Glenn McGrath says Australia are a team on the rise and he’s predicting a four-nil Test series whitewash over India.
Ahead of the second Test starting at the SCG on Tuesday, McGrath is also tipping that Sachin Tendulkar will remain stranded on 99 international centuries for the rest of the summer at least.
Fast bowling great McGrath is renowned for tipping Australia to achieve series clean-sweeps, with mixed success.
In the 2006-07 Ashes down under, McGrath correctly predicted a five-nil thumping for Australia, but in last year’s series against England he made the same confident statement and was horribly wrong.
Launching the McGrath Foundation’s Pink Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, the 41-year-old said the Australian team was well on the way to reasserting themselves at the top of Test cricket.
“Yesterday I said three nil but I stuffed up because I thought there was only three Tests, but definitely four nil,” said McGrath.
“The way the guys have played at the moment I’ve been impressed.
“I think a team really builds itself around a bowling attack and you look at the bowling attack the team has at the moment and that will give the rest of the guys a lot of confidence.
“I’m very confident, as confident as I’ve been in years that this team is something special and I’m expecting big things from them.”
McGrath admitted the historic 100th Test at the iconic SCG would be the perfect setting for Tendulkar to break his drought and record his 100th century across Test and ODI matches.
Many pundits are hoping Tendulkar can bring up his landmark ton in Sydney, where he holds a remarkable record of success, but McGrath showed he hasn’t lost his ruthless attitude, and doesn’t want Australia to give an inch.
“Well the scene is set, there’s no doubt about that,” said McGrath.
“Sachin’s a class player and to be sitting on 99 (international) hundreds is incredible.
“But I’m tipping our boys will hold him back for another few Tests. It’d be nice to see Sachin get his 100th hundred first Test up next series.”
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