Having talked the talk, it is now time to start walking it as well. 'Play' is almost upon us as Australia and India itch to renew rivalry all over again over the next two months.
Part one of what many hope will turn out to be an Indian summer will get under way at the sprawling, history-soaked Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday. Boxing Day will usher in the first day of the four-Test series, the World champions and the only team to have run them close in recent times both desperate to fire the first salvos and snatch the early initiative.
On the face of it, Anil Kumble would appear to have a daunting task in his first overseas foray as Indian captain. The MCG, hosting its 100th Test, has been one of Australia’s favourite hunting grounds — they have won their last eight Tests here on the trot. On top of it, India’s preparations leading up to this game have been severely hampered by the elements, no more than half a day of play was possible during their scheduled three-day game against Victoria Bushrangers.
The inclement weather of the last week has also scuttled curator Tony Ware’s meticulous pitch preparation plans. Drop-in pitches of the sort the MCG has employed for more than a decade now are always a touch unpredictable, though they have invariably tended to play on the slower side. That it rained almost incessantly between Thursday and Sunday meant the surface was constantly under wraps. It hasn't helped that Ware watered it in the hope that the sun would come out in its full resplendent glory on the two days immediately prior to the Test, so that even by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, the surface retained plenty of moisture, adding to the element of uncertainty.
Damp track
It’s the prospect of running into a damp track straightaway that has forced the Indians to keep the option of Wasim Jaffer’s opening partner slightly open. Rahul Dravid is still the front-runner for that role; Dinesh Kaarthick might just sneak in depending on how the pitch shapes up in the morning, otherwise Yuvraj Singh will bat at number six. Virender Sehwag didn’t even have a bat at Tuesday practice, and it can be safely presumed that he will play no part in the first Test.
India will think long and hard about playing the second spinner as well, but it is more likely that Ishant Sharma will be the third quick-bowling component of a four-man bowling attack, contrasting with and complementing the left-arm duo of Zaheer Khan and Rudra Pratap Singh. Zaheer and Rudra Pratap had been outstanding in England as they set up India's 1-0 series win; they had relied on good old-fashioned swing to undermine England's best, but the Kookaburra isn't as much a swing-aiding tool as the Duke had been in Old Blighty.
India's bowling is being perceived as the weak link against an Australian line-up full of runs, and confidence. Ricky Ponting has been in sublime form for the better part of four years now, while Indophiles Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds have all made their intentions clear. Throw in Phil Jaques, the ultra consistent Mike Hussey and marauding number seven Adam Gilchrist, and a fearful picture emerges of the enormity of the task ahead of the Indians.
Kumble’s magic
Kumble had, dramatically, emerged India's most successful bowler in Australia four years back, with 24 wickets from three Tests. The skipper will have to shoulder the bulk of the burden again, but he will need his quicker bowlers to reproduce their form of England for India to not allow the Aussies to run away with it.
India’s batting line-up is as awe-inspiring as that of the Aussies. There is experience, class and hunger in a top-seven that boasts upwards of 40,000 runs. Four of them might not return to Australia again, and that is added inspiration for a side that would like to make Sourav Ganguly’s 100th Test memorable for all the right reasons.
Up against Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark and Brad Hogg — who is likely to win the race with Shaun Tait — India’s batsmen face a test of skill and temperament as bounce threatens to be a key component. They have displayed both virtues in ample measure many times in the past. An encore at the MCG will be the perfect start as India eye their first series win on Aussie turf.
Teams (from):
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Phil Jaques, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Brad Hogg, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Shaun Tait.
India: Anil Kumble (capt), Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Rudra Pratap Singh, Dinesh Kaarthick, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Pankaj Singh.
Umpires: Billy Bowden (New Zealand) and Mark Benson (England). Third umpire: Steve Davis. Match referee: Mike Procter (South Africa).