Onus on Ricky Ponting’s men to keep the India-Australia rivalry alive

THERE have been few modern-day rivalries that can match India versus Australia in terms of excitement, quality and ferocity. Ever since Sachin Tendulkar lit up the 1997-98 three-Test series, the contest for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has taken a different dimension.

It has been a fascinating period when the two teams have fought tooth and nail to emerge on top. The pressure gets intense and one mistake becomes fatal when India and Australia square up on the field. The thrill of this great rivalry was the way the two teams dug into each other to inspire the champions to perform above themselves. The result — Tendulkar’s 155 not out in Chennai and 177 in Bangalore in 1998 series; Mark Waugh’s unbeaten 153 in  Bangalore (1998); Steve Waugh’s 150 in Adelaide (1999); Glenn McGrath’s 10-wkt match haul in Sydney (1999); Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist’s sizzling centuries at Wankhede (2001); VVS Laxman’s epic 281, Rahul Dravid’s fighting 180 and Harbhajan Singh’s 13-wkt haul at Eden Gardens (2001); Virender Sewhag’s breathtaking 195 and Ricky Ponting’s 257 in Melbourne (2003); Michael Clarke’s 151 on debut in Bangalore (2004) and Damien Martyn’s superb hundreds in Chennai and Nagpur (2004).

It’s not just the competitive cricket that has marked India-Australia matches. There has been the buzz about the battles within the war. There were few encounters more enchanting in the history of the game than Tendulkar squaring up to Glenn McGrath, Laxman facing up to Warne or Ponting taking on Harbhajan Singh. On a few occasions, the players have been guilty of overstepping the line as in the Harbhajan-Andrew Symonds spat in Sydney, 2008. But these have only added colour to the contests.

There have been enough captivating periods of play, highs in performance and edge-of-the seat moments for these battles to win a place among of great rivalries of Test cricket. This 12-year cycle has grown more rivetting as it has overseen a transition in the fortunes of the two contestants.

The era started with both being dominant in their home conditions. They then took their games to a higher level to test each other fully while playing in the other’s backyard. The Indians gave the Australians a run for their money Down Under in 2003-04 and in 2007-08 while the Kangaroos conquered their sub-continent foes in 2004.

The Australians held the Test crown when the rivalry was born and the cycle has come a full circle as India wear the crown now.

The Aussies aura started to wane post the McGrath-Warne era while India went on from strength to strength to wrest control of the No.1 ranking.

The domination started changing hands from the Perth Test in 2008 when India became the first team since West Indies in 1997 to vanquish Australia in their bastion. Since then, Australia hasn’t won in five Tests against India.

Given the ease with which Ponting’s team was decimated in the last Test series, losing the four-Test rubber 2-0, the famous rivalry is under threat of losing its sheen. And, as Ponting’s men prepare to take on India in the two-Test series, the onus is now on them to raise their bar and keep this rivalry alive.

Save Ponting, the current Australian side, lacks players of truly world class quality and hence the apprehension over the future of this rivalry. The current Indian side is pretty much settled and their world-class champs — Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh — are still burning bright.

“In the last few years we have lost match-winners like McGrath, Hayden, Warne and Gilchrist. But the rebuilding process has begun under Ponting and now we are winning Test matches regularly. Gradually, we are beginning to reach where we want to be,” said Simon Katich, an India tour veteran who has scored 625 runs in eights Tests here at an average of 44.64.

Skipper Ponting is making the right noises ahead of the series. “It’s an important tour for all of us. I don’t expect miracles, but I expect a very high level of performance over the next few weeks. If we happen to play the cricket I know we are capable of in India, and we can win the series, that will do great things for us to get back up near the No. 1 ranking,” said Ponting.

Vice-captain Clarke said it was important to compete well and the motivation for his team was to check out how their opponents rate them. “What I’d think about seriously is how the opposition rate us. I’d like to play the best we can and then at the end of series see where India rate us,” said Clarke.

Katich, however, sounded a warning to his mates that it will be easier said than done. “A tour to India is always difficult. They love playing at home and are always tough to beat,” Australia’s left-handed opener said.

From all indications, the golden era of the India vs Australia series is drawing towards an end. The last of the prima donnas of this epic rivalry Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid and   Ponting — have entered the twilight of their careers. Let’s hope, they dazzle this time too to give us some more moments to savour.