Hype

[Nikhil]

Do you think this India-Australia series is hyped up by the media, or it deserves the billing it's getting?

Please cast you vote and let us know the reasons for it.

The poll will close on October 15th. I think by then we should have a fair idea as to how the series is progressing.

[Rachael]

Well.. it's certainly the biggest series the Aussies have played since the LAST time they toured India... and that makes it pretty much the biggest Test series since that tour: it's the one area of unconquered territory for the Aussies... and the most difficult challenge they face in world cricket - that, without question, makes it THE biggest contest in the game.

Add in the fact that Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble are both fit.. and that the Indian seamers are finaly showing signs of being a strength rather than a weakness.. and the only thing detracting from this contest is the absense of Tendulkar. That IS sad.. but not enough to diminish the contest THAT much.

[Zainub]

I disagree with Racheal slightly - I don't think this is the biggest series the world of cricket has seen since the last time Aus and Ind played in India. For the Indian Team, and for their fans at least I think the series in Pakistan meant more than this series. BUT having said that this series is no way a "small" or insignificant series by any standards, certainly for Australia it's their most important series since the Ashes.

But then as some one would say these teams always bring about the best in each other so the hype is well and truely worth its billing - at least on paper.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

I don't think this is the biggest series the world of cricket has seen since the last time Aus and Ind played in India. For the Indian Team, and for their fans at least I think the series in Pakistan meant more than this series.

Well.. many cricket followers prefer games including their own national team.. and certain contests (like Ind-Pak) wil always have a certain local resonance... but to be fair.. Ind-Pak was not (for me) even the most interesting series that was going on at that time (NZ vs SA.. with many thinking that these two teams were the most serious contenders for 2nd in the world"... and SL vs Aus.. on pitches that really presented a challenge to the world's undisputed best side)... let alone the most interesting of recent times.

Sorry Zainub: Pak, as a Test side, remain a joke: I get more excited about games involving ANY other side... to be even remotely credible they stil need to ditch Sami for someone with more traditional virtues... and find 2-3 consistent, gritty batsmen.

To hold a genuine, global status as the biggest Test series of recent years a Test series really does need to include the champions... and it has to involve the toughest challenge that can be thrown at the champions.. and witha chronic record in India over a generation or more.. Aus in India remains HUGE.

[Nikhil]

Even though I do not accept all of Rachael's views above, I think she is correct saying the Ind-Pak series was not as big as the Ind-Aus series.

From the point of view of passionate fans, India-Pakistan series was a huge affair, but this series is better from cricketing point of view. Both the teams usually make the other team play it's best game and that's why it's so exciting, though I would say, the media is creating a little too much hype for my liking.

[SSA.]

For me both Series - India-Pak and India-Aus are equally big but I'd say for different reasons...

Most Indians see Pakistan as their traditional rivals and any game between the two is BIG.

But India - Aus is very very special because of the quality of cricket. I am really looking forward to watch the games now that they are available in the UK.

Best of Luck to both teams and May India Win :-)

[R W S]

This article from the Guardian last Tuesday sums up how I feel better than I could!

Dennis Lillee is in little doubt. The India-Australia four-match Test series which begins at Bangalore tomorrow "amounts to a world championship contest". The hyperbole is entirely understandable. But it is just that: hyperbole. The reason India v Australia is so mouth-watering is not because India are the second-best side in the world (by any objective standards, let alone the ICC table, they are probably not). It is because of the mythology that has built up around the fixture.

The truth is that the sides have become obsessed with beating each other, and you can hardly blame them. Australia's traditional foe, England, have been cannon fodder for 15 years; India, on the other hand, almost went through the entire 1990s without playing their arch-enemies, Pakistan. Both sides have looked elsewhere for a challenge - and they have ended up gazing squarely into each other's eyes. The upshot has been some of the most thrilling cricket in Test history, which is not necessarily the same as a world championship.

Australia haven't won in India since Bill Lawry led them to a 3-1 win in 1969-70, but it wasn't until Steve Waugh took over the captaincy that victory in India became Australia's holy grail. India became to Waugh what those four runs at The Oval in 1948 were to Bradman: just as the Don never did average 100, Waugh would never win a Test series in a country that beguiled him. And as Waugh took his place on the pantheon, so the elusive victory in India grew all the more tantalising.

From an Indian perspective, doing well against Australia has disguised a multitude of sins. They played quite superbly a year ago to come away from Australia with a 1-1 draw, and their victory at Kolkata after following on in 2000-01 will forever be the stuff of legend. But results elsewhere, usually away from home, have been patchy: for every historic win in Pakistan, there is a feeble surrender in New Zealand. And don't forget that their most recent home series ended in a 0-0 draw with those pesky New Zealanders.


This is not to wipe away the drool ahead of this week's Test series. It is merely to redirect it. Ever since Waugh called Sourav Ganguly a "prick", there has been a frisson between the sides that transcends anything in the game - and which is made all the more delectable because it has nothing to do with tradition (like the Ashes) or politics (like India v Pakistan). India-Australia pre-series kidology is now as riveting as the cricket itself.

But do not be fooled into thinking that these sides loathe each other. On the contrary, they need each other. Australia need to win in India to complete their jigsaw and prove to themselves that they don't have a hang-up about that part of the world. India need Australia for a feel-good factor of their own - because as long as they're giving the best side in the world a run for their money, the dodgy results against New Zealand can be swept under the carpet. Expect an epic. But please, don't call it a world championship.

[fair_&_balance]

Originally Posted by Rachael

Add in the fact that Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble are both fit.. and that the Indian seamers are finaly showing signs of being a strength rather than a weakness.. and the only thing detracting from this contest is the absense of Tendulkar. That IS sad.. but not enough to diminish the contest THAT much.

Very well said.Also not to forget Sachin is only out for 1st test.Most probably he will play other 3 tests.

[Shaka]

I don't think hype is the best way to describe it. Australia and India are two excellent sides and with the current close tussles there's genuine interest in the series from all cricket watchers. England are an improving side but till now India are the only genuine challengers to Aussie crown.