks from the ones which played on the last tour. Both India and Australia have young bowling attacks and this series presents a great opportunity for these bowlers to display their Test credentials.

A lot is at stake as far as individual milestones and careers go. Tendulkar’s 100^th century may happen anytime, Laxman’s romance with Australia may touch new heights, Dravid has hit a purple patch and would hope to continue with it, Ponting and Hussey would surely want to have significant impact on the outcome of the series.

Even as I sit back and relax, some of the memories flash in front of the eyes – Ishant’s spirited spell against Ponting, the acrimonious Sydney test, the usual suspects Sachin and Laxman scoring heavily, Dravid hitting the winning runs in Adelaide - I cant wait for the Boxing Day Test to start. Whatever be the result of the series, the Australian summer is here and nothing else matters.