Australia were fined for a slow over rate and now the embarrassment has come at home where apparently things are near perfect.

By Rajarshi Gupta

The world champions were walloped in India by a rampaging home team in the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The media back home bayed for skipper Ricky Ponting's blood. The Aussie skipper stooped low enough to save himself the disgrace of a ban when his side trailed behind in the over rate in the Nagpur Test and pressed into service his part-time bowlers even when India were in a bit of a worrying position.

That allowed Indian captain MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh to stitch together a century partnership and start a charge towards what turned out to be a convincing victory.

All hell broke lose after Australia were trounced before tea on the fifth day. The Australian media and former captains criticised Ponting's move.

However, the Aussies players rallied behind their skipper. Opener Matthew Hayden, who let his motor mouth talk more than his bat in India said the team fell behind the over rate because of the constant movement around sight screens and the Indian batsmen's reluctance to face up to bowlers.

"Often we find ourselves with hands on hips waiting for someone to either face up or someone in the sight-screen to move away; all the little frustrations that happen in Third World countries and the heat as well," Hayden had been quoted as saying to 'The Australian' soon after returning home from a solid whacking at the hands of India.

Convenient. Very convenient. He conveniently forgot how a streaker had run over to Andrew Symonds at the Gabba when India and Australia clashed in the second final of the Commonwealth Bank Series on March 4, 2008.

Symonds, "a true gentleman otherwise", politely slammed the streaker down to the ground with his elbow.

Hayden, recall that?

Australia have been fined for a slow over rate during their 149 run win over New Zealand. What happened there? That was not India. Australia is no "Third World" country. (Haydos, recall that again?)

The fact is the Australian excuses are growing up on them. It was their cricket that let them down in India and it is their excuses that are making laughing stocks out of them now.

The Australian domination has been severely challenged by India all of this year. Dhoni's men won the Commonwealth Bank Series, beating Australia to a pulp in the first two of the best-of-three finals and then butchered them in the recent Test series.

Not surprisingly Ponting came out with his brand of excuses. After his tall claims of playing new age cricket in India got ripped apart by the hosts, Punter started cribbing, as is the wont with the current Aussie team.

Ponting went on record to say that a lot of things conspired against his team in India.

"I have said since I got back that there are a host of things that conspire against you in India. It is a hard place for fast bowlers to keep running in and get through their overs," Ponting said.

"The sightscreen and spectators play more of a part than they do anywhere else in the world. Their batsmen take up a lot more time than most opposition batsmen do. I mean runs cost you time as much as anything else. When a lot of boundaries are being scored that slows things down a lot."

These words, these excuses coming from the captain of a team that prides itself for playing ruthless, competitive cricket points towards a growing insecurity amongst the declining champions.

Australia were never known to be gracious winners. They stooped to the nastiest possible lows on a cricket field when India put up a brave fight in the Sydney Test. Yes, the hosts eventually won but faced utter disrespect from their own fans, who were ashamed of the way their heroes behaved on the field.

The Aussies trounced New Zealand by 149 runs at the Gabba alright but not before being given a mighty scare by the Kiwis.

Aussies, stop cribbing. Grow up. Start playing cricket the way the beautiful game should be. A young team from India is all set to challenge the world order. The charge is underway.

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