Sunday, December 23, 2007

India vs Australia 1st Test: Who will open Indian innings?

Everybody is looking towards the India vs Australia 1st Test match which will take on 26th December, 2007 with the Boxing Day. This match will take place at the MCG venue. It is the much expected match of all cricket fans. India vs Australia 1st Test match has caught the attention for many reasons. The main reason is that it may be the last Australia tour of some Indian batsmen. And Indian team is thinking of getting win in Aussies soil.

India didn’t lose any Test series since 1992-93. They lost their last Test series against West Indies 14 years before. In 2003-04, Sourav Ganguly’s India stopped the record of Steve Waugh’s 16 successive 16 Test wins. Now, Anil Kumble is the new captain of India team. Under his captaincy, India team will face Australia team. Australia has got win in 14 Test matches. They need two more wins to touch their own record. If they can get three more matches win then it will be more new record in Test cricket.

However, Indian players are hopeful to get series win against Australia. Ahead of the series they have already announced their squad where four test specialist players have been included in the main squad. They are Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman. Australia tour is a do or die series for Rahul Dravid. It is a hard task for Rahul Dravid to prove his talent and come back in the prime form. Sachin Tendulkar is in prime form. He has enough experience of playing against Australia team. This is the fourth tour for Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. He played 12 Test matches where he got 4 test centuries at an average of 54.16. As it is likely his last Australia tour so, he should try his best to make the tour series memorable. Sourav is going throw into good time. He played some good innings against arch rivals Pakistan team. He and Sachin are set in middle order. Another tall and stroke player V.V.S. Laxman is also set to play in middle order position. Most of the century has come against mighty Australia. His highest 281 runs also came against this opponents team. Indian management is in fix with their opening pair. India has two choices as opening partner for Wasim Jaffer with the technically correct and run-hungry Rahul Dravid or the flamboyant flayer Virender Sehwag. As an experienced player, he has got chance in the 16-men squad. His playing in the 1st Test is still in doubt. It would be gamble to pick Sehwag. Rahul Dravid, who got selected in the warm-up match, showed his well performance. He opened with Wasim Jaffer and scored unbeaten 38 runs. It was another long innings of him and it proves his career to get select in the main squad of the first Test.

I hope Indian think-tank will get an idea to solve this problem and make a strong opening pair. But is difficult to say who will make open against Australia. Only three days are left to start the first Test. Then we can see who will open in the first test against Australia. So, dear fans wait with passion until the match take on in the field.
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