Boxing Day Test: Who will bell the kangaroo?

With Christmas already upon us, it's just a few hours left for the anticipated Boxing Day test to begin. As i write this, the prospect of a riveting contest between India and arch rivals Australia seems too enticing to let go even though I'm thoroughly aware that I will need to get up at 5 am if I wish not to miss any part of this promising contest. And as far as I am concerned, these are pretty audacious thoughts since I'm a late sleeper and the idea of saying goodbye to the cozy, fluffy blankets (it's freezing here in Kolkata) at such an early time is not giving me great comfort. Even the local crows are postponing their morning cacophony by an hour or so to avoid risking tonsillitis in the frigid weather.

Now, as an avid cricket lover, it is my duty to deeply contemplate about the chances of our Indian team conquering the Aussies in their own country. Some so-called experts are suggesting that Indians face a weakened Aussie line-up this time and, therefore, have a great chance of beating them. But underestimating the once-invincible kangaroos in their own den is, I think, a grave mistake. After all, as I hit the pillows every night and close my eyes to stroll into my little, imaginary world, I wonder who, after all, will bell the kangaroo?
Yes, we have a strong bludgeoning marauder in Virender Sehwag and a gritty,silent worker in Gambhir! Yes, we do boast of one of the strongest middle order backbones of world cricket in Rahul 'Wall' Dravid, 'Sachin 'God' Tendulkar and VVS 'Special' Laxman. But then the opposition, too, has its potent weapon in the young James Pattinson and the electric Pat Cummins (though Cummins is nursing an injury and is unlikely to appear in the picture before the 4th test). Our experienced batsmen (not to forget the young guns like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma) led by a World Cup-winning captain (Dhoni can make runs as well) can be trusted to put on some runs, nevertheless.

But the chief problem lies in our bowling department. Though we have 2 reliable spinners in Pragyan Ojha and the maverick magician Ravichandran Ashwin (fresh from a fantastic debut test series against the Windies) but our pace battery is almost completely dependent on Zaheer Khan. Ishant Sharma is inconsistent while Umesh Yadav is young and hasn't done anything spectacular. Zaheer, too, is unlikely to be at his peak fitness or rhythm. In such a scenario, it may get difficult to restrict the Kangaroo batsmen to a low total. It's also a pity that the billion-plus populated India has failed to come out with even one first class fast bowler who can be consistent. Irfan Pathan showed some class earlier in his career but then plummeted into the bottomless depths of gloom. Ditto for Munaf Patel..

You may be thinking that I'm underestimating the powers of our indigenous bowlers. As an anxious Indian cricket fan, it is my birth right to take a pessimistic path so that I can fully appreciate & relish the joys later on if India does come out triumphant. And fans like me, critics like Chappels and soothsayers like Bejan Daruwala (ya, that's a nice name) will keep on presenting their individual cases. Only the breaking dawn shall truly disclose who'll actually do the belling of the kangaroo.......
~Ritesh.