Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Schedule of India vs Australia Test and ODI series 2010

Australian cricket team is now in India to play a two-match Test series and three One Day Interneationals against the host team which is scheduled to be held between 1 and 24 October 2010.

According to the previous schedule, the touring team was supposed to play seven-match ODI series, but the schedule was changed after BCCI made request to CA. BCCI was forced by Indian players to make the changes so that they can maintain the top position in ICC Test ranking after India became the number one test ranking team.

May be Indian cricket team is much worried about their top position in ICC Test ranking. They are afraid of losing their position to Australia or any other test playing cricket team. That is why, they made more changes to tour schedule to play more test matches. It was not the only schedule that Indian board requested to change. They also requested South Africa cricket board to change the five match ODI series schedule to two tests and three ODI’s.

The match between India and Australia is always something special to cricket fans all over the world. It seems that cricket fans love to see the conflict between these two strong cricket teams. There is no doubt that match between India and Australia has been popular throughout the decade. Perhaps, the main reason of India vs Australia match popularity is that both teams have equal chances to win.

Date

Teams

Venue

Time

October 1-5, 2010

India vs Australia -1st Test

Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

GMT 04:00 local 09:30

IST 09:30

October 9-13, 2010

India vs Australia -2nd Test

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

GMT 04:00 local 09:30

IST 09:30

October 17, 2010

India vs Australia -1st ODI

Nehru Stadium, Kochi

GMT 03:30 local 09:00

IST 09:00

October 20, 2010 (D/N)

India vs Australia -2nd ODI

Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam

GMT 09:00 local 14:30

IST 14:30

October 24, 2010

India vs Australia -3rd ODI

Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Margao

GMT 03:30 local 09:00

IST 09:00

Australia last toured India in 2009-10 to play a 7-match ODI series and defeated the home team by 4-2 with one match abandon due to rain. India may seek revenge for their last defeat.

The upcoming Test series has given the Indian cricket team a golden opportunity to defend their top rank as long as possible. Indian cricket team is leading the ICC Test ranking with 127 ratings from 31 matches where Australia has been dropped to number four.

Now, Indian cricket team is ranked second spot in ICC ODI ranking following Australia ahead of them. Cricket fans are expecting to see a closely contested game between them because of their top rank. Indian cricket team will try hard to win all the ODI matches against Australia and take their ranking points closer to No. 1 spot.

Ahead of the test series, Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is under immense pressure. It will be an acid test for him because beating the revamped Australian cricket team would not be so easy.

India has always been a hurting ground for Australian cricket team. They always had to struggle hard to play in the spin friendly pitches. This time, pitch condition may not be a big factor for Australian cricket team. Though the warm-up match ended in a draw, Australian batsmen could successfully beat Indian bowlers and it is thought that they would do it once again when the test series will begin at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali.

Australian cricket team will get some relief after hearing the injury news of Indian off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan Singh may not play the opening test match because of his injury worry. He was seen sporting bandage on his shin during the morning session practice at PCA Stadium on Monday. However, Michael Clarke, the Australia vice-captain, thinks that Harbhajan Singh will play in the opening game. Keeping him in his mind, he is taking hard preparation.

Harbhajan Singh has good record against Australia and he loves to play against them. So, his absence in the main squad will be a big shock for Indian cricket team.

Let’s see who will replace him for the first test match against Australia.

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