Test series in India a big challenge: Brett Lee

From Yahoo India Sports News:

Jaipur, Sept 23 (ANI): Australian cricket team's fast bowler, Brett Lee on Tuesday said that the upcoming Test Series in India would be a big challenge for the young Australian side. Addressing a news conference in Jaipur, where the Australian cricket team will be training for a week, Lee said that it would be good for the Australian side to face India. "The younger guys have to start somewhere and what better stage than to play here in India. It's a wonderful place to tour - the country, the people, the culture, the cricket's pretty hard work, so we have to make sure our plans are in place."

The Australian team will fly to Hyderabad for a four-day match against the Indian team from October 2. The team landed in Mumbai on Monday and then flew to Rajasthan. Brett Lee also added that All-rounder Andrew Symonds would be missed and added, "But we surely have other great players here who can hopefully almost step into Andrew's shoes." Andrew Symonds was dropped from the team for the one-day series with Bangladesh in Darwin earlier this month after he missed a team meeting and went fishing instead and was not included for the India series as well.

Australia will be counting on their pace attack, not spin, to beat India in the four-test series that begins next month, chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch had said on Friday. The Kiwis named the uncapped Doug Bollinger and Peter Siddle in their 15-man squad to provide back up to the front line trio of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson for the series. Captain Ricky Ponting and opening batsman Matthew Hayden have been included after they returned home injured from West Indies tour. Ponting had surgery while Hayden underwent an extensive rehabilitation programme, with both missing the recent one-day series in Darwin.The first test begins in Bangalore on October 9, followed by matches in Mohali (October 17-21), Delhi (October 29-November 2) and in Nagpur (November 5-9). Hilditch said the series was becoming as important to Australia as the Ashes series with England.

Post URL: Here.

.

Indifferent

It feels so sad when someone you treasure so much in your life starts being so indifferent to you.. What if I tell you that I have been experiencing this for over a year now!! It feels so sick that the person cannot spare even a minute to talk/mail/scrap you.. when they have time for others.. What if I say that I have not come to terms with this feeling. Is this fair? Is it fair to punish someone to the extent that he breaks down emotionally pretty often and is in tatters every second of his life? Please think.. please be fair... please..

.

Cry Me a River

I have lost the habit of being loved. Maybe not really. Getting away from home again for the second time is all-the-more difficult for me as this is easily not the greatest of feelings. Especially, after visiting home in a year. But people say, life moves on. For me, it’s simply difficult. I have been through a lot lately. Things aren’t the way I’d expected. There is something called love that’s taking the toll on me. And no questions asked; no reasons explained. Maybe this is the paradox with love!

Why is it that people who love each other so much have to be parted eventually? Is this some kind of a f*****’ rule? Why doesn’t love take precedence over social dogma? Makes me feel so sick! Isn’t it a f*****’ crime to keep two people who love away from each other physically and emotionally? But, life moves on! I had always thought that love knew no boundaries, love knew no distance, and love knew no obstacles, but I have learnt that that love is even beyond all this- love knows nothing!

I have had the better half of the waiting times to get some good moments in my life. Some moments which are easily the most beautiful didn’t come by as easily as they would have. I had to actually wait to win those moments, and when the moment arrived, it was inexpressible. I guess I have become used to such situations wherein the wait was worthwhile, while in this case the wait brought me immense pain and discomfort. I sometimes feel that I have lost the reason to live. The very penchant for life is missing. The worst part is the misunderstanding. I must confess, no relationship is genuine without some petty quarrels. And that’s what makes a relationship stronger than before. It must not be misunderstood or misrepresented as ‘the very sickening’ “break-up”! Please.

Is really everything that happens, happens for good? I do not know yet, but all I know is that whatever happens is practical and has never been anticipated earlier. Sometimes, never even thought of! Maybe that’s why it is convenient to hide the pain in the pretext of “happens for (f*****’) good!” And ya, you think life moves on? Ask me. These entire thoughts gush through my mind while I am far away from home sitting at Gate 52 of Terminal 1 of the London Heathrow Airport awaiting my connecting flight to Chicago and watching the news of hurricane Ike ripping across Texas. Feels like something has ripped through my heart, too. It’s not all about me, it’s about us.

.