Can India stop Aussie marauders?

Melbourne, Dec 30 (UNI) With Australia moving closer to Ashes whitewash, questions are now being asked if the Indians can stop the marauding Aussies from becoming the greatest Test team ever.

Even though there is one more Test to be played in the ongoing Ashes series but the cricket pundits are dismissing the 2007 curtain-raiser Sydney Test as a mere formality to complete England's humiliation.

Indian cricket team would be touring Australia in the southern summers 2007-08 programme.

As Rickey Ponting-led Australians have thumped England in the fourth Test at Melbourne within three days, the tally of successive wins has swelled to 11 Tests.

The high mark of successive 16 Test wins set by Steve Waugh's Invincibles in 2001 is beginning to look within striking distance.

Beside the Sydney Ashes Test, Australia would be taking on Sri Lanka in two-Test before India.

The Sri Lankan Test experience Down Under has been far less than serendipitous as they have not managed, as numerous Australians commentators would not stop reminding, even single win their eight encounters with the mighty Aussies.

The media commentators down under are already predicting that Ricky Ponting's Australians will make 'mincemeat' of Sri Lanka and would be throttling Muttiah Muralitharan's marauders in two Tests to be played before four-Test series against India.

India, in spite of the recent Test record, is being seen here as more formidable opponent and more capable of stopping Australia right in their tracks.

It was Saurav Ganguly led Indian teams which had curtailed Steve Waugh's winning streak by unexpectedly winning at Kolkata in 2001.

But, the commentators point out, Indians are also a little better than the ''terrible tourists'' adage assigned to the Sri Lankans while touring Australia.

Crumbling wall Rahul Dravid, struggling batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and the enigmatic Sourav Ganguly are all stated to be well past their devastating already.

What must be buoying the long-term Australian strategists is also the fact that Aussies are bubbling with supercharged, and overflowing, talent pool.

The much-discussed retirement of the two bowling giants of the era, Shane Warne and Glann McGrath is not likely to blunt the Aussie spearhead for long. The tear-aways like Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson, Cameron White, Nathan Bracken, etc are waiting to replace the Queenslander pacer.

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