Journalism of Courage
Before he boarded the flight to India,Australia captain Ricky Ponting had said that the tour wouldnt prepare his team for the Ashes later this year. For someone with a Test average of 20 in India and 60 at home,Ponting knew what he was saying. It was the skippers way of sending a message down the ranks that touring India happens to be a tough task.
Ponting said the home teams tried-and tested combination makes it a more formidable side.
The current Indian Test team is quite formidable. Even without Yuvraj Singh,the Indian team has some tremendous batsmen, he said.
The visitors will get a feel of Indias strength when they play a three-day match against a Gautam Gambhir-led Board President s XI here from Saturday. The Australians,currently ranked fourth in the rankings,are looking to reclaim the number one Test spot and a good performance against India in the two-match Test series which starts at Mohali on October 1 would be an important step in that direction.
Ponting is keen on changing his and his teams record here. I am up for the challenge this time too. I worked hard on my fitness off late,needed to be in the best of physical shape ahead of this Test series,followed by the Ashes and later the World Cup. I have always enjoyed playing cricket in India,although I havent got as much success as I would have liked,but as a group we are excited at the upcoming series, the skipper said.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has a history of untoward on-field incidents,with players from both sides involved in a bit of gamesmanship but Ponting felt that the rivalry has built over the years,and its much needed.
(Its OK) as long as players play in the right spirit. I think there have been intense moments,but thats the way international cricket has been. And whats happened in the past will be forgotten, Ponting said.
Though the Australian team has come with an inexperienced bowling side,the skipper was all praise for spinner Nathan Hauritz. Certainly,there is hard work for the fast bowlers under the Indian conditions. I am very excited with the prospect of Peter George and James Pattinson being in the team. We have worked hard with Hauritzs Test bowling; hes played in Mumbai before and relishes playing here, he said. Ponting said Mohali is one of the best grounds in India and offers reasonable pace and bounce.
Heightened security has Ponting at ease
While security concerns have increased in recent days,Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has expressed satisfaction with the measures in place for his team. I am satisfied with what we have seen so far. The level of security since we landed in Delhi has been of the highest quality, Ponting said.
The police have deployed nearly 200 cops to ensure foolproof security and diverted the traffic near the team hotel. Elaborate security measures were also made at the Sector 16 stadium,where the team had some practice. ENS
