Who can stop the Aussies ?

Oh well yeah, the English Can ??

What a match that turned out to be ? Before the new cricket season began, I had in my post, mentioned about two teams to watch out for this year - England and India, albeit I had my reluctance about India's success this season, and it certainly has been proved. (See my July 25, 2004 blog Post). I had tipped that the England would catch the imagination of the fans and would provide a real stern test to Aussies for the Ashes. It certainly is going to happen, got all the more re-inforced in the manner in which the English dissected the Aussies in the One Dayer.

I hope the Indian Team Management was watching that match. All the weakness of the Aussie team was on full display. This should provide lot of fodder for thought to the Indians for the upcoming series. Few one's that I noticed

1. McGrath is aging, for all his warrior like posturing and tough talk, he's not what he was before.
2. Indians have actually played Gillespie and Lee well, and they continue to do so, as they don't seem to have majorly improved and no different for what they were in the last season.
3. Hayden has yet to fire this season and to me seems bit lost and tentative so is Gilchrist.

Aussies were desperate to win the ICC Champions Trophy and they had set themselves up very nicely for it, but they haven't been able to do so. That's a great news for the Indian team for the home series, because they are equally desperate to beat India in India, and had cleary stated as one of the two goals.

If they had won this trophy, then the only thing remaining would be us and that has been thwarted, gotta thank Vaughan and team for bringing them back to earth. It remains to be seen whether the Indians have learnt their lesson and are good enough to stop the Aussies.

The English would surely do so, come June 2005.