Aussies old? No kidding

Plenty of Indian people are saying the Aussies are getting old and it will cost them this tour. I say rubbish. Even some in Australia are me...

Plenty of Indian people are saying the Aussies are getting old and it will cost them this tour. I say rubbish. Even some in Australia are mentioning age more than ever before, using pure statistics to draw some uneducated conclusions at times.

You cannot make any sort of judgment on a team, regarding it’s age unless you are in the room with them. How many people do we all know who are good 60-year-olds or really young 40-year-olds with the constitution of much younger people?

Cricket players too could be the beneficiaries of stellar genes, unusually high-pain thresholds and extraordinary motivation to get the absolute best out of themselves, allowing them to defy chronological statistics. Being physical is only one part of this great contest between Australia and India.

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Supreme stability in the Australian ranks has seen this team become the oldest team (average age 32.6) since 1932-33 in Australian cricket. They are giving up six years per man to India in the cricket world’s toughest arena. Ninety percent of cricket, however, comes down to the psychological and this is where age comes in handy. How many years is this young Indian team handing straight back?

The ability to separate cricket and life when things don’t go so well, being able to relax in between deliveries yet switch back every time for long periods and snatching initiative when an opportunity arises, is what cricket is all about.

Knowledge of and belief in one’s ability are crucial and yet have precious little to do with the chronological. These players are keyed up and perfectly trained for this contest and much fitter physically than they need to be so that they can persist with concentration, patience and skill. Bowling makes desperate calls for the above qualities and India must make Australia toil for longer if they are to see a change in opponent.

McGrath is running in the best I have seen for years, Kasprowicz is hustling and bustling beautifully, Gillespie conserving pace for consistency with quality and Warne is fighting impressively. It is the facet of play where they could change and their depth looks good. Brett Lee chomping at the bit to target a rib cage or two would be an effective proposition in the last Test if required.

(Press Trust of India)