New Australian coach Tim Nielsen has taken more than a passing interest in India’s just ended Test series in England to particularly notice their ageing batsmen and said they faced a challenge to remain fresh for tour of Down Under straight after playing arch-rival Pakistan.

The series, beginning on December 26, is likely to be a farewell tour for 34-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, who toured Australia 16 years ago, Sourav Ganguly, 35, Rahul Dravid, 34, and VVS Laxman, who turns 33 in November.
“It’s interesting. Apart from the two opening batsmen, they seem to have gone back to a more experienced line-up,” Nielsen said.

“The challenge for them is, I suppose, they’ve got the Twenty20 world series then they’ve got the Test series against Pakistan and they come straight to Australia. We will be relatively fresh compared with what they will be and that might be a positive for us. That will test these older players of theirs,” he was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press.