**Official** Australia in India Thread

[FaaipDeOiad]

Regardless of the complaints about the umpiring, the pitches, the weather, the form of the Indian players and everything else seen on this forum, this series (and the whitewash in Sri Lanka) will be remembered as the time that one of the greatest sides of all time finally conquered the two remaining places in the world they hadn't won in during the last decade.

Those who said that Australia was due for a fall after the Indian series and Steve Waugh's retirement have certainly been proven wrong, as have those who took shots at Martyn (couldn't play spin), McGrath (too old), Warne (couldn't play against India) and Clarke (overrated) throughout this year. It's been a wonderful performance by the whole Australian side.

 

[Dasa]

2 things
1) everyone knows that the pitches in england and NZ arent similar to the wickets in aus and Sa, its bounce vs seam and swing
2) even if you did that, youd find that england have won in pakistan,SL and the WI, so well done sherlock.

Do you always have to be so rude? Learn to be a bit civil...people then might actually respect what you say.

Anyway, I see you conveniently ignored the fact that India drew series' in England and Australia...

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Shephard is repeatedly calling wides on Kumble for negative bowling, and he seems a bit upset about it. Hard to fault it though, with a heavy leg-side field you can't keep bowling a metre outside leg stump.

 

[tooextracool]

Do you always have to be so rude? Learn to be a bit civil...people then might actually respect what you say.

Anyway, I see you conveniently ignored the fact that India drew series' in England and Australia...

i havent ignored anything, ive simply said that india have been incapable of winning series abroad, and drawn series dont exactly counter my argument.
and lets not get into that series in australia again, i think its quite clear that they were under strength.
if they were as brilliant as people made them out to be, they should have won in zimbabwe, and they should have won in WI.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Another shocker there. The second plumb lbw decision given not out this match.

At least, I suppose, the umpires are getting their errors in after the game is over as a contest this time.

 

[Sanz]

Australians aren't taking any chance, My guess is they will bat another 20 overs and score another 100-120 runs and declare. With 600 runs to make in 5 sessions, I am LMAO at the thought of Indian batsmen trying to achieve that. Well at least One test in Calcutta has taught the aussies lot of things, they have learnt their lessons well.

 

[SJS]

Regardless of the complaints about the umpiring, the pitches, the weather, the form of the Indian players and everything else seen on this forum, this series (and the whitewash in Sri Lanka) will be remembered as the time that one of the greatest sides of all time finally conquered the two remaining places in the world they hadn't won in during the last decade.

Those who said that Australia was due for a fall after the Indian series and Steve Waugh's retirement have certainly been proven wrong, as have those who took shots at Martyn (couldn't play spin), McGrath (too old), Warne (couldn't play against India) and Clarke (overrated) throughout this year. It's been a wonderful performance by the whole Australian side.

I think its been a very smart and professional performance by Australia rather than a brilliant one. Not for a second this is meant to decry their performance. But this has been vastly different from Australia's usual style and approach PLUS Hayden, Gilchrist and Ponting (through his absence of course) have not been the dominating batsmen and others have filled in with a different approach.

This has helped them conquer, what I believe is an , overall, beter Indian attack then 2001.

The Australian bowlers , on the other hand, have bowled steadily, rather than spectacularly, and been helped along with some very disappointing batting by the top guns from India.

All said and done, Australia have thoroughly outplayed a lackluster Indian side, totally lacking in self belief and looking nowhere like a side challenging for the second spot let alone the first. This is the fact indian fans have to swallow painful though it is.

 

[Jono]

The only thing that is more of a disgrace than India's performance in this test match is some of the comments and excuses made by my fellow Indians fans.

Just accept defeat, the Indians have played poorly and the Australians have played brilliantly.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I think its been a very smart and professional performance by Australia rather than a brilliant one. Not for a second this is meant to decry their performance. But this has been vastly different from Australia's usual style and approach PLUS Hayden, Gilchrist and Ponting (through his absence of course) have not been the dominating batsmen and others have filled in with a different approach.

This has helped them conquer, what I believe is an , overall, beter Indian attack then 2001.

The Australian bowlers , on the other hand, have bowled steadily, rather than spectacularly, and been helped along with some very disappointing batting by the top guns from India.

All said and done, Australia have thoroughly outplayed a lackluster Indian side, totally lacking in self belief and looking nowhere like a side challenging for the second spot let alone the first. This is the fact indian fans have to swallow painful though it is.

I agree regarding Australia's batsmen, in that they haven't felt the need to destroy the Indian bowling and have instead simply played consistent, intelligent cricket and defended when necessary. I think that the Sri Lankan tour helped with this, where they had to deal with Vaas and Zoysa moving the new ball a mile, and Murali bowling at his best and they still came out on top after trailing on the first innings in every test.

I think however that Australia's bowling has really been spectacular. The Indian batsmen might be out of form, but a good player can play themselves into form in test cricket, and the Indians have been unable to do that. McGrath has pulled out a peformance in the 1st and 3rd tests to rival his amazing West Indian series in '95 and 2000, and Gillespie and Kasprowicz have supported him brilliantly, with accurate bowling and excellent strategy against Indian batsmen who have taken them apart in the past. Warne has also conquered the one team that always had it over him in the past.

I think this series is really the result of 6 years of thought and work against India. Most Australians thought 2001 was the time we would finally beat India at home, and halfway through the second test it certainly looked like Australia would run away with it, but Australia have learnt from that loss and from the way the Indians performed last summer and come back knowing exactly how to win and followed through with it. To concentrate on the fact that India have played poorly is to ignore the fact that this is one of the greatest triumphs in Australian cricket.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

On another note, Clarke and Martyn are impressing once again. As I write this Clarke has 353 runs in this series at an average of 88.25 with scores of 151, 91 and 50*. You can't hope for a much better start to test cricket than that, given the opposition and the location.


edit: and then... 21 off an Agarkar over. Clarke certainly seems to have his eye on that second test century he missed in the first innings.

 

[maxpower]

Shephard is repeatedly calling wides on Kumble for negative bowling, and he seems a bit upset about it. Hard to fault it though, with a heavy leg-side field you can't keep bowling a metre outside leg stump.

umps have the right to enforce 1day wide rules if they think the bowler's intent is to deny the batsmen from scoring. Kumble must be desperate to do that. I dont remember this ploy being used that much expect maybe giles did it once.

 

[Jono]

The Indian team will lose a lot of fans....unless they somehow save this match.

I myself have decided to now support the West Indies.

 

[telsor]

we have won 2 series(including the bangladesh one of test )drawn 3 of them(the draws include Aus and Eng) and lost to other 4 and among them is the NZ series which was famous for the pitches.even though we dont have a great record away from home how many teams have a better record

I thought you (amoung others ) told me that it was the perogative of the home team to prepare whatever pitches they wanted?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Shephard just showed Michael Clarke the red card for almost hitting him in the teeth with a pull shot.

 

[Sanz]

When will this misery end ? Are the Aussie going to leaves us with 700 runs to score in the 4th innings ?

 

[Mister Wright]

Shephard just showed Michael Clarke the red card for almost hitting him in the teeth with a pull shot.

Then tried to do the same to Kaif, but he caught it.

 

[Jono]

Hey hey... a wicket.

 

[Sanz]

And There comes the declaration...just kidding..I guess Gilchrist is going to be the next man, get ready for some fireworks.

 

[Mister Wright]

I hope Gillespie gets a bat and we see him go for the slog.

 

[Eclipse]

I dont think I have ever seen a batsman who uses his feet better to the spinners than Clarke maybe Brian Lara.