INDIA-AUSTRALIA SERIES

So the Indian selectors have decided to stick to the tried and tested team which has done Indian cricket proud in recent times. The five-wise men gave former captain Sourav Ganguly a new lease of life by including him in the 15-man squad.

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A straight interpretation of including Ganguly in the XV means that he is a certain starter for the Bangalore Test.

Had Ganguly been dropped from the squad, it would have meant one of either - Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Subramaniam Badrinath or Rohit Sharma would have occupied that slot – that would have meant the Aussies would have one less experienced player to contend with. By including Ganguly, the Indian selectors have not only fielded a trusted performer, but they’ve also thrust at the Australians a player with 109 Test caps and over a decade of experience. This is the last thing the Australians, who are traveling with a vastly inexperienced team, wanted.

Given we now have the men who will do duty for both the teams, let’s look at how they match up head-to-head, individual-to-individual.

Matthew Hayden vs Virender Sehwag
Both attacking players, and both capable of winning matches on their own for their teams. Hayden has been a consistent performer, but if Sehwag gets going, he is simply devastating. Both camps have identified these two individuals as the dangermen. Venkatesh Prasad, the Indian bowling coach had said, “We have to get Matthew Hayden early because he is a kind of batsman who has scored all over the world. In the past, Hayden has done well in the sub-continent and so his wicket will be important", while Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Wednesday said, “Sehwag is a key player and he is dangerous once he gets in.”

Scoreline: Australia 1, India 1

Phil Jaques vs Gautam Gambhir
Both relatively inexperienced, strikingly similar, but silent performers. Both batsmen are in good nick; Gambhir was one of the two Indian performers in the Test series in Sri Lanka, while Jaques, after an indifferent start to his last Test series against the West Indies, finished it off in style – scoring 108 in the final Test at Barbados.

Scoreline: Australia 2, India 2

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Ricky Ponting vs Sachin Tendulkar
The men on whom most of the discussions in the forthcoming Test series will be based upon. Both are vastly experienced, and both veterans of over 100 Test matches.

One will have to consider Tendulkar as coming up trumps in this battle, primarily because he is playing at home, and at venues where he has performed admirably in the past. Barring Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla, where he averages 44, the little master averages in excess of 50 at the other three venues. Tendulkar’s is a wicket the Aussies will value most.

Ponting had recently said, “I have the highest regard for him. Sachin is a true champion, one of the all-time greats of the game…..But we are here to win and know pretty well that we have to get rid of him early if we are to win here. We have come here with a few plans for him and hope our plans would click.”

Aussie speedster Brett Lee said, “He is a world class player who has proved himself over more than a decade. You talk about [Don] Bradman, you talk about Lara, Sachin and probably Ricky...It's an honour to bowl to Sachin and getting his wicket is the ultimate prize.”

Ponting, on the other hand, has a dismal record in India, and is under immense pressure to set his record right. He said, “There is a bit of a void in my international career here in India, there's no doubt about that…..I'll work really hard for the next week and a bit to make sure I'm as good as I can be come first Test time and hopefully I can turn things around there, it's all in my hands, I know what I have to do to have success here.”

Scoreline: Australia 2, India 3

Michael Hussey vs Rahul Dravid
Two men, who have been huge contributors to their team’s successes in recent years, but have been passing through an indifferent time recently.

Hussey once boasted of Bradmenesque averages; after his first 18 Test matches, he had a batting average of 86.18, but since then, his average has come crashing down to 68.38. He hasn’t scored a hundred in his five Test matches, and averages a dismal 22.78 from those five matches. However, being a good player of spin, he will be confident of getting back to his run scoring ways.

Dravid too has been passing through a lean patch. The former India captain too hasn’t scored a hundred in his last five Tests; in this period he has scored 215 runs at an average of 23.89 and found it difficult even in home-like conditions in Sri Lanka. However, Dravid can be expected to come out all guns blazing – the first Test will be played on his home ground in Bangalore, and he then moves on to the remaining three venues where he averages close to 60.

Scoreline: Australia 3, India 4

Michael Clarke vs VVS Laxman
Two men who have a special liking for each other’s teams.

Clarke has a special place for India in his heart; it was here in India, and at Bangalore where the first Test will be played, that he scored a century on debut. Since then, he has gone on to greater heights; he is now the vice-captain of the Australian team and one of the most reliable performers with the bat. One of the better players of spin in the Australian team, Clarke will be expected to play big innings on this tour.

Laxman too has a special liking for the Australians – it is not for no reason that he is identified by the Australians as ‘Very Very Special’ Laxman. The man who scripted a famous turnaround of fortunes in the Calcutta Test match of 2001, Laxman has scored nine of his eighteen hundreds against the Aussies. A free-flowing stroke-maker, Laxman likes the ball coming onto the bat, and the Australian attack might just suit him perfectly.

Scoreline – Australia 4, India 5

Shane Watson vs Sourav Ganguly
Not the ideal head-to-head one would think, but this is where the Australian combination starts to stutter. Had Andrew Symonds been present in the Australian line-up, then he would have batted at number six – and that would have matched up to Sourav Ganguly on the Indian side. But Watson, though he is an exceptional allrounder, isn’t in the same league as Symonds just yet. Though Watson’s numbers in first-class cricket are exceptional, he is yet to stamp his authority in Test cricket. His last Test appearance was in November 2005, and one will have to wait and see how he copes with the demanding Indian conditions. His inexperience, coupled with his vulnerability against spin, means the Aussies will be on the backfoot in this match-up.

Although he is not in the greatest of forms, Ganguly’s inclusion means India will have a fighter-to-the-core batting at number five. His fighting abilities helped India beat South Africa in a Test match at Kanpur earlier this year, and it was the same ‘never-give-up’ mentality that saw him become India’s leading run scorer in 2007, after making a comeback in the Test tour of South Africa.

Further, Ganguly is a proven performer when the chips are down. Add to this the fact that he is one of the players the Australians love to hate; he brings a distinct character to this Indian team.

Scoreline: Australia 4, India 6

Brad Haddin vs MS Dhoni
Two flamboyant young men, one who has already established himself in international cricket, while the other is still trying to find his feet. Dhoni’s experience at the international level can be equated with Haddin’s exploits in domestic cricket. Both are safe wicketkeepers and equally good behind the stumps.

Scoreline – Australia 5, India 7

Jason Krejza vs Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh takes this duel hands down. His attitude, his liking for the Australians, playing in Indian conditions, his current form, and his past record – career and against the Aussies – makes Krejza no match for the Indian Sardar.

Krejza, who will be making his Test debut at Bangalore, has already started playing mind games. Known to be a big turner of the ball, Krejza recently disregarded the Indian batsmen’s ability to dominate spin. He said, “I am confident that I can come over here and be successful, that is why I targeted this tour. If I can spin it hard and get it in the right areas, get a few big wickets, that would be great. I'm not intimidated, because bowling to our guys, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting and the others, it isn't much different. They treat spinners as Indians do, very, very aggressively. I have confidence that I've got the skills to do it."

Scoreline – Australia 5, India 8

Who? vs Anil Kumble
Never in the recent past has there been so much uncertainty in the Australian set up. The Aussies, the number one ranked team in the world, have generally had a settled team – and players in the fringes have only had their opportunity when someone has suffered an injury or in similar circumstances.

Whoever the match up to Kumble be, there’s no question that he would win that contest hands down. The captain of the Indian team, India’s leading wicket taker in Test cricket, India’s most successful match winner, and an enviable record against Australia in India – do we need to say more?

Mitchell Johnson and Douglas Bollinger are said to be prime contenders for this slot in the Australian team – both left arm seamers, barely experienced if anything, and they will not only have to battle the Indian conditions, but also a star-studded batting line up.

Scoreline: Australia 5, India 9

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Brett Lee vs Zaheer Khan
A very close contest this one – both men leading the bowling attack, and a lot will be expected of both of them.

Lee is a proven match-winner and has shown significant signs of maturity and leadership qualities since the retirements of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Tough inexperienced when it comes to playing Test cricket in India, Lee knows Indian conditions well through his one-day international appearances and his stint in the Indian Premier League. Lee has said he was looking forward to his first Test in India; he said, “Yes, there will be great lot of pressure on me. But I enjoy the pressure. I am looking forward to the challenge. We have our task cut out. I might not have played a Test here but have the experience of playing in twenty20 and one-day matches.”

Zaheer Khan, on the other hand has relatively lesser pressure. With the likes of Kumble and Harbhajan in the team, Zaheer’s main job will be to give the team early breakthroughs. He has been a consistent performer for India in recent times, and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad has said Zaheer will be a vital cog in India’s plans. He said, “He (Zaheer) is somebody who has played a lot of cricket in India and abroad and has a lot of experience. He can move the ball in both directions and would play a vital role in our bowling department.”

Scoreline: Australia 6, India 10

Stuart Clark vs Ishant Sharma
Different types of bowlers, with different types of responsibilities.

Australia, in the past, have used Stuart Clark in the role of a stock bowler. However, on this tour of India, where the conditions are going to be tough, Clark will be expected to share the wicket-taking responsibilities with Brett Lee. He will be expected to bowl long spells, keep the runs in check and also pick up wickets regularly. This 6.5 feet tall fast bowler will also be expected to extract some reverse swing from the dry Indian pitches.

Ishant Sharma – a bowler who the Aussies will remember for that spectacular series in Australia, and in particular that one terrific spell to the Australian captain at Perth. He can bowl quick, can bowl long spells, and the Indians will be expecting him to get breakthroughs at regular intervals. Sharma should relish playing at Nagpur and Mohali, which have generally aided swing bowling, while he should know the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium – his home ground - like the back of his hand.