For all those who are thinking the ICC World Test Championship is about a one horse race going the distance and clinching the victory tape, time is ripe for a major course correction!!!
While Virat-led Indian team have hogged all the limelight courtesy their superlative consistency in red ball cricket over the past season, the 'Baggy Greens' are catching up and catching up fast.
The 'Kangaroos' are once again hopping over all their opponents in the 'purist form' with all the cogs fitting into the peg perfectly and the results are very much there to prove their credentials. The 'Green and Gold Brigade' have been in red hot form in Test cricket, clean sweeping Sri Lanka (2-0), Pakistan (2-0) and trans tasman rivals New Zealand (3-0) at home and drawing a hard fought Ashes Series against arch rivals England (2-2).
Since the inception of the newly envisaged ICC World Test Championship format, the Australians have lost just two of their ten Tests, making for a very impressive run in the longer format. Their track record is second best to the all-conquering Indians who have been unbeaten in red ball cricket, enjoying a seven match winning streak within the ICC Test Championship fold, courtesy their clean sweeping of South Africa and Bangladesh at home and away series win against the Windies.
A look at the ICC World Test Championship Points table shows Australia (296 pts) is neck to neck with Number One ranked Indian team (300 pts), with just 4 points gap splitting them from the table toppers.
With their old war horses David Warner and Steven Smith scoring heavily for the Aussies to add firepower to their batting armoury, the new shining armour has been batting sensation Marnus Labuschagne, whose rather subdued beginning as a concussion substitute saw him scaling lofty heights and ending as the leading Test run getter in 2019.
More importantly,is not about just a Warner-Smith show as Travis Head, opener Joe Burns and wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade have been consistently among the runs to make notable contributions to Aussies wins in the Test arena.
The heavy artillery Aussies pace attack has been churning out match winning performances with the lethal seam troika of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Jos Hazlewood firing on all cylinders, picking up a bagful of wickets. They would be more than happy to see James Pattinson getting back to top gear, adding more steam to already potent pace attack.
Credit ought to be given to off-spinner Nathan Lyon who has been chipping away with the wickets on rank turners and playing his part to perfection. Above all, the team has gelled well as a unit under the aegis of the gusty skipper Tim Paine.
The Aussies have been relentless in their pursuit and the new think tank in place has taken some tough calls at the right time, all for the betterment of the team. Seasoned campaigner Usman Khwaja lost his place on the back of an extended poor run and openers Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft faced a similar fate after being sent back into the domestic ranks to get back their lost form in top flight cricket.
With a no-nonsense coach Justin Langer at the helm of affairs, the mantra seems to be very much - Perform or Perish - for the Baggy Greens.
The Australians would be eager to lock horns with India, when the two powerhouses of Test cricket battle hard in a series slated to be played 'Down Under' from Nov 2020- Jan 2021.But before that high voltage encounter, both teams have their hands full with a lot of international engagements in the cricket arena and would look to extend their dominance at the very top.
Sooner or later, when the number one and two sides face off in a mouth watering series in Australia's backyard, it will surely be a mouthwatering encounter with world class exponents, both the willow and red cherry, trying to win those high intensity battles and help their team come out on top.
Will the Tigers prowl once again and register a second successive Test series win over the 'Aussies in their backyard or will the 'Kangaroos' hop over the sub continent Tigers and win the bragging rights as the Numero Uno test team amidst the ICC Test Championship drawing to a close.. Let us wait and watch!!!!!