Stage set for battle royale

[1]

When Australia arrived here in 2008, they were not just planning to keep possession of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, they were talking of putting daylight between themselves and the rest of the Test-playing community.

They, however, departed four Tests later with a 0-2 loss and an unnerving knowledge that their dominance of Test cricket was as good as done.
It’s ironical that India’s two-match Test series against Australia this time — the first of which begins here from Friday – throws up the opposite scenario. After a bumper 2009 that saw them reach number one in the Test ranking, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men have had a mixed year so far that is threatening to cut short their stint at the top.
India haven’t lost a series at home in two years, but with draws in the last two, Dhoni has a lot on his platter. There is unpredictability over India’s bowling resources with both Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth returning from injury, and Ishant Sharma on the rebound after a woeful season. No decision has also been taken on Harbhajan Singh, who is suffering from an ankle sprain.
“It is a bit of a concern, but you can’t control injuries. We’re just hoping he’ll be available for selection, but if he’s not we’ll have to make use of the available resources in the best possible manner,” Dhoni said. “He has been our main spinner since Anil Kumble left cricket (in 2008). He has been well-supported by Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha, but the main attack has always revolved around him.”
Harbhajan’s absence will be a big blow to India’s aspirations of putting it past Australia as he has been hugely successful against them. In case he doesn’t make it, India will be forced to decide between either another pace option in Sreesanth, or Mishra.
Sreesanth is as aggressive as Harbhajan, but has been underwhelming as far as his performance is concerned. Mishra, in contrast, has had a reasonably good season, but lacks the ability to get under the batsman’s skin.
Whatever the final combination, India know where their strength lies — in batting. A slimline Virender Sehwag has been oozing confidence both in words and at nets every since the Indians came here. His opening partner Gautam Gambhir has also had a proper pre-season rest.
India’s start to the new season leading up to the World Cup could well depend on how damaging they prove to be in these two Tests. A nice, solid platform from them will be just the thing the old warhorses in the middle-order would need to settle in.
The job seems simple on paper. Australia have five players likely to start this Test who weren’t around in 2008, and three of them are bowlers. With the tour deemed too early for a recovering Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson is the only survivor among the attack with Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger and offie Nathan Hauritz likely to accompany him unless Bollinger fails to recover from the last-minute dash from South Africa.
Johnson is an aggressive hit-the-deck bowler, but has been far too inconsistent in his line to be spoken in the same vein as Glenn McGrath or Brett Lee when they were on song. This is where India gain a critical edge over their opponents.
Mohali is a happy-hunting ground for the hosts having lost only once here in nine Tests. The pitch won’t be a traditional seam-friendly one though, with the curator warning of lesser bounce than usual.
This series is the last of a fascinating decade of India-Australia rivalry that has seen Aussies losing more Tests to India than they have won. India, in fact, are the only team that can boast of this record over Australia for the decade. Dhoni will look to keep the record that way.