The First Test between India and Australia is scheduled, as usual, on Boxing Day, December 26, 2011 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) when India starts a four Test series there.
Prior to that, India play a 2-day game on 15-16 December against Cricket Australia Chairman's XI at Manuka Oval at Canberra and a 3- day Match against Chairman's XI at the same venue.
This is a slight improvement over their previous tour to England but it is nowhere near playing a full- fledged Sheffield Shield side.
Having lost its Number 1 position, India is currently placed 3rd, behind England and South Africa, but ahead of Australia at 4th. Lack of preparation coupled with an air of casualness seemed to have brought the downfall. If India loses the series here they are in danger of sliding down further and further.
How are the teams preparing for the most important series in 2011 and 2012?
Have a look.
India's last ODI match against England is on 25 October, 2011 and a T20 match on 29th October 2011 at Kolkota. India has been busy with clutch of ODI and CLT-20's.
Australia will play a 2-Test series in South Africa from 9-13, and 17-21, November 2011. After coming home, they have a two Test series against New Zealand from 1st to 5 December 2011 at Brisbane and 9th to 13 at Hobart.
After having played Test matches in November and first half of December Aussies are Test match - ready, rearing to play Boxing Day Test at MCG!
On the other hand, India having played their last Test match against England in August 18-22, 2011, a good three months back, come to the Boxing Day match with an overdose of ODI and T-20!
Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman who have not played any form of cricket will be returning to Test match in December. Whether injuries to Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag and Gautham Ghambhir would have completely healed and are 'Test- match fit' remains to be seen.
In the 60's and 70's , James Last, a German Composer released an Album called 'Non-Stop Dancing', a brief recording of popular songs all tied together by dance beats and crowd noises. It became a big hit and he became an international star. He made 190 such Albums.
Dhoni and Raina have been playing 'Non-Stop Cricket' (NSC= Test Match+ODI+T20+IPL+CLT20+CT ) all through the year and whether their bodies and spirit have time to adjust themselves to play any more cricket effectively remains to be seen! At the rate they are going, Cricket Administrators please note, there is a good chance they may beat James Last!
Where do they have time and to address themselves to 'chin music' or defects in techniques which invariably creeps in over a period of time? Have anybody thought of that, Chairman of Selectors, Technical Committee Chairman, BCCI President including?
With regard to bowlers, India was mortally crippled in England when Zaheer Khan walked on the first day of first Test, never to return in the whole tour.
India will face even bigger a humiliation in Australia if they gamble on Zaheer's fitness once again. One major concern will be the drop in speed of most of India's fast bowlers.
Javagal Srintah remains the fastest bowlers ever from India at 156 kmph which he clocked in 1999 tour of South Africa.
All the bowlers who started off around 145 kmph somehow have lost their pace in a very short time the most worrisome being young Ishant Sharma who is losing his pace and form at an alarming rate.
Sreeshanth, minus temper tantrums is the best bowler of the remaining, but there is no guarantee when he will flare up; R.P Singh who came to England as a tourist replacement to Zaheer was a total misfit having not played competitive cricket for over a year.
Munaf Patel though accurate often looks predictable. Praveen Kumar can swing the ball both ways early though lacking in pace.
Aaron perhaps is the fastest among current bowlers but it may be unwise to straight away throw him into the Boxing Day arena.
For the first time in many years India's spin played second fiddle to England's in summer. Harbhajan Singh looked very ordinary and listless compared to Swann.
Bowling, pace or spin will remain a worry.
In Fielding Australia will raise their bar and India's fielding will be put to severe Test again.
If Australia seizes the initiative, catching up is not easy as we saw in England.
This Tour will be the last for the Fab Four and whether they can make it count, remains to be seen.
With not a perfect preparation for a hard and grinding tour, injuries to key players both in batting and bowling staring at the face, how the team fares against Australia will be anybody's guess.
But miracles do happen in cricket... That remains India's fondest of hopes.
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