Relief for India

Andrew Symonds’ absence from the Australia touring party leaves it shorn of a forceful cricketer and character, writes Peter Roebuck in the Hindu.

India has felt his power at the crease and will be relieved to be spared any repetition. Never mind that he was patently caught behind the wicket before he had taken command, still Symonds’ innings in the ill-mannered Sydney Test match was one of coruscating power. Once he was underway, Anil Kumble and company might as well have been firing popguns at a tank. It was an exceptional assault.

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Add the all-rounder’s athleticism and knack of breaking partnerships with seamers or off-breaks and his capacity is revealed. But Symonds’ influence on the Australian team goes beyond runs and wickets. Something in his nature causes colleagues to circle the wagons around him. Perhaps it is that he took so long to make his mark, or the knockabout way he talks, or his fondness for fishing, or his humour, or his shyness, or the vulnerability caused by his mixed background. Heck, even the New Zealand judge called upon to disentangle the SCG Test liked him.