The verbal volleys would have generally reached fever pitch by now. The acrimony in the air would have been palpable,with men who matter on both sides slinging threats and subtle invectives at each other. Haughty scoreline predictions and the Indian batsmens vaunted predilections for chin music would have done the rounds incessantly. Where is the bad blood,though,this time? Will the real Aussies please stand up? Is the war of words going to begin at all?
Well,there was a mention of war in Rahul Dravids eloquent speech at the Sir Donald Bradman Memorial Oration in Canberra,but that was about Indian and Australian soldiers fighting on the same side. In a way,Dravid fired the first verbal shot in the buildup to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,but the veterans 37-minute-long discourse was laced with the kindness of spirit. It epitomised the decency and immense knowledge of the man rather than the break-neck intensity that has customarily been associated with cricketing battles involving India and Australia,especially over the last decade.
A revelatory moment in Dravids speech came when he recalled Bradman involuntarily uniting Indians and Australians against the Poms during the British Raj. Indians and Australians as one collective,fighting a common enemy it was a thought that gave a new twist to the series. Dravid wasnt underplaying the intensity of the series,but he was underlining an unprecedented bonhomie in the lead-up to the series: weve played each other twice in India already and relations between the two teams are much better than they have been as far as I can remember.
It was also exemplified by Warne welcoming his two good friends Rahul and Sachin in a tweet,and Dravid asking the beleaguered Ricky Ponting to bounce back to form against India. The former Australian captains shaky form was not grist to the mill for the upbeat visitors.
The IPL could be mainly credited for providing this calming effect on India-Australia relations on the cricket field. For,it was in the dressing room of Mumbai Indians that Harbhajan Singh and his old nemesis Andrew Symonds buried their acrimonious past. They were the poster boys of rancour between India and Australia when the two met Down Under in 2007. Now Symonds is dancing around in hulas,recalling his favourite nursery rhymes and entertaining a bunch of star-struck B-list Indian celebrities in the Bigg Boss residence.
But this is still India vs Australia. It wont be the same without a touch of professional animosity in the middle. Ishant Sharma appreciating a Ponting straight drive or Peter Siddle walking back to his mark without a steely stare towards Sachin Tendulkar wouldnt seem right. And Australia skipper Michael Clarke could well be the right candidate to pump up the intensity of the series. Clarke,who incidentally has never been part of the IPL,is known to get under the skin of Indians. It was his contentious catch at second slip that proved the breaking point in the Sydney saga in 2008. And with him holding the reins,there might be salvation in store for those looking forward to a tooth-and-nails contest between the two feisty rivals.
That will also provide some solace for the broadcasters,ESPNStar,which is hyping the series as a bitter face-off. Dubbing it as the Agneepath series,with the likes of Steve Waugh and Sourav Ganguly walking through fire,might well backfire if this outpouring of affability between the two teams lasts the next five weeks.
bharat.sundaresan@expressindia.com
