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The Pavilion.com's team of cricket writers responds to mail from rediff.com's readers.
Name:Malay
Guys,
Look out for the Indians. You are not going to walk all over us like you did
with the gutless West Indians!
A special word for Shane. You did better stop you negative tactic of bowling
on the leg stump to our batsman. You see you are going to be hit anyway!
Sam: Going by the way India capitulated in Australia last time, one has
no reason to believe that they will play like heroes this time. The
home advantage counts for little when one is playing an
overwhelmingly superior team. As a case in point, the West Indies
ran all over India in 1983. This Australian team may not be exactly
in the same league but I suspect that India is in for more of a battle
than it realises now. Everybody is still living on the euphoria of the
1997-98 series when Tendulkar tore into the tourists. This is a
different series, a different Australian team and a weaker Indian
team.
Name:Venkatesh Varadan
Do you think Australia should go in with four bowlers or five bowlers for
the first test? I would like to see Australia go in with five bowlers since
their basic aim is to get 20 wickets of India. Their batting is quite strong and
they also know that apart from Srinath and a part of Agarkar, no threatening
bowler exist
Sam: Judging from the first tour match, Australia would be better placed
playing a two-pace two-spin attack. It is very doubtful if five bowlers
will be played; six batsmen, Gilchrist at seven and the four bowlers
seems almost certain.
Name: DR.VISHWANATH SHETTY
Hi freinds , thanks for sending a real good side to battle with our real
home tigers.But wait a minute, what about your thirdrated umpires ? The most
important thing the ICC shoud do now to prevent the game from sinking is to
conduct coaching camps for Australian umpires which they can do even at
Hollnd or Canada ? even the Indian crowd is not as partisan as Australan
umpires who no doubt helped an average to good side to look like an
extraordinary side which they are clearly not and at their best 50 percent
as competent as the great West Indian side of eighties.
Sam:The real big names may be absent from this Australian side but
they do gel together very well as a unit. Umpiring has been poor,
sure, but then onlky a few umpires worldwide are up to the mark.
The complaint about umpires favouring the home side has been
there since the game started so that is neither here nor there.
Name:Dharmesh
How do you rate today's Australian team with the Invincibles of yesteryears?
Sam:They are not in the same class as the Invincibles. We have some
interesting statistical comparisons on our site; take a look. I would
not rate them even on par with the great West Indies teams of the
1980s. The Australians are a very good unit but have yet to be
sorely tested.
Name:Swaroop
u guys may think we got worls class batsmen world class keeper world class
bowlers indians are finished wait a second oops we forgot they have the
master batsmen tendulkar the maharaja ganguly the cool dravid the never say
die srinath !! its not going to be so easy mate !!you guys won 11 test
matches at home big deal !! now you are in the tiger land !! a single
oppertunity is enough for the indians to eat your bowlers . they stay for 2
sessions in the field then forget about winning aand think about not lossing
!! indians havnt had any big meal lately they are waitng for you!!
kangroos do taste good!!
Sam:Good luck to both teams. I hope we have an entertaining, tight
series.
Name: Sanghamitra
Simpson himself wrote about Mohanty who has a future and predicted success
for him in Australia.
What does the enemy think about him vis a vis what Simpson wrote.
Sam:Depends on how much he has come on since he came here. He
had a tendency to lose it and bowl loose stuff when he was hit
around a bit. Lots of predictions come and go and few of them
come to fruition - remember this was the same Simpson who tried
to give Kumble lessons in spin bowling.
Name:Anurag Krishna
Hi,
My question is as follows:-
Australians are known for sledging and abusing the opponent batsmen. This
practice though not unfair is certainly unethical. Steve Waugh's much talked
war of words had already started days before the visitors arrival in India.
Do you think is this really a weapon of mental warfare as Aussies often put
as a garb?
In the gentlemen's game of cricket should not the bat, ball and fielding
speak and all other weapons be packed in the cupboards of dressing room
before donning the whites?
What does the experts feel about it? I am eager to know their views.
Sam: Gentleman's game? I think those days were left behind a long time
back. Every team sledges, the Australians perhaps a wee bit more
aggressively than most. There is a deterrent now in the shape of
the ICC law but who will bell the cat?
Name:Sathish Jayapal
Hi,
Do you expect any "hostile" umpiring during the
Indian tour of Australia ?
And also, there has been lots of talk from the Aussie
side that beating India in India would be their
ultimate proof as all-time best test champions.
Suppose if Steve Waugh's team fails to do so could it
be said that they are after all not the all-time best
?
Sam : No. I do not expect umpires to be partisan but I do expect them to
be firm with both teams.
In reply to the second aspect, yes, if Australia do not beat India
then that means they have failed to beat two teams at home on the
subcontinent. They may end up at the top in terms of points once
the ICC's championship comes into place but one must remember
that the last team to be considered world champs, the West Indies
of the 1980s, did not lose a series, be it home or away, for 15
years.
Name:Balaji
Hi,
It is alright to have battles both mentally and on the field but why do we
have unnecessary exchange of words between Steve Waugh and Sourav. I agree
that Sourav has come into the captaincy mould just recently and is eager.
Steve is a experienced captain and he can just keep off the comments and
just talk when needed.
By the way every home team prepares pitches and conditions to suit them.
Hasn't it been the same way all along. Why is this an issue?
I am also a supporter that most of the time the game is played in the mind
and it has an impact but the players are pros and they should restrain.
Sam:I couldn't agree with you more. Mountains are being made out of
molehills unnecessarily.
Name: Sathish
All the very Best!!!!
What is your opinion of John Wright training for the Indian team?
Sam:Why should India need a foreign coach? Put Sunil Gavaskar in
charge and give him carte blanche to pick whom he likes. You will
have an extremely good team.
Name:Dinesh Nayak
The big problem for Australians in this series would be Glen McGrath and
Warne will not find their rhythm and will bowl very poorly. Steve Waugh and
Ponting ara utter flop in their timings.
India will win the series at least 2-0.
Sam:I would not venture a prediction this time. McGrath is like a
machine and is keen to do well in India. Warne is in much better
shape than last time. Don't under-rate either of them.
Name:Hrishikesh Hegde
Will you be having the live commentary this time too.?
I feel by having flemming in the OZ side .. they have got
stronger.. Th ebiggest threat to india is going to come from
Fleming..
Sam:No decision on the live coverage yet.
I agree with your point about Fleming - I rate him as a better bowler
than McGrath.
Name:Colin Kemp
How do you all feel, now that Brett Lee is injured and not able to be in
India with you?
Sam: Lee did not play in some of the Tests against the West Indies. I
think Australia has sufficient bowling resources to carry on without
him. Remember, he has just come on the scene.
Name: Bhau
Why no Australian, or for that matter any fast bowler to-day, bowls with the
famous Lindwall-style side-on rhythmic action which has the advantage of
hiding the grip more effectively ?
Is it true that lindwall coiuld and did bowl even good leg-breaks with the
same run-up and delivery style ?
Sam:Can't really answer that one. A question of personal preference,
maybe, and some coaching input as well.
I have heard the same thing about Lindwall but I have not been able
to verify it.
Name: Sandeep Shouche
I do'nt know if the current Australian team is the all time best. I can say
for certain that it is the all-time "dirtiest" in the world.
Mcgrath's dirty outbursts about Lara or Tendulkar, Waugh's incessant
chattering, Ponting's "angry young man" image - clearly this team sets
very poor standards for the image of the game.
It's not just the Indians. In the recent past, the Srilankans, the
Pakistanis, the West Indians have all come out of Australia series and complained
about sledging. Could it be racism ?? Or is it just that these players have
been taught how to play, but not how to behave properly on the field.
I wonder how the Ausses get away with it as well. Poor Venkatesh Prasad
got caned for a joyful celebration, while Mcgrath's verbal barrage targetted
at Sachin Tendulkar gets barely noticed. Ganguly sits out games for
appealing, but Ponting tongue-lashing Srinath after being hit on the helmet
or wildly gesticulating after being dismissed is pardoned.
Maybe this is another angle of the game that has been "fixed" by the
Aussies. After all, does'nt this team have people who have been paid
money for dishing out weather bulletins ??
Sam:There are sinners on both sides - four Indian players are now
serving bans for involvement in match-fixing isn't it?
I don't agree that Prasad's celebration was joyful - it was obscene
and he deserved what he got. But Ponting should have got equal
punishment, that I do agree.
I don't think this is fixed; home teams tend to be favoured a bit.
Name:Ashwin Honkan
As I eagerly await in bated breath for an enthralling
series between Australia and India, I have belief that
the outcome of the toss may decide the match and
possibly the series. How is it possible that a simple
toss of the coin may influence the series? Read on.
India wins the toss, rest assured their first aim will
be to bat their way to a draw. Australia has won 15
straight matches and quite rightly so, even a draw
will be considered a moral victory by the Indians.
India do have the batsmen to ensure a draw, and
although a draw may be considered to be having a
negative frame of mind, this time it would considerd a
positive and respected one. The world of cricket would
acknowledge the feat of stopping Australia's run of
victories, as a victory.
If Australia win the toss, the order of the day will
be to survive the first session, then quick scoring,
set a target that will ensure that they wont have to
bat again or setting a target unreachable for the
host, then attempt to bowl India out twice.
An Australian win, will break the hosts heart and will
be demoralising for them to fight back, especially if
the Indian spinners have no effect. Dead flat pitches
for the remainder of the series may be the order of
the day to ensure there is no whitewash that takes
place a 1-0 loss can ensure that India saves some
face.
An Indian win will ensure the hosts will attempt to
draw the remainder of the series, but if the spinners
do have an effect, then the pitches for the remainder
will take a lot of spin that is to be guaranteed. But
the difference I guess lies that Australia will
attempt to fight back and fight back hard! The havent
loss a series for some time and they will be hell bent
to maintain their unbeaten record in not losing the
series at the very least.
A simple toss of the coin. I can only hope for a two
headed coin, when Steve Waugh calls tails.
Sam: Yep. If wishes were horses...
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