The Ashes visit will commence in June and the thoughts of Australia’s cricket fans and pundits are already locked on one of cricket’s most storied contests.
The emphasis on the coming skirmishes in England have been so consuming that one could be forgiven for forgetting that Australia must first do battle with India.
Australia will travel to India for a four Test series beginning February 22, and despite the host country’s difficulties of late, they will undoubtedly be hard to beat at home.
In fact, upon assessing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, I propose that the hosts will be victorious in the end.
Having witnessed India’s recent humiliation at the hands an England team that was considered to be deficient against spin bowling, Australian fans would have been heartened about their side’s chances on the normally difficult subcontinent tour.
But it does not necessarily follow that Australia will be able to pull off what England did.
The Australian team as it stands will not be able to defeat India playing at home.
Australia has a formidable pace attack, but it is one that will be more or less nullified by the conditions they will encounter.
The most successful fast bowler during the England tour was James Anderson, with 12 wickets at 30.25 apiece. He is one of the world’s leading fast bowlers, having a command of reverse swing that no one in the Australian side can muster.
This series, not unlike one against England, will be decided by spin bowling, despite Indian captain MS Dhoni saying pace bowling and batting were the main differences between the sides.
The records show that in the four Tests against England 82 wickets fell to spin, compared to the 28 batsmen accounted for by the pacemen. It is highly probable that slow bowling will again dominate the coming Test matches against Australia.
This is where India holds a strong advantage. England arrived in the subcontinent armed with two very high quality spinners who proceeded to outbowl their Indian counterparts, as surprise to many home fans and pundits.
And though Nathan Lyon, Australia’s principal twirler, is a hard trier, he does not yet operate at the level of Graham Swann and Monty Panesar.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha will not be overshadowed this time round.
While it is unlikely these two will have everything going their own way, like it did against New Zealand last August/September where they snared 31 of the 40 wickets to fall, they should be able to limit Australia to totals that the home batsmen should be able to surpass.
Additionally, Australia’s batting is not at all frightening.
Their openers, somewhat like India’s, are inconsistent, and the retirement of Michael Hussey is a huge blow to their middle order.
Their one remaining great batsman, Michael Clarke, will be of great concern to the hosts, but it is doubtful he can carry the visitors the way Alastair Cook carried England; or that he will get similar support from the other batsmen.
Australia’s unsettled batting line-up has shown nothing that would suggest they are able to thwart the unremitting wiles of India’s bowlers in very helpful backyard conditions. They will not be able to cope.
So unless Australia develops a pair of match-winning spinners before they leave for India, it is likely that India will gain revenge for the battering they received last series.
Garfield Robinson
Guest
Even I, though I thought India would have won easily enough, was surprised by the extent of the beating. Australia should do a little better in the Ashes but they will get beaten again.
Kaushik
Guest
Quite prescient. Australia got routed 4-0 with spinners playing the major role. I read the comments and most Aussies seem to have predicted an Oz win. As an Indian, even I was quite surprised the way the Australians were dominated through the series. Your team has some serious man-management issues which seems to reflect on the performances as well. David Warner seems to have taken up the flag-bearing role of the principal sledger. Would have been okay if not for his absolutely woeful form/technique/overall game (choose what you may), and it comes across as a bit pathetic. Aussies may yet do well against england but this has been one serious drubbing.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
If you look at Steyn's record in India you'll see pace can blow the Indians away. England's pop gun seamers like Anderson Broad Bresnan and Finn don't have the pace of Steyn. Or in Australia's case Pattinson Starc or Johnson. As with the India England series, if India pick a side which is 6 players passed it or out of form then even Bangladesh would be in with a shout...
Garfield Robinson
Guest
Like the. England series pace will not be the deciding factor. Especially if the groundsmen cooperate and make it turn from the first day. Only England in recent times beat India at home and it was because their spinners were able to outperform India's.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
Well Lyon is pretty pathetic. But if we can get Pattinson fit. Johnson and Starc keep up their good form, we can destroy them with pace. Tendulkar and Sehwag's eyes are gone. Gambhir lacks heart to mix it with Australia.
Garfield Robinson
Guest
Well we will see about that. The England spinners are superior to those available to Australia . Spin will be where Australia will be at their biggest disadvantage.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
Sorry but what series was you watching match? India have as many has 5-6 none contributors. Sehwag Gambhir Tendulkar Zaheer Kohli England's spinners are ordinary to say the least. Swann got mullered by SA. Panesar is a grade cricket bowler. India will have roughly the same line up. We'll beat them easy.
Garfield Robinson
Guest
I think. are wrong. The England side is quite good. Better than Australia I think. And while the Indian side is not all that good I think they have the weapons to beat Australia in their home conditions.
Frankie Hughes
Guest
India aren't capable of beating anyone. They lost a home Test series to a pathetic England side. They lost a home ODI series to a Pakistan side full of 2nd grade players, Ajmal aside. We'll hammer them into the dirt.
dynamitedave
Guest
clarke averages 38 in india. He either makes a big score or gets out below 20. he has 2 centuries there. in 2010 the 2 tests there his highest score was 14. in 2008 he scored 1 century and 1 fifty, the other 5 innings his highest score was 23. in 20004 he got 1 hundred, 2 fifties. in the other 5 innings his highest score was 39. seriously, we may be able to rely on him for 1 inninng. We need the rest of the team to stand up.
Sandman
Guest
Aside from Clarke, khawaja has Become a very good player of spin as he moves his feet well Nd sweeps nicely, we may see a bit of it in Adelaide tomorrow
Garfield Robinson
Roar Pro
I am backing Clarke to make runs too as he is a great player of spin, but I am not sure the rest of the batting will be able to cope against the Indian spinners on turning wickets. Lyon and Beer will certainly get more assistance on Indian pitches than on Australian ones but they will be up against batsmen accustomed to playing spin and I don't expect them to bowl as well as Panesar and Swann did. Your pacers would put the Indian batting under pressure if the matches were going to be played on your wickets. In India they will rarely have conditions where they can dominate the Indian batting. India must start favourites to win.
TheGenuineTailender
Roar Guru
Nathan Lyon and Michael Beer will likely be the Australian spinners. Beer adds the left arm orthodox variation, and turning surfaces could well be the catalyst for a Lyon revival. Michael Clarke is at the top of his game and is particularly strong against spin bowling. There's no reason he can't keep carrying the batting order, and if he manages to do so, look out India. Phil Hughes handled the Sri Lankan spinners admirably and should grind out some runs. If David Warner can get going, we could be well on our way to winning any of the tests, on the contrary, the same applies to Sehwag. Mitchell Starc might be a good pick in India due to his ability to swing the ball back into the right handers, but he wouldn't be in my first picked side for the Ashes. It'll be an interesting series no doubt and there's plenty of pressure on the hosts to lift their game.
Jack
Guest
Could well be right Garfield. I'm just going on all the negative predictions this test side has received over the last year or so only to rub the collective noses of detractors in the dirt. This could well be another case in hand.
Dcnz
Guest
Gambir Sehwg Sachin Kohli Youvraj Raina... None of them in top form ...India will need to punt on Rahane and Pujara to make runs.... That's why Australia will win the series....
Garfield Robinson
Roar Pro
England is better but the main reason I think Australia will lose is their lack of high quality spin -- something that England had. Your pace attack is better than India's but pace will probably not be very effective in those conditions. The Indian batsmen will be able to make enough runs for their spinners to bowl you out in spin-friendly conditions.
Sanjay
Guest
I agree dean,khawaja will be a key batsman for I dua but especially the ashes as he thrives in difficult conditions as seen from his knocks in Hobart and AB oval against NSW, both low scoring games where he top scored, last night we also saw how good his fielding is now. I also like Bird and Cutting as bowlers and hopefully Cutting gets a go in Adelaide. Predicting centuries from Khawaja and Hughes tmr in Adelaide
Dean
Guest
IFor me Khawaja is a must for the Indian series. He was stuffed around big time by the selectors and he also came into the side on bad playing surfaces, that no batsman succeeded on. He played six tests, was badly run out by Ponting when he was well on his way to a big score, had the tests broken into two and one only as a temporary replacement, and yet his average was no worse than most other new batsmen in their 20's first coming into tests. ardly a test of a player’s ability at that level. Meanwhile Cowen aged 30, who is scoring little better over a longer period is being given free reign. The Poms will eat Cowen. But I think Khawaja can get us a few centuries there. Classy left hander who plays his best cricket in swing conditions which is what we need for the ashes.
saad
Guest
I think Australia would be victorious against india.
saad
Guest
How to India will avenge from Australia while its bowling is very weak. They could not avenge from England. England and Pakistan have defeated them at their home. May be Australia defeat them by 4-0.