Tour of India 2008-09                 Captain: Ricky Ponting

Eightieth Test tour

Tenth Test-playing tour of  India  by Australia

(September - November 2008) 

Andrew Symonds who was involved in a row with Harbhajan Singh on the previous occasion that Australia met India in Tests, was sent home from Darwin by the team's leadership group before the winter ODI series against Bangladesh after he chose to go fishing while skipping a team meeting. He was not considered for selection until he demonstrated a changed attitude.

Following bomb blasts in Delhi a few days before the team left for India, Cricket Australia commissioned a special security report but decided to proceed with the tour.

After dominating the first Test Australia was outplayed in the rest of the series.

Shane Watson was fined 10% of his match fee and Gautam Gambhir, the Indian opener, earned a one-Test ban after the two players clashed while Gambhir was taking a run in the Test at Delhi.

Ponting's tactics at Nagpur, using part-time slow bowlers to boost the over-rate instead of his main strike bowlers who might finish off the Indian innings, drew criticism for its part in contributing to Australia losing the match.

Other Australian Tours

Previous tour

West Indies 2007-08

Next tour

South Africa 2008-09

Next tour of India

  2010-11   

Members of the Test tour party  (15  + 2)

Opening batsmen  Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Phil Jaques (replaced by  Shaun Marsh).

Middle-order batsmen:Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich

All-rounder:  Shane Watson

Wicket-keeper  Brad Haddin

Spin bowlers  Jason Krejza, Bryce McGain (replaced by  Cameron White).

Fast bowlers : Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger. 

State representation

 Pura Cup * 2007-08 teams

N   New South Wales (7)

Q  Queensland (3)

S   South Australia (0)

T   Tasmania (2)

V   Victoria  (2)

W  Western Australia (1)

* The name of the Australian domestic season’s first-class competition reverted to the Sheffield Shield from the start of the 2008-09 season.

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

   (9 October 2008)

   30 yrs  6 months

Test Appearances made before the tour

Ponting 119,  Hayden 94,  Lee 68,  Clarke 35,  Katich 26,  Hussey 25,  Clark 18,  Jaques 11,  Johnson 9,  Haddin 3,  Watson 3,  Bollinger 0,  Krejza 0,  Siddle 0,  McGain 0,  Marsh 0,  White 0.

Tour Officials

Selectors

Andrew Hilditch  (chairman),  David Boon?,  Jamie Cox,  Merv Hughes.

Selection

The tour party was chosen as the Australia A tour of India drew to a close. Five members of the Australia A side were chosen for the Test tour - Katich, Bollinger, Krejza, McGain and Siddle.

Unavailable:  Stuart MacGill (retired).

Tour Party Announced :  12 September 2008.

Matthew Hayden was chosen subject to recovering from his heel injury, Mike Hussey from an achilles tendon problem, Ricky Ponting from wrist surgery, and Bryce McGain from a strain to his right shoulder.

Not selected : Andrew Symonds (he was sent home from Darwin ahead of the ODI series against Bangladesh by the team's leadership group after he chose to go fishing while skipping a team meeting); Beau Casson, Ashley Noffke. 

Time between selection and departure from Australia       

  9 days

(12  -  21 September)

Travel

Sydney    Q  Mumbai   Q  Jaipur 

Australia were at first scheduled to arrive in India on 29 September, one day after the Champions Trophy final in Lahore (which was eventually cancelled), and fly to Hyderabad. But they decided to arrive earlier and have a week’s preparation in Jaipur (arranged by Greg Chappell, an advisor to the Rajasthan Cricket Academy), including a 2-day practice match.

Departure from Sydney was on Sunday 21 September.  The 15-man team flew via Dubai and Mumbai’s Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, proceding to Jaipur.

They arrived at Sanganer Airport, Jaipur, on Monday 22 September and were immediately escorted to the team hotel amidst tight security.

Time spent in India

   50 days

(22 September - 11 November)

On-tour selection

 Ricky Ponting (captain),  Tim Nielsen  (coach),  x   (vice-captain).

Reinforcements

Cameron White replaced Bryce McGain before the First Test. McGain had arrived in India with a shoulder injury: the tendons in his right armpit would not mend and surgery was required.  White landed at Bangalore on 6 October.

Shaun Marsh replaced Peter Jaques who went home on Friday 17 October for treatment to his back. 

Stuart Clark was kept out of the Test matches by an elbow injury, but did not return home early.

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

§  one-day international

Time spent in India before First Test:       17 days

(22 September - 9 October)

Test appearances on tour

4  -  Clarke,  Haddin, Hayden,  Hussey,  Johnson,  Katich,  Lee,  Ponting,  Watson,  White.

2  -  SR Clark.

Highlights

•   Mike Hussey in his first Test innings in India, scored 146 at Bangalore.

•   Ricky Ponting earlier scored a century (123) as well, adding 166 with Katich (66) for the second wicket

•   Michael Clarke (112) was dropped three times but scored a match-saving century at Delhi.

•   Jason Krejza's return of 12 for 358 (8-215 and 4-143) in nearly 75 overs was on debut at Nagpur. Only one bowler has conceded more runs in a Test match (Tommy Scott took 9 for 374 for West Indies in 1929-30)

•   Mitchell Johnson took most wickets for Australia (13) in the series, and Hussey scored the most runs (394).

Tour Summary

Return to Australia

Mumbai    Q   Sydney 

Injured player Bryce McGain flew from Bangalore and arrived home in Melbourne on Monday 6 October. Phil Jaques flew home on Friday 17 October.

The team arrived home at Sydney Airport on 11 November 2008.

Time away from Australia   

51 days  

(21 September to 11 November)

Finances

…..

Accounts of the tour

Postscript