It's the season of Test Match Cricket and with the top cricketing teams fiercely contesting against each other to show their cricketing prowess, times can't get any better for an avid cricket fan. So if Australians are fighting hard to regain the Urn in the Ashes down under, the No. 1 Test Team in the world (India) is under a serious threat of justifying their Numero Uno title in the hostile and bouncy pitches of the Rainbow nation. Though despite the eventual results of both these series, there are lot of other things too which are at stake, like Pontings Future as a Captain and as a Batsman, Sachin's 50th Ton and the Performance of the formidable Indian batting lineup in SouthAfrica.Naturally a lot is at stake for the formidable Indian batting lineup in their trip to South Africa, though even if they fail yet again in South Africa their CV's won't get tainted at all but a good showing here would definitely add feathers to their already glorious careers. Certainly this is the last time the batting trinity of Dravid, Tendulkar & Laxman is touring South Africa and going by their past records they would certainly like to improve upon it in a big way. As none of them averages even 40 playing here and same goes with the most destructive batsman of this era (read Sehwag). And we can safely add Gambhir too to this not so elite list because Mr consistent is still to open batting in not only South Africa but also in the testing environs of England and Australia. So if these men get going, then we are sure to have a cracker of a series in our hands, however going by the past showings,our run machines might find it a bit arduous to start delivering from the first match but by the third and the final test they will surely give the protean quicks a good run for their money. And needless to say, no practice game before the 1st test might surely prove to be a costly affair.
If there is one thing which is as much debated as the final scoreline of the ongoing Ashes series, it is most definitely Ricky Ponting's future. Though despite his continued poor form and a total run aggregate of just 80 runs from the first 6 innings in the series, the man himself has categorically denied any thoughts of retiring but the actual scenario seems far more intriguing. How often has one seen Australia being dominated so badly by any of their opponents? How often has one seen Aussies being so docile in their approach against such a huge backlash? How often has one seen an Australian selection panel backing a player/captain for so long despite a string of failures. A lot of big names, including Steve Waugh were shown the door despite their past laurels, than what's so different about Punter's case? Is it because the selectors don't see a potential successor to Ponting at this point in time, which is probably a strong reason because Michael Clarke who has been tagged as the Captain in waiting for so long has failed to deliver consistently when Punter is failing rather more consistently. Or is it because the Australian board still backs their chances of seeing an Aussie at the top of batting chart in terms of most test runs and maximum test centuries? Or is it because even the selectors are unaware about the most righteous ways to handle such an unexpected situation? The exact reason behind this rather unusual behaviour is probably known only to the ACB but going by the batting form, Ponting's future seems to be rather gloomy however going by the form of other captaincy contenders in the Aussie lineup, Ponting's throne still seems very much intact and unchallenged!
And how can one talk of Test Cricket without mentioning the great Sachin Tendulkar! So every time the little master will come out to bat in the 3 test series in South Africa the buzz will revolve around his 50th Test ton. Obviously the feat will eventually happen one day or the other but this feat is so humongous that its bound to create loads of excitement. But the buzz and excitement in India is very much the same every time Ponting gets out cheaply, the simple reason being he is the closest competitor to all of Sachin's record in Test Match cricket. There is no denying the fact that Ponting still is a very good batsman, infact he is one of the most complete, dominating and fluent player of the modern era but then why is it so that his fan following isn't as huge as that of say Sachin,Lara or Sehwag? Probably because of his touch arrogant, ruthless and petulant conduct in his hay days, no wonder in his rather tough times he isn't enjoying the support and backing of many non-aussie fans. And that's where the off field conduct and behavior of other cricketing greats comes into play. However comparisons apart these are undoubtedly the times to saviour each of these battles with the battles in this ever so beautiful and enthralling game.
Bird's Eye View : And for those like me who are still very keen about the statistics and comparisons, it's time to get more worried by Mr Jacques Kallis' ascendancy towards Sachin's feat, as he is just 1 shy of Ponting's 39 tons and is also an year younger to the Aussie too!
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