Tag Ind-Aus-2012-News

Last time Indians were in Australia, it was a controversial series and in thick of things was Andrew Symonds, not just playing crucial knocks but also fighting battles in courts..

Four years later, Indians return to OZ but this time, Symonds will be no where near the playing area but instead, he'll be in India participating in reality show Big Boss season 5. Symonds has almost ended his cricketing career but he still knows thing or two about might of Indian team and feels visitors will have their chances in this series. He predicts it'll be an open series with both sides capable of coming out triump.

"Indians can put pressure on the young Australian players. They have a good opportunity to beat Australia in their home country. I think there are good chances of India beating them," the 36-year-old all-rounder said as he arrived in Mumbai to join the house mates.

"However, the young Australian players too have an opportunity to beat the Indians. There are positive chances for both the sides. One needs preparation and also needs to respond properly in big games," he was quick to add.

India will be playing a series of four test matches, the Border-Gavaskar trophy, followed by a series of two twenty20 and then a tri-series involving Sri Lanka. The other day, former Aussie wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist had tipped the upcoming series as intense and Symonds agrees with his former team-mate.

Talking about his Mumbai Indian captain, Sachin Tendulkar, who's standing on 99 international tons and chances are ripe he'll get his hundreth hundred in Australia, Symonds feels there's lots of expections on Mumbai maestro but he'll cope with it as he's always done.

"Sachin is an enormous person. There is lot of pressure on him for the 100th ton. I hope he gets the century at the earliest so that the burden that he faces is reduced and he can carry on with the game.

"He has the ability to do it soon. There are chances that he might score the century during the India-Australia series. It would be a great thing for him to score it in Australia," he added.

Shifting focus back to his native country where fans and critics are demanding former captain Ricky Ponting to quit the game as he's not scoring as many as he was not too long ago, Symonds puts his weight behind his former skipper and wants Ricky to be left alone.

"It is disappointing that reports of that sort are coming out. They are unnecessary. He is a good batsman. It is up to him to decide whether to be in the game. He should be left alone," he said.