Australia Tour Diary

26th Sep 2008

Brad Haddin’s turn today to speak to the media. Is the pattern visisble only to me?? Where is Ponting? Where is Micheal Clarke? Are they staying away ?

The focus still is on Greg Chappell & Ian Frazer than on the players.

In the Irani Cup tie Delhi have a tough tough task ahead. They have lost three wickets now of Sehwag, Kohli and Bhatia. Gambhir Battles on, but the it will be an up hill battle with over 200 runs still to get.

Earlier in the day Dravid had a good outing facing over 200 balls and than Dhoni making an 86. Ishant bent his back enough and thankfully Sehwag didn’t over use him. We want him fresh for Australia… All in all I think this has been a good match for the players to get ready for the Australia series.

On the other side the Australia A side mauled the India A team. With over 300 runs to chase, our team just folded. The team there was not the strongest bowling attack and that showed. The most notable failure in the whole series was Robin Uthappa. His talent is evident, but his application is in doubt. I just hope he doesn’t turn into an enigma.

The selectors will be selected today. Yes you read that right. Srikanth is the fore runner they say, but than this is the Bcci so nothing can be said unless its out in black and white.

The probable 15 are :

1.Anil Kumble
2.M. S. Dhoni
3.Virendra Sehwag
4.Gautam Gambhir
5.Rahul Dravid
6.Sachin Tendulkar
7.V.V.S Laxman
8.Zaheer Khan
9.Ishant Sharma
10. Harbhajan Singh
(These ten are already selected in the first 11 in the first test at Bangalore)
11.Who is this gonna be?????
4. Contenders.
1. Rohit Sharma 2. Yuvraj Singh 3. Sourav Ganguly 4. Subramaniam Badrinath

Presume two of the above 4 will be selected. And R.P. Singh and Pragyan Ojha will complete the line up. The aussie squad will be clear once they go for the first practice match.

Australia Tour Diary day 3 - 25th Sep

25th Sep 2008



Another pretty uneventful day, Aussies busy with their acclimitazation. The only interesting thing was Zaheer citing that Ponting’s bad batting record in India will affect him. The psychological games are just starting… this is just first of many I guess.


The aussies seem to be very low with ammo on the psychological war, so one of the Aussie cricket guardian steps in, Greg Chappell. He surely loves whatever limelight he gets. I truly am a fan of Ian Chappell, even Greg I did admire as a cricketer and this thoughts about the game. But this guy is turning out to be a pain in the neck. Now he has come out with a statement that Yuvraj’s success was while he was the coach and look where Yuvraj is now???

Our media is highlighting it, don’t fall for it guys, this is just to take focus away. Some one tell me was Greg the coach when Yuvi made his debut against Austalia with a scintillating innings, or when we won the Natwest, or when Yuvi scored in the one dayers in 2002/03 in Australia, even in the T-20 cup was Greg the coach??

Some one please explain him that it isn’t very gracious to sing ones own praises. Talk some sense into this man. Let him give away all the secrets to the aussies, as if the aussies don’t know?? The media needs to be sensible and not give this too much of importance. Greg is only changing the focus from the inexperience Aussie side, the weaknesses of their team, Pontings very bad record to his association with the Australian Team, that’s what he is here precisely for. The Australian’s will project him as the hate figure and the players try and garner the popularity votes with the crowds and the media and try and win quietly. Read this and don’t let it happen. Thankfully the reins of Indian cricket are in sensible hands such as Anil and Dhoni and they both are very balanced focused individuals who will not get too emotional and too carried away and keep their priorities in place. Well, greg good try again !!


In the Irani Cup Delhi caved in, once Sehwag & Chopra were gone not much resistance from the rest. Not that the ROI bowling was super extra ordinary. Munaf picked up 4 wickets. Chopra I must mention has been getting runs a plenty and I must say that he is one of the most unlucky players. He had a very successful tour of Australia in 2002/03 however he isn’t the most enterprising of batsman and hence has been missing out. Now with Gambhir in the scheme of things I doubt if Gambhir will allow him to come into the national team. However in me Chopra has a fan, he is exactly what an opener should be, he is solid and gives a good start. Alas in this 20-20 world people don’t really give the old fashioned players enough space. But Akash Chopra will always be remembered for the 2002/03 opening stands with Sehwag when India didn’t lose the series in Australia.

Australia Tour Diary day 2 - 24th Sept

24th Sep 2008



Largely an uneventful day, its difficult to write a tour diary depending solely on the news papers and news channels, but what the heck… I just want to write…

Today the media was addressed by Micheal Hussey, again a non controversial member. So largely no difficult questions from the media.

Strangely enough for a change the Indian media and the BCCI are both miffed at the over graciousness shown by the Rajasthan Cricket Association by preparing tracks that the Aussies required for their practice. In fact they prepared 10 different pitches as per the request of Greg Chappell. Mr. Ratnakar Shetty of Bcci did comment that the RCA is being over gracious. I couldn’t believe my ears that the BCCI said that… However the RCA fellow probably doesn’t understand cricket at all, was saying if we are fair players why don’t we give the Australians a fair chance.

Even the big boss of Indian cricket, though he isn’t the president today said what is wrong in this?? He is sure if India asked for such favours from Australia they would get them. Please Mr. Lalit Modi kindly consult the Indian teams players who toured Australia in the last 50 years.

As Madan Lal said, “ we would hardly get two tracks, and net bowlers were always very very difficult to find. The batsman all had to bowl to give us practice always”

Mr. Lalit if you think Mr. Madan Lal is no one than kindly ask Mr. Sachin, or Mr Anil or Mr Kapil or Mr Sunil Gavaskar??? Before taking such steps always always consult former India players what did they get when they toured the other countries.

Next time take Mr. Modi as the team manager to Australia and he will learn.

Whats a fair chance?? Isn’t letting them practice for 15 days on our pitches enough to give them a fair chance?? Isn’t giving them a practice match against a very tough eleven before the first test match a fair chance?? What the fellow needs to understand is that when we go to Australia our players don’t get good net bowlers. They don’t get proper pitches for nets, they are given the cold shoulder by the hosts and hound by the media there. Trying their best to break up the opposition.

If we cannot do that fine, we are not like that. But don’t just open up your arms and just ask them to come and take what ever they want. That’s why I always feel that the tour programmes, schedules should be prepared under the advise of a former cricketer who has played at least 25 test matches. Only they players can understand and know what they get when they tour.

Notwithstanding we still will be very tough to beat. Also the Aussies played enough in the IPL and they have a fair idea of the pitches in India.

In the Irani cup today Delhi ruled the roost. Apart from a good opening partnership, not very good batting by the ROI. The batting needs to look up now. Dravid and Laxman really need to relax and let the strokes flow. I just get a feeling they are too tense. Remember when Dravid was in his purple patch he was playing a lot more fluently and his strike rate was much better… It helps him most than any one else that he scores quickly. Tomorrow the Delhi boys will bat, and the most confident duo of th Sri Lanka test series will be keenly watched, Gambhir and Sehwag. Wish Sachin also would have played the match, it would have been a good preparation rather than going straight to a Test Match. Wish Ganguly was there instead of Kaif. Wish Wish Wish….

Ausstralia tour diary day 1 - 23rd Sep

23th Sep 2008

The first day into the Aussie visit. But first lets salute the young brigade of India on the anniversary of its historic T20 world cup win. This day last year in Johannesburg history was scripted, we lifted the first ever T20 world cup. Dhoni and his men were rank outsiders with all the seniors kept out, but the young Indians just showed why this nation is going up. Fearless young men, with lots of passion in their hearts played with their hearts on the sleeve and chose to dare, fight and not go down. The moments are always live in the mind. Today will never be forgotten in Indian Cricket history.

Coming back to the Aussies, they sent out Brett Lee to the press conference yesterday, arguably the most friendly Aussie Cricketer in the last many years that I can remember. What is clearly evident is that the Aussies are trying to play down the confrontations that happened in Australia. They are trying to underplay that this is some revenge series for India. Obviously our media and public have not forgotten what happened in Sydney. It is played umpteen times on news channels. Ricky Ponting is probably the most unpopular captain to visit India. Brett Lee was a good choice, but Ricky we aren’t letting you off come what may.

If Australia are going to try and play a goodie, than its just not the Aussie Unit we know. Frankly if they want to do that, it may just be playing into our hands. Once you try to stop your natural combative instincts you just cant play and fight. Brett Lee is naturally aggressive without being combative, but the rest of the Aussies cant do that simply put. Imagine Hayden appreciating Harbhajan and acknowledging that he is the biggest threat. Wasn’t he the obnoxious weed a few months ago??? Didn’t Hayden want to get in the ring with Ishant Sharma ??


Too bad Haydos you took up cricket!!

In the meanwhile India named a very strong President XI to take on the Aussies in the practice match. In a way it gives our youngsters and opportunity. Yuvraj leads the team and has a chance to stake his claim for the test team with Ganguly being left out. Even Rohit and Badrinath will be vying for the same spot. Ganguly’s return not being ruled out here.(I am one of his biggest supporter) But hard as it may sound it seems the selectors seem to have ruled him out. However I hope the king of comebacks will come back and have a farewell that he deserves.

However this strong team actually gives the Aussies the much needed practice before the first test, and a strong team means they will be more prepared. It would be great if it just rains in Jaipur and they have no practice. However the chances are bleak, that is why they have chosen Jaipur so that rain doesn’t hamper their preparations. Listen BCCI that’s how you plan for a tour. Its only only team Australia who has to win. The whole board is supporting them and trying to give them as good a chance they can give for a victory.

Australia Tour Diary Day - 0 - 22nd September

The Aussies are here !! Landed in India yesterday and acclimatize in Jaipur. Where as our Team gets ready with an Irani Cup match. Symonds is missing most notably. He doesn’t make any difference to India’s chances as it would be foolish to take the Aussies lightly. The series that will be closely fought. What we need is our team to play to potential and if that is done we should win. I seriously think that we have a very very good chance of beating them, not just beating them but beating them bad. Even if Symonds would have come I don’t think they could have beat us. Infact his place might be taken by Shane Watson who I think might be a pretty good replacement. So it gives no advantage to us. Its only that since he is a high profile player and we collectively hate him so much that people talk about him gone, Australia gone. But it doesn’t work that way. Having said that it would have been real good to see Symonds here, I am sure our crowds would have shown a real ugly streak and the Aussies would have had a hard time. Not that our teams have an easy time in Australia. When you tour Australia you don’t only face the 11 on the field, but the whole nation. They get behind the visitors and make life miserable and make cracks appear. It really felt so silly hearing the Jaipur association fellow saying that the Aussies asked for a turning track and we are trying to provide that. Do you think if Kumble would go and ask a curator in Australia to provide him a bouncy net wicket and would he get it?? I am sure the reply would have been “ mate its your job to play, my job to prepare the track” Somehow we Indians are gracious hosts, nothing wrong in that but what all happened in the Australian summer I don’t think they deserve any respite. Ponting has just put out the statement that there has been healthy rivalry between the two nations. You can call the India Australia rivalry anything but healthy. Its been intense crude and not healthy to say the least. This is seriously pay back time, for me its very very difficult to wait. This is the series for this year. We have to beat the Aussies this time and not just beat them bad but play to our potential and really rub their nose and grind them in the ground. The selection of venues also by the BCCI is ridiculous, come out of the rotation policy and use some sense, why are Australia playing in Bangalore and Mohali?? I for one simply cannot understand why they aren’t playing in humid Chennai, Eden, Delhi & Mumbai. Not only are these mega cities, but all the pitches are ideal for spin and really really difficult for Australia to conquer. Bangalore pitch is quite fast of late, and so is Mohali the bounciest in the country. Not that we cannot beat them on fast tracks as we showed in Perth. The point is the situation should we such that the Aussies should mentally feel their chances more and more difficult even before they step on the field. When simplified cricket is a simple game, any bowler needs just one bowl to do something or the batsman to misjudge just once and that’s it. The game is a great leveller and test cricket is a true test of cricket. The famed batting line up of ours had come a cropper in Srilanka, honestly I cannot remember the last time when these four batsman have collectively failed so badly, South Africa was one abberation and one Newzealand tour in the last 10 years. But after those two tours they came back and came back big. So do we take a cue?? I totally agree the reflexes of these stalwarts are waning, they arent as aggressive as they were and they arent as agile as they were. Dada has not been picked for the Irani trophy. Alas selectors don’t make this mistake. Unless they are pushed out by Rohit or Yuvraj don’t just remove them. At the moment I think the new crop of Indian batsmen are very good, very talented but not hungry enough. Not determined enough. Imagine Yuvraj in so many years and so many opportunities has not been able to establish himself in the line up still. He had a knee injury at the wrong time and ever since he has not been able to keep it up consistently. Plus against spin he is a real worry. Rohit Sharma has loads and loads of talent but he is giving his wicket away very very easily. He is very talented but always getting out to soft dismissals like Damien Martyn & Carl Hooper. Both these batsmen I think could have given the world records a run, but were always a little casual. Maybe their elegant style gave that impression. But strangely the amount of times they would give a simple return catch to the bowler or midwicket or cover or their leading edges were too many. Rohit needs to be given a wake up call. He is our next no. 4 in the test lineup, and he cannot be giving it up so easily. Rohit has class and future, but let him earn the spot, don’t give it to him easily. Even Yuvraj needs to pull his weight, he has the potential to be a world beater, somehow injuries at the wrong time and his luck running out at the right time have made the test spot elude him still. Dada should be given one last lease of life, if he has to go he needs to be given a farewell befitting his status. He has worn the India colours on his sleeve and fought for our country valiantly. It was he who started the turnaround in Indian cricket in 2001, ever since India has shed the mediocre tag and been becoming better. They have now won on foreign soil more consistently. He did the job that Allan Border did for Australia. He has made the spirit for the years to follow. Like Mark Taylor, Rahul and Anil carried the process further. I hope Dhoni does what Steve Waugh did, set new levels and new standards and become a team that had no adversaries. They were the best and although they lost to us in 2001, that was the only aberration. Next up we take the teams head to head….

Australia' s India Tour in September / October

5th September 2008.

Just the other day read that Brett Lee is ready for India... we await you with baited breath... its time to pay back... news is that Symonds might not come to india... I pray to god please ensure he comes. We want to beat this side while he is present here... with him in the 11. No excuses will be left.... The moment of the test of the best cricket side in the world is here.... Ricky Ponting(Captain) many say is the best batsman in the world these days - Lets see how many fifties he can get here.. i m not even thinking of centuries... the way he has batted in India can be researched, its pathetic to say the least... Last tour he not coming for the first 3 matches meant Micheal Clarke made his debut and that meant the easiest to get out batsman was replaced by a very good player of spin. No Damien Martyn this time to save you, No Glenn Mcgrath to bowl tight no Shane Warne this time. No Gilchrist either..... I still remember when we won the T20 world cup and Aussies came to India for the one day series when Andrew Symonds made the comment seeing our celebrations " They went way over the top, and the animal instict in him was aroused that he wanted to bring us down " I thought cricket was more than just sport only for me, But Symonds took it far... They won the series... Than we went to Australia... In the second test at Sydney Aussies were 60 odd for 5, Symonds nicked big time but Steve Bucknor didnt hear.... what happened next is history... people say he scored a brilliant 100... and the end was dramatic... but the charachter of Indian team was stirred and what followed in Perth just show cased the spirit of our team. Only if Adelaide was not such a flat track... we would have levelled. It is fair to say that Australia won but no convincingly... Even Ian Chappel would have to agree to that. Coming to my most hated cricketer Andrew Symonds, i want him to come here, I m sure he will... The crowd here will make his life miserable, i am sure.... but even more sure that our spinners Anil & Harbhajan will make is life even more miserable... I would like to know of Andrew Symonds Century where in he had no catch dropped, where he was out but not given by the umpire?? How many such innings.. and to his credit every one should make the most of these opportunities... But for how long will this go on... This is the time when we will see his luck run out... Nothing will give me more pleasure than to see him being grinded here his nose being bruised on the pitch and being grinded. He must come here to India for the test series. I must say its not going to be just cricket. Coming to my senses : Lets weigh it out... Our fielding will be pathetic, so will our running between the wickets. I guess this will be the last series for atleast two of the fab four and i hope they retire while we have won rather than being forced to retire while we lose... Yuvraj and Rohit are ready for Test Cricket and they need to be given an extended run soon... Yuvraj if not given chances regularly from now on in test cricket, might deteriorate. I dont think any of the four will retire before this series but once the series is over, this high profile pressure series will definitely take its toll... Our bowling attack is fantastic with Zaheer's new found intensity, Ishant developing leaps and bounds, Reliable Anil & Harbhajan who is just rediscovering flight on the last trip of Sri Lanka... If Bhajji can flight and keep it outside the off stump take the hammering but persist he will be unplayable... But too much of one day cricket has made him defensive... i remember that tour of Australia in 2001 when in mumbai Gilli and Hayden kept sweeping his loopy deliveries all the time and winning that mumbai test.... but he was strong in character to still keep flighting it in Kolkatta & Chennai... but off late he doesnt have the courage to flight once a batsman takes to him... Thats why it will be Symonds against him... Symonds will take him on.... For Bhajji's part it will be to also attack and be patient and take a bit of beating that comes his way.... if he goes defensive and starts darting it in, India will have had it.... This probably will be Anil's last series as captain... India may replace the fab four but i dont know how they will replace Anil. He will have to not only bowl well but keep the guys motivated especially when we will field badly. He also has to use Sachin & Sehwag as bowlers effectively from time to time... The middle order needs to be given a clear directive to not get bogged down as they score most runs when they bat fluently.. The opening for a change in our cricket is not a worry at all Viru and Gauti are such a welcome break for us... they must ensure 50 - 80 run partnerships and tire the fast bowlers... and if they kick on we all know what viru can do.... Just deny early wickets and the fast bowlers will be tested, in the hot conditions on these flat tracks... The only good thing for the middle order is that none of them did anything in Sri Lanka and there is just too much class talent and ability to fail again in this series.... Laxman's favourite team is here... (more to follow