SYDNEY, Oct 25: Australia’s fast bowling legend Dennis Lillee has warned skipper Ricky Ponting against taking India for granted when they tour Down Under in December.
The Indians cannot be taken for granted as they will have the advantage of playing in a full-fledged series (five ODIs and three Tests) against Pakistan when they come to play the four-Test series while Australia, who played very little cricket in the last few months, will prepare to meet India with just a couple of Tests against Sri Lanka in Brisbane and Hobart early November besides the three ODIs against New Zealand under their belt, Lillee said.
“Despite being buoyed by their recent ODI series success in India for summer clash, India’s Twenty20 World Championship success in South Africa, confirmed team’s close-knit nature and way the host side fought back against Australia in ODIs showed tremendous courage under fire.”
“India’s youth policy is working and I feel fans can expect results sooner rather than later. But having said that, I would include former captain Rahul Dravid in the Indian squad as you can’t buy that sort of experience should younger players falter on the big stage,” he observed. —Agencies