| Is the India vs Australia Cricket Rivalry the greatest | | | | bunch of fighters, like the Aussies ever have been. |
| ever in world cricket? The ongoing seven game | | | | He backed his players all through, and wore his |
| series of one-day internationals between India and | | | | attitude on his sleeve (and on his torso too, once, at |
| Australia has generated a lot of excitement all over | | | | Lord's). He had the best batting line-up at his disposal, |
| the world. The teams fighting are the very best in | | | | along with a engineering spinner (or a spinning |
| the world, regardless of the fact that injuries have | | | | engineer), a young offie with attitude and a handful |
| severely dented the tourists and not so severely, the | | | | of young fast bowlers. His spell saw the emergence |
| hosts. The true test for any sporting team lies in its | | | | of the likes of Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan |
| reserves, and Australia has proved why they have | | | | Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag - players who |
| been on top or around the top for two decades | | | | form the core of the current Indian team. |
| now. The performances from Doug Bollinger and Clint | | | | The Indian team had the making of an Aussie team, |
| McKay were fantastic, considering their lack of | | | | with aggressive play and talk and arrogance ruling the |
| international exposure. That the Aussies managed to | | | | roost. No, there's no wrong in being arrogant as long |
| win three games with Mitchell Johnson woefully out | | | | as you respect the umpire, the opposition and the |
| of form, is ample evidence of the bench bowlers. | | | | rules of the game. That's the way the best teams of |
| With Lee, Bracken, Clark not playing and Johnson out | | | | today play. The rise of the Indian team has coincided |
| of form, the Aussies have accomplished what no | | | | with a fall, or a momentary lapse in the Aussie team. |
| other team lacking four of its premier fast bowlers | | | | Several stalwarts, all legends in their ownright retired: |
| can even dream of doing: defeating India on their | | | | Damien Martyn, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, |
| own turf. The crowd support in the series is | | | | Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist. Michael Clarke |
| awesome, with Sachin's march to 17,000 runs | | | | has filled Martyn's void appreciably, but the the other |
| followed my many a eager fan, in person and in | | | | three have left voids that cannot be filled easily. |
| much larger numbers, on TV. The margins of victory | | | | There have been few rivalries that can match this |
| too say something about the rivalry that has become | | | | one in terms of talent and ferocity. The early days |
| the talk of the cricketing world: 4 runs, 99 runs, 6 | | | | of international cricket had England - Australia but |
| wickets, 24 runs, and 3 runs. With series like this, one | | | | since then either of the teams have been winning |
| day cricket can never die! | | | | lopsided series, save the last two in England and the |
| Beginning in the one-off test at Delhi in 1996, where | | | | Botham series. India - Pakistan, Australia - New |
| Nayan Mongia scored 152, the teams have met | | | | Zealand and South Africa - Australia are based more |
| seven times in Test series: 1998, 2001, 2005, 2008 in | | | | on passion than sport. True, South Africa are at last |
| India; 1999-2000, 2003-'04 and 2007-'08 in Australia. | | | | putting up a brave front to their tormentors, but that |
| There have been many reputations made and broken | | | | budding rivalry is barely a season old. Australia |
| in these fiercely fought (sometimes meekly | | | | dominated world cricket before and after the world |
| surrendered too)encounters: Matthew Hayden as a | | | | wars, the West Indies during the seventies and |
| bludgeoning buccaneer, Harbhajan Singh as the | | | | eighties, and again the Aussie dominance was revived |
| Turbanator, VVS Laxman as the Very Very Special | | | | in the late nineties. The remaining periods were transit |
| one, Michael Clarke as a very good player of spin are | | | | years from an era of dominance by one nation to |
| the ones that instantly come to mind. Agarkar's | | | | another era of dominance by another. The current |
| reputation as a batsman was among the ones | | | | period is such a lull, but this lull seems to go on for |
| broken, as was the invincibility of Steve Waugh's | | | | quite some time. |
| team in 2001. | | | | As a rule, two curves, one ascending and the other |
| There have been many knocks that arose from the | | | | descending, are poised to meet at some point, but |
| willowy eloquence of Ponting, Dravid, Sachin, Clarke, | | | | this point seems like a long line in the case of these |
| Laxman, and several brutal onslaughts from Hayden, | | | | two champion teams. Very soon, India will see the |
| Symonds among others. What makes this rivalry so | | | | departure of their legendary middle order, and that |
| fascinating is the emergence of a new Indian cricket | | | | will be the test of their reserves. If the new team |
| at the start of this decade. We saw the match fixing | | | | can do as well as the Aussie team, currently in |
| scandal, followed by India's humiliation at home | | | | transition has done so far, then we're sure to enjoy |
| against South Africa and then came a glimmer of | | | | the healthy and fierce rivalry that we have come to |
| hope. The appointment of Saurav Ganguly as captain | | | | love and cherish as the game itself. |
| proved a good decision, as he made the team a | | | | |