India fight for survival against Australia in Boxing Day Test With all the hopes of a first series triumph in Australia dashed after defeats in the first two Tests, India have an unenviable task of avoiding the prospect of relinquishing their grip on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as another loss in the Boxing Day Test starting on Friday would help Australia reclaim the coveted trophy. But despite the ominous stare at another humiliation and the lopsidedness of the contest that the 2-0 scoreline suggests, it hasnt been all too easy for the hosts. If the tourists can retain the fighting spirit that has made the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests anything but one-sided contests, they could record a victory of some significance in the third Test of the four-Test series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Since they triumphed in Perth in January 2008, neither side has won a Test match in the others country with Australia suffering 2-0, 2-0 and 4-0 defeats on the sub-continent and India losing all four Tests on their 2011-12 tour. For Australia, its simply a matter of producing more of the same at Melbourne despite having to rejig the winning combination due to the absence of the injured Mitchell Marsh. The 25-year-old Joe Burns will take his place, as is fit-again pacer Ryan Harris instead of Michell Starc. Australian skipper Steven Smith on Thursday cleverly intensified the mind games, saying that India are whingeing and complaining among themselves, turning the focus towards the visitors on the question of sledging. At the moment, the Indians are doing that themselves. Theyre doing a lot of whingeing and complaining among themselves. Theyre doing it all for us. Hopefully that can hinder them this week, he said. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar said the tourists should tone down their verbal spats in the series, but captain MS Dhoni confirmed that wont be happening. I feel a bit of chirping is good on the field, Dhoni told reporters on Thursday. Thats what makes cricket interesting... if the guidelines are followed, Im not really bothered. The chirping has nothing to do with our performance. India though have more pressing issues to address, beginning with the form of opener Shikhar Dhawan and middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma, whose only contribution so far has been to fire up opponent pacer Johnson with some unsolicited sledging. He seemed clueless in the middle, a far cry from his record-breaking ODI knock of 264 at the flat track of Eden Gardens. Dhawans tour has taken a similar route, with no worthwhile contribution with the bat. But more alarming is the shambolic way in which his arm injury of a spurred up Johnson delivery was handled, giving birth to a petty controversy that threatens to unsettle the team, as a fallout of the usually astute skippers surprising unrest comment. Dhoni was quick to downplay the effects of his revealing comment, saying reports of dressing room unrest were made up stories. There havent been any formal complaints from our side so far. If I respond to that - it wont be an adequate response, Dhoni said, when told about Smiths comments. India failed to grab the initiative at the Gabba when Australia were 247 for six, and allowed the tail to wag doggedly, missing a wonderful opportunity to set Australia a more imposing fourth innings target. Meanwhile, there have been signs too that Australia, for all the confidence that back-to-back test victories will bring to any side, have a fragility to their batting order that Indias pace attack can exploit. Australia enjoyed a light training session before the entire squad retired to a Christmas lunch also attended by their families. It was representative of the calm state of mind the hosts take into this third Test, standing on the cusp of winning the series. If at all, they will be concerned about the state of Warners thumb and Shaun Marshs left hand, both recovering from major hits recently. Yet, the Australian playing eleven has been announced as per routine, with no surprises as both the left-handed batsmen made the cut. Burns will make his debut at number six and Watson and Brad Haddin too retained their spots as expected. On the other hand, the visitors will need their in-form batsmen, Vijay and Kohli, to fire and score big runs. They will also need Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to start converting their starts. Among the bowlers, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Varun Aaron enjoyed an easy day. If there is one confirmation, then Bhuvneshwar Kumar, although fit and back to bowling again, will not be risked in this match. India look the more settled of the two sides, though, with the fast bowlers working as unit and taking wickets, while the top six batsmen have all got into the runs at some stage of the series. But if Dhoni, who has been criticised for appearing less than convinced of the importance of the longest form of the game, can lead his team to victory, he could make a considerable addition to his legacy as skipper.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 12:25:18 +0000
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