Australia As Good As India

If at all there can be any team in the world who can win five out of five tests, it has to be either Australia or England for, it has been only these two teams who play a five match test series. While the remaining teams play at the most 4 tests like India played the West Indies in 2006 and the Border Gavaskar trophy played between India and Australia. However, there have been many 7 match one day international series involving all major teams barring Bangladesh and Zimbabwe (as far as my knowledge goes). And, I guess only Australia have been able to achieve 5 out of 5 test victories.

However, coming to the 7 match ODI series involving Australia and England in the recently concluded one day series in the Nat West Trophy 2009, Australia needless to be said had all chances of whitewashing England yet another time by winning all the 7 ODIs to be the first team in the world to do so, which was not the case whatsoever. I remember India winning 6 out of seven one day matches against Sri Lanka in 2005 when Sri Lanka had visited India for a 7 match one day series. Then, India had won 5 out of 5 matches in yet another 7 match ODI series against England in November last year.

However, things were not in favour of India and more so against a team that had all chances of making it 7-0. It is all owing to the dreadful terror attacks in Mumbai on 26/11 which restricted the 7 match ODI series to just 5. So, the challenge of winning a 7 match series 7-0 still needs to be achieved. Let alone winning the match by Australia, the Aussies never behaved as though they have had the earlier 6 matches in their pockets. A total of mere 176, which England overtook with as many as 60 balls or 10 overs to spare really asks for more evidence of Australia's dominance of the Nat West series.

One should never forget that until their defeat at the hands of England in the 7th one dayer, they had been enjoying the number 1 position in one day cricket along with South Africa. And after their debacle in this match, Australia slump to the third position behind India and obviously South Africa. This was also the case with India in the recently concluded tri nation tournament involving Sri Lanka and New Zealand. India became the number 1 team in one day cricket after their win against New Zealand, only to lose the plot after their loss at the hands of Sri Lanka. However, even their win against the same in the finals could not get India back to number 1. So was the case with Australia as well.