Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Australia vs India 2nd Test: Ricky Ponting’s Australia heading towards the 16th consecutive win

Australia vs India Test series has already become more exciting and competitive. First Test of the four-match Test series has already been played at MCG where Australia got win with huge margin of 337 runs and one day to spare. Now, second Test will start on 2nd January, 2008 with the New Year. Australia vs India 2nd Test will take place at Sydney Cricket Ground. If you are fan of cricket game and your favorite team is India or Australia then you already know the match start time that will begin at 10:30 local time and 23:30 GMT. Sydney Cricket Ground is memorable to Indian cricket team as they got win against Australia in this venue and made the series 1-1 draw four years ago.

Ricky Ponting’s Australia has got win their 15th successive win at MCG. Now, they are heading toward the Sydney Cricket Ground in the prospect of equalling their own world record for consecutive Test win. Ricky Ponting’s Australia team needs only two more consecutive Test wins to equal the world record that was made by Steve Waugh’s leadership from 1999 to 2001. Australia is still unbeaten since 2005. Ricky Ponting’s current group of players has won 15 games in a row and seems to make a new record in the four-match Test series against India with the New Year if any dramatic turnaround doesn’t happen.

Sydney Cricket Ground seems to a lucky venue for tourist India team. In their last visit, India’s batsmen compiled 705-7 to Sydney four years ago to draw the match and the series. However, Indian batsmen failed to make at least 200 in either innings in Melbourne in the recent tour series. So, top order batsmen are determined to play better in Sydney. Sydney is heavenly place for spin bowlers as this venue is spin-friendly. So, no doubt, spinners will get advantage in this pitch.

The Australians have lost just one Test in the last decade at Sydney and their only defeat to India in Sydney was 30 years ago.

It is expected that Virender Sehwag will make open with Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid will play his most chosen place at no 3 in the second Test. According to the suggestion of Australia’s former captain Steve Waugh is that India should open with right-hand player Rahul Dravid and set Virender Sehwag as his partner in the second Test. It is still doubt that who will open Indian innings. Indian captain Anil Kumble said team combination will fix after checking the SCG venue.

There is also sad news for India team that form batsman and one of the most important batsmen Sourav Ganguly is now suffering from fever. So, his fever certainly fall India in a big problem. He performed well both innings in MCG Boxing Day Test match-scoring 43 in the first innings and 40 in the second innings that provided some resistance to the ramping Australian attack in the first Test at MCG. Now, team management is hope that he will recover soon.

Indian team management is perhaps the likely to play two professional spin bowlers. Captain Anil Kumble is the leading bowler in his side and we can again see Harbhajan Singh as a pair of him. However, their pace attack is the matter of concerned of India team. Zaheer Khan, who claimed 5 wickets in both innings, can’t show his performance in every match. RP Sing, who got selection in the first Test could claim 2 wickets for 132 runs in both innings, is not sure for second Test. Between two left-hand pace bowlers Irfan Pathan and RP singh anyone can be picked for second Test.

Getting big win in the first test has given Australia’s cricketers an extra incentive heading into the second Test at SCG. And the SCG venue is not only the heavenly place for spinners. It has grass that informed that pace bowler will also get benefit in this pitch. So, Indian batsmen again can face the pace attack from Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson. Left-arm Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg is happy for his impressive performance in the first Test.

However, dear fans there is only few days are left to start the second Test. Then we can see who perform well and take benefit of SCG. It is the high time to see that India can repeat the history again or not.

I know many fans of both teams are eagerly waiting to see that Ricky Ponting’s Australia can make the equal to their own world record or again has to defeat by Anil Kumble’s India team.

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