Too old, too fast

Going by the papers, the Australian team scores too quickly, plays too aggressively, and is ageing fast. A few days ago, this was known as controlling the pace of a game, dominating the opponent, and good ol' experience.

Robert Craddock of The Mercury believes Australia's aura is fading. "Teams used to be beaten before they landed in Australia. But those days appear to be coming to an end. Even Zimbabwe put up a fight in October. Teams are starting to play the ball and not the man." Craddock hints that with Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne around, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman might have been contained. But even when they return, Ricky Ponting will be hard-pressed to replicate Steve Waugh's success.

So who gets to lord it over the world, then?

We do, declares Sourav Ganguly. "I said before that we are the second-best side in the world, but if we can win this series then we definitely can [be No. 1)." Ayaz Memon adds fuel to that thought in the Times of India, writing that Australia's premier status in cricket is now under threat, and adds, for good measure, that the victory could be the dawn of a never-say-die attitude in Indian sportsmen.

However, Waugh puts things in perspective in Outlook. "You are allowed to lose a Test match," he says. "We have had a pretty good run."

Looking beyond the immediate clutter of defeat, the Australian Gideon Haigh, writing in the London Guardian, wonders if Australia have a Plan B. Exciting scoring rates apart, "it was as though the Australians, having grown accustomed to life in fast-forward, had forgotten how simply to play and, if need be, pause." Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald agrees that the aggressive intent is admirable, but it needs a whiff of caution too, advising that teams know what approach to expect from Australia. He takes nothing away from Dravid, who "did not seem to be playing in the same match as everyone else".

Ganguly went one further: "He batted like a God," he said, repaying the renowned compliment. Rohit Brijnath writes in the Indian Express about Dravid's mindset, the team's growing awareness of their own ability, and a new maturity.

"Good guys don't always finish last," says Allan Border, as Dravid rises in his estimation. Complimenting Dravid's shot-selection and approach to batting, Border also cautions against comparing him and Sachin Tendulkar, for Indian cricket has turned to both on many occasions.

Closer to home, Ganguly, in the Hindustan Times, takes a renewed dig at the Indian media for not supporting the team. Don't go too far, though, for kind words come from "Crash" Craddock again, in the Daily Telegraph, where he loses all sense of perspective and writes that "India have now won three of their last four Tests against Australia ... maybe they are simply a better side."