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Recent stats between India and Australia make good reading for Kumble

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The Hawkeye View - Ed Hawkins tells us why Anil Kumble's India are the one side that will fancy taking on Australia in their own backyard

In successive series between 2001 and 2004 India showed they were the prime candidates to take Australia's crown as the No 1 side in the world.

A 2-1 home victory in 2001 in a series which has gone down in history as one of the greatest ever and a 1-1 draw on Australian soil three years later suggested a change in the world order.

But it did not happen. Just when India had discovered the knack of playing the Australian way, they forgot it again - not winning any of their next three series, including a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe.

Now, India have the chance to stake a claim again when a four-Test series begins against Australia at the MCG on Boxing Day.

Even though those two groundbreaking series featured different protagonists, there is still much for punters to take notice of. Indeed that 2003-04 clash in Australia should be taken very seriously indeed by those trying to work out what is going to unfold.

Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were both absent in that series and with the great duo now gone from the cricket field for good, Australia have to be considered more vulnerable to a usurping than previously.

Remember in the seven matches Australia played without Warne and McGrath in their illustrious careers, they won only three, lost two and drew one. One of those defeats came against India at Adelaide in 2003 when the hosts amassed 556, which remains the second highest first-innings total by a side to lose.

Bat dominating ball is the way things could go again.

Australia, who are short odds for the series [1.25], are obviously a weaker bowling unit and even though they defeated Sri Lanka convincingly towards the end of the year, Kumar Sangakkara at Hobart showed what could be in store for the hosts when India's stellar batting line-up arrives.

Brett Lee, who is the leader of the new attack, took eight wickets at 59 each in that series in 03-04 and Stuart MacGill, who is out of the first Test in Melbourne, took 14 wickets at 50.

For all Ricky Ponting's talk that MacGill's replacement, Brad Hogg, is a threat, one has to ask the question: if that is what the India's batsmen do to MacGill, surely Hogg will be fodder?

India will pin their hopes on spin, attacking it with bat or ball. Anil Kumble, India's new captain, was right to say that they play spin day in and day out and that whoever they face "it won't be a problem".

Yet if they are to make that leap as genuine world beaters, Kumble and his spin twin Harbhajan Singh must repeat the success they have had against Australia previously.

Kumble took 24 wickets at the very impressive average of 29 down under last time and 27 the last time the sides met in India. Harbhajan took 21 in that meeting in 2004.

However, Australia are a better side at playing spin now and given the three venues for the Tests (Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth) are no way near as conducive to turn as the sub-continental venues, a drawn series [8.2] could be a bit of value.

Much will rely on the India batting firing for that outcome but surely Jaffer, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman and, of course, Tendulkar, should be capable of piling on the runs against a sub-standard attack?

Laxman is the man the Australians really fear, simply because of what he did to them in 2001 when he hit a whopping 503 runs. Ever since Laxman has enjoyed playing the Aussies and for those looking for top-bat value, he could be the man. He hit 494 runs the last time he was in Australia.

The worry for India is their record overall in Australia and their mental toughness, in a match bet for the latter Australia would be backed off the boards.

India have never won a series there, winning won only four Tests and Australia's confidence and arrogance is always worth at least one win. A 2-0 Australia victory at [5.5] would confirm their superiority again and send India home to merely dream about that top spot.

Do India have what it takes to upset Australia, or even gain a series draw?

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