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Preview : It's time India wakes up, & early.Filed under
Ind v Aus-Melbourne test
Why Indian boys need to wake up?
Because : India nearly beat Australia in Australia last time (2004), series 1-1. Why Indian cricket fans need to wake up, early? Because : India vs Australia first Test match, Melbourne - begins 5.30 am India time. 
Its must be more than co-incidence that Melissa Etheridge also sang "I Need to Wake Up" to win Oscar this year as our world approaches 2008/alarming zone of "global warming".So, when everyone needs to wake up, what a few hours of sleep can fetch? Itsonlycricket, with few hours of rest, will bring you extended coverage of this India's tour of Australia 2008, starting with preview of this Boxing day test match from Wednesday morning, in the following.. Strategies & Plans Indian camp has cleared that Yuvraj Singh will be a part of playing XI, with Rahul Dravid as opener. Anil Kumble is likely to opt for 3:1 ratio of pace & spin but his counterpart - Ricky Ponting - is still confused of using Brad Hogg or throw an all pace attack with Clarke & Symonds chipping in. Aussie trick - Pitch it short, pitch it short and when batsman is expecting balls over shoulders - bowl it full! Records & Notes I : This is 69th test match between India & Australia (list), 10th at Melbourne cricket ground (MCG) and India have thrice beaten the home team at this famous cricket stadium in Victoria state in Australia. II : The Weather Reports for Melbourne, for this first test match should be fine, clear and warm. Just in case, fans can check the latest weather here. III : This might be Sachin Tendulkar's last tour to Australia, and the little master is very close to breaking the world record for most runs in test match cricket. Tendulkar has 11289 runs, whereas 
Brain Lara scored 11953 runs before retirement! Similar situation is with Sourav Ganguly who will be playing his 100th test match!IV : Not that we don't like ESPN commentary team of Harsha Bhogle & co, it has always been pleasure listening to Michael Slater & Co. talking cricket for Channel 9. Since major TV broadcasters carry their own team to overseas tour - fans in India will listen to "quite biased" commentary of Sunil Gawaskar, Ravi Shastri, Wasim Akram, Allan Wilkins and others. I personally would have liked to hear what Michael Slater, Ian Chappell and Ian Healy had to say during this high-profile test match series between India and Australia. V : The Pitch, as always, is a risky but important topic to write about. With unseasonal rain, Curator Tony Ware is not satisfied with the time he had to prepare his pitch at MCG. There will be some greenery on 22 yard pitch, moreso because Aussies don't want to play Anil Kumble on the Day 5. Ultimately - its the team whp plays better cricket will stand at the end, irrespective of the pitch reports! News & Views I : Article 1 = Aren't the same Aussies when you've runs on board. II : Article 2 = The Biggest test award. III : Article 3 = No Warne no McGrath.. is this end of Aussie dominance? 
IV : India needs to keep Zaheer Khan awake. Zaheer played just one test match on the last tour to Australia - at Brisbane and showed his class by moving the ball both ways. he aggravated the incapability of Aussie batsman to play left-arm seamers but sadly, he broke down after that 1st test match and didn't take part in remaining 3 matches. Now with good performance in England, South Africa and the fact that Australia's batting line-up has 4 left-handed batsman out of 7 - expect Zaheer to lead the Indian new ball bowling along with Rudra Pratap!V : Tax Consultant for Team India will fly downunder after Australian Taxation Office (ATO) authorities claimed the new laws, which changed in June 2004, saying - "all sportspeople visiting Australia must pay tax on earnings or prize money won during their stay in the country".`` Photo Quiz : Identify Cricketers | Pictures : Cricketers Wife & Girlfriends Related ArticlesInd v Aus-Melbourne test
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