Its summer here in Australia and Cricket lovers are all set to welcome the Boxing Day clash between two cricketing giants – India and Australia.
But before the clash of Titans on the turf, the war of views and opinions has started with experts flowing out their opinions on Twitter timeline.
Before all this started, India’s ‘the wall’ and one of the most descent cricketers Rahul Dravid showed a richness of his knowledge when he spoke at the Bradman Oration 2011.
Many cricket analysts called it ‘Memorable at the Memorial’. Dravid not only showed his seriousness about cricket but he showed his keen knowledge about the ‘Memorial ‘. Dravid, the first foreign player to deliver the Bradman Oration, said: “Players need to sacrifice a bit of personal comfort for the good of the game.”
India’s former cricketer Sanjay Manjreker tweeted: “No current cricketer I have known is more aware of the world outside cricket than Dravid. His talk in Canberra as expected, brilliant!”
Well, that was Dravid at his best outside the pitch. Now let’s talk about the fever here.
Team India is at Canberra playing practice match. The speculations and analysis have started pouring out everywhere where cricket lives. It was a tough day for the Indian bowlers on the first day of the tour match and all seemed struggling.
It will be a tough time for Australian selectors too. Wes Robinson and Tom Cooper’s tons have of course made them think a bit. Ishant Sharma was wicket-less and he bowled only five overs and Umesh Yadav was good on picking up three wickets.
Is it good news for the Australian Camp? May be or maybe not. Key players of Australian cricket team are on a camp practicing how to play swing. Well it’s just because of the defeat against the Black Caps at Hobart where Australian batting order collapsed at once, except T20 specialist David Werner, who played a fighting innings but couldn’t save the Test.
Pressure is mounting in both the camps as Indian strong batting line-up will be facing Australian new bowling sensation James Pattinson. It will be a big test for Indian openers Virender Shehwag and Gautam Gambhir and all eyes will be on Shewag, the hand eye co-ordination smasher. Of course all eyes will be on the little master as well because the world is waiting for his 100th century.
But no doubt pressure will be ticking in both the camps as the Boxing Day is coming close.
(Sudin Pokharel is currently in Sydney, Australia and is a contributing writer for Cricket Nepal.)