Will Ponting survive this passage to India and be intact for the Ashes?
The first Test is at Mohali, outside Chandigarh and this is India’s fortress. Since the first match against the West Indies in December 1994, nine Tests have been played and, except for the first, India have never lost here.
It is a good batting surface with even bounce and there have been five drawn encounters.
Australia has played at Mohali once and were soundly beaten by 320 runs in 2008. Ponting got two and five, out to his nemesis Ishant Sharma both times.
Hussey and Watson both got fifties in the match but Australia did not score enough runs. Dhoni, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Gambhir all scored heavily as India scored 469 in the first innings.
India’s spinners took 12 of the 20 wickets and the quicks, Khan and Sharma, the other eight. Australia’s batters may hold their own as India’s quicks are struggling.
However Tendulkar and Sehwag will be salivating at the prospect of the buffet to be served up by Johnson, Bollinger and Hilfenhaus.
Is there a Crazy Horse among these bowlers? Not according to India’s spearhead Zaheer khan who had the following to say after the drawn first Test at Bangalore in 2008: “They know they can’t take twenty wickets and they are on the back foot,” Khan said. “They couldn’t get me or Bhajji [Harbhajan Singh] out. So we are in with a big chance. They are under pressure – we know that.”
Then Australia had Johnson, Lee, Siddle and Watson in the bowling ranks. So we can expect that India’s mindset will not have changed. And this time India plays first at Mohali and then at Bangalore.
On the evidence of the two tests against Pakistan at Lords and Headingley Australia are on a hiding to nothing. Zaheer Khan will exploit any hesitancy in Australia’s batting and Harbhajan will do his best to get under Ponting’s thin skin.
India’s bowling has just taken a mauling at the hands of the Sri Lankan lions but even then they look better than the pussycats that bowled at Lords and Headingley. If North and Watson are now our strike bowlers then Miss Piggy is Bo Derek.
But it is the batting of India that will be scramble-seaming the minds of Johnson and company. Sehwag averages over 50 against Australia and has a strike rate in the seventies. He has three hundreds in 15 matches and a high of 194.
Sachin Tendulkar has a higher average against Australia, 56.08, than his career average of 55. He has been scoring hundreds since 1991 when he was a sixteen year old. The last time he played Australia was the Nagpur test of 2008 where he scored 109 in the first innings.
Rahul Dravid has a lower average against Australia (41.2) against an overall career average of 53. However, batting at three, he has scored more runs against Australia than any other country.
He only has two hundreds but both have been big; in the first he was run out for 180 in the Kolkata classic when he and VVS stopped Steve Waugh’s juggernaut. The second was his 233 at Adelaide when replying to Australia’s massive first innings of 556 (Ponting 242). On both these occasions India won.
Dravid also has seven scores of more than 70 against Australia. Dravid told me in an interview in March this year that he loves testing himself against the best and Australia, for his entire career, has been the best. So The Wall is up for the contest.
Gambhir, Laxman and Dhoni are no mugs with the bat either.
This is a series that may be bigger than the Ashes. The pity is that it is an afterthought when it should have been the main event.
This will showcase two short men. Both giants of the modern game with 25,000 Test runs and 84 Test hundreds between them.
The irony is that these heavyweights may be playing in empty stadiums and the 2010-11 Ashes are already sold out. Thankfully it is being shown live on pay TV.
If Australia cannot get their bowling right there will be blood on the Indian fields and it won’t be the Indian’s bleeding.
Will
Guest
Shane Warne is an awful commentator. At first, his 'aussie larrkin' commentary was endearing, but now it is boring. He seems to say a lot of stuff without saying much at all. Back to the Australian team. Why don't we all relax a bit and look forward to the challenge coming up. India away, England at home, and then the World Cup. 3 massive series. England are looking good at the moment, but they have had a charmed run since early 2009, sooner or later the wheel will turn, and then we will hold the gold. I just wish at times that our media would just let our team play. Players come and players go. Lets get off the teams back, stop analysing every ball, and go back to letting the players play cricket.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Lolly,the trouble with Warne is that he always wants to have the last word and sometimes his last words are gibberish. Especially when he is commentating with someone so erudite as Michael Atherton.
Lolly
Guest
If Warne would only stick to analysing what is happening on the pitch right there and then, he would be a fine commentator but he never shuts up and so an awful lot of garbage on top of the quality comes out of his mouth.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Fisher Price, Temporarily I have come around as you put it. Johnson needs remedial. We will continue to contrast Australia's performance against Pakistan with England's. And yesterday from a difficult 4 for 104 England recovered well to 4 for 312. Morgan is one of those rare talents that can adapt his game to different conditions and formats. And for all the rubbish Warne says about Collingwood he is England's Mr.Cricket
Fisher Price
Guest
Yay! No Johnson. You've come around, Vinay.
Fisher Price
Guest
Lee! Brett Lee? Are you serious. He's finished. Been rubbish for many years, actually, but (in true Pontingesque style) talks himself up a lot.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jason,I am working on the assumption that Watson will be suspended anytime for sulking and sooking.
Jason
Guest
Vinay said: For mine the team would like like this: Hughes,Katich,Ponting,Clarke,Khawaja,Mitch Marsh,Haddin,Hauritz,Hilfenhaus,Hastings,Cockley..with Smith as 12th man. Eh? Mitch Marsh ahead of Watson?
Lolly
Guest
Agree with you about the stuff about our bowlers not enjoying the English conditions. I find it really difficult to believe that this is a viable excuse. It just makes them sound thick and rather peculiar as most bowlers would be grateful to get some help these days. Funny thing was, during the Headingley test match, I thought thatHazlewood would handle the conditions better than Bolly and Johnson, even though he's a real youngster. He looks a calm kid.I thought the way he bowls, he might have got some nip and movement.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Bayman, So true! Watson bowling seam up and pitching it full got on the honours board. Bollinger I tend to agree is not world class but he is a trier. It is time to give the young bowlers a go. I like the look of Hastings,Cockley and Pattinson. Hazelwood is still a boy and needs to grow some more. Walters,Chappell,Harvey,O Neill all debuted at a young age. Yes,the money is keeping old ones longer in the roost. For mine the team would like like this: Hughes,Katich,Ponting,Clarke,Khawaja,Mitch Marsh,Haddin,Hauritz,Hilfenhaus,Hastings,Cockley..with Smith as 12th man.
Bayman
Guest
Vinay, the problem currently facing Australian cricket is that too many players are out of form, too many are injured and the likely replacements haven't had enough cricket to be confident of picking them. That and far too many meaningless five minute tours. Everybody knows the future of Australian cricket is Smith, Khawaja, Ferguson, the Marshes, Paine, etc. Afew years ago we all were critical of how easily Watson managed to injure himself, again and again. Now it looks like he was just a trend setter. The fact is out batting lineup is simply a bunch of old men. We can argue all we like about how long it took Norh and Hussey to get in the side but the truth is we've missed their best years. Hussey's record has been fantastic but he's now very "iffy", like all the rest. Ponting is a shadow of the player he was even a few years ago. He simply no longer frightens bowlers and his technical flaws invite attention - and he doesn't seem to learn which is a bigger worry. Professional cricket has simply allowed players to hang around longer than they used to so the "new boys" are typically late 20s, early 30s by the time they get in. Basically, this is not ideal but a fact of modern scheduling and selection practice. Test players are not required to play Shield cricket (or there's an ODI or Twenty/20 match at the same time) so how do we really know Khawaja, for example, is as good as we all think he is. At least with fellows like the Chappells, Walters, Harvey, Lawry, Cowper, Hughes (Kim, not Phil), Border etc. we knew as they were playing at a young age against the best we had at the time. For example, Ian Chappell hit a defining hundred against the likes of Benaud, Davidson, Misson, Martin and Simpson when he was 19. How many times have Phil Hughes or Usman Khawaja faced Australia's Test bowlers - of course, given they're all New South Welshmen!!!!!!! But I'm sure you get the point. Playing in India is a contract, not because India are necessarily that good but because we refuse to adjust our batting to the conditions. Australians of the past had no trouble adjusting - I'm thinking the 50s, 60s, 70s - but for some reason it seems to be beneath the current team. The same seems true of the bowlers so this trip will be interesting. One comment, re Will, I have never yet heard of a fast bowler who didn't like bowling in England. Medium pacers are world beaters over there so if our quicks are having trouble adjusting then, trust me, it's all the fault of those same quicks. Perhaps they are simply lacking intelligence. Bolinger may simply be below Test class. Johnson simply too fragile or too dumb or he's just a slow learner. He has flaws in his action and he had them in 2008, 2009 and, well, he still has them. Despite his record of wickets he's simply not good enough to tie Alan Davidson's bootlaces. And his batting has disappeared from sight. It's time to punt on the youngsters. Let's find out if they're good enough. In 1972 our Ashes squad pace attack was Lillee, Massie, Colley and Hammond. The oldest was 24 (Colley) and only Lillee had played a Test match. Oh, and a fellow called Greg Chappell was 23. The series was drawn 2-2 and they were dudded at Headingley. Why is it so difficult now to accept that young players can play - except, of course, the authorities refuse to allow Test players to play in the Shield. The problem with that is this situation will never be resolved and we will be doomed to watch old men failing but retaining their spot because the youngsters haven't really proved them selves so we will be doomed to watch... ad nauseum!
sheek
Guest
Vinay, My comments on Punter were general rather than a specific response to your comments. It's just intriguing how he attracts a lot of comment about retirement, & it's been going on since about the last Ashes (2006/07). What's disappointing is that most commentators are almost 'willing' him out of cricket, rather than saying, "no, stay, we still need you".
Lolly
Guest
He's been here twice though and the bad memories of him are far stronger than the good memories. I don't know how much people would want to pay to have him in their squad and he's not likely to want to go for peanuts.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Lolly,because I criticise Johnson it does not mean he is a dud. He is not bowling well. He CAN bowl well. I am sure keen judges in England will know he is good value and only needs more bowling. I am sure there will be counties willing to sign him. Especially since three or four of England's finest will be on Test duty.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Sheek, Authorities only look and for this they have eyes. But they cannot seek (no "h") because they have no vision. No where in my aricle was this a wake for Ponting. In fact in my piece I said this will "showcase two short men..both giants of the modern game". In one comment replying to Will where he said Ponting isn't done with yet and we should support him I said "Ponting has been a great player..but criticising and support are two different things" This article was to highlight Australia's bowling shortcomings and nothing has changed since I wrote this.Ponting has a lot on his plate and this would affect his batting too. When you are the premier batsman AND the captain this happens. It will be no shame if Ponting were to play just as a batsman. Dravid and Tendulkar both gave up the captaincy. But I cannot see Ponting quitting. He is both stubborn and courageous.
Lolly
Guest
I can't see him going to England and with his reputation there, would anyone be willing to pay a lot of money for him?
sheek
Guest
Will, Johnson's problem can be named in two words - 'Jessica Bratich'. When you have a woman in your life as beautiful as her, you wouldn't have your mind on the cricket, or anything else, either..........!
sheek
Guest
Vinay, Eventually the authorities will see all these crammed test, OD & T20 series for the crap that they are, eventually not worth the "gold" they bring if it keeps killing off the talent & their ability to produce their best (I think it's called the vicious cycle!). However, unfortunately, it will only be after TOO much damage has been done, as usual! As for Ponting, it's intriguing to observe when a leading player reaches a particular age/juncture of his career, it's almost as we're death-riding them into retirement. I believe it happened to Steve Waugh, & Mark Taylor, & Allan Border before him. "Go now, so we can proclaim the next king. The king is dead, long live the king!" It's almost as if the public has Ponting in their cross-hairs..........
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Lolly,what I have noticed with Johnson is that it takes him a lot of bowling before he finds his mojo. You can bowl hours in the nets but it is different to match time. In the nets there could be two or three bowlers and you don't build the same intensity and concentration as in a match. I don't know where Johnson will get match time before he goes to India. Maybe he should look at playing for a county for two months and get the miles in the legs. Siddle,I think will recover before Haris and he too,will not have any match practice. I think there is only one warm up match in India. Does Australia risk Lee? Nannes and Tait are outside possibilities. But I think Tait is being saved for the shorter forms.I would like to see Tait play Tests and bowled in bursts of two to three overs. Ponting would love that.A reverse swinging yorker at 160KMH will have the Little master jumping.
Lolly
Guest
If Johnson bowls like a goat in India, I'd be happy for him not to start in the Ashes. Harris would be a better call if he is fit as he can generally bowl the ball in a spot that he wants it to go. And he can hit.