Australia - India to make changes:

Expect a thriller in Adelaide

Elmo Rodrigopulle

The Fourth and final Test between Australia and India beginning at the Adelaide Oval in South Australia, tomorrow should be thriller with no quarter asked or given.

With the Indians losing the First Two Tests and hitting back strongly to win the Third Test and keeping the series alive, it has set the stage for both teams to come out firing all cylinders and play a match that could be one of the best in Test cricket.

The Australians led by Ricky Ponting has pride to protect. They have been toppled from their 16 Test winning pedestal, and will be determined to beat the Indians and remain the top dogs of Test cricket. The Aussies are the unchallenged kings of one-day cricket.

As for India led by Anil Kumble, a victory will enable them to square the series, as like they did on the previous tour and go back with heads held high. But sad that they could not skin the kangaroos in their land. Had luck played for the Indians, they could have pocketed the series. But that is how the game goes.

The teams took the field sans spinners in the hope that the Perth pitch would play true to form and be pace friendly. But the captains, like the TV commentators, were fooled as the wicket did not have the expected pace, although there was bounce.

This time round, left arm spinner Brad Hogg would come into the Aussie side at the expense of Shaun Tait and India would toss in off spinner Harbhajan Singh and who they would leave out would be interesting to watch.

The Adelaide wicket has been known to be batsmen friendly, but also being kind to the bowlers. In the Ashes Test, England ran up a big score of over 500 runs in the first innings, yet lost dramatically when they collapsed in the second innings.

The wicket, while helping the batsmen early on could crumble as the game progresses and if the Indians bat first, it would be to their advantage, because the have two of the best spinners in world cricket in Kumble and Harbhajan.

With the quitting of leg spinner Shane Warne, the Aussie spin cupboard is bare, with Hogg not matching up to standard.

It must be heartbreaking for Ricky Ponting not to have scored a century in this series. This could probably be the occasion. The teams must remember that attack is the best form of defence, throw aside the negatives and be positive from the first ball. Isn’t it said that those who dare win.

Commentators found wanting -

It would do the TV commentators, good all of them,if they keep their big gabs shut before committing.

We say this because when LBW appeals are made they would sit in judgement and bawl out that the batsman was out. They would even venture to say that the ball would have missed off stump and leg stump and would definitely hit middle stump.

Then when the hawke eye is shown, the commentators eat their own words to find that the ball would have either missed hitting the stumps or would have gone over.

Instead of showing their ignorance from nearly 100 metres away they would do well to watch the hawk eye, and then give their verdicts, and not rubbish the umpires who are doing a thankless job.