December 24, 2007	Monday	Zilhaj 13, 1428

MELBOURNE, Dec 23: Andrew Symonds said on Saturday he was more at ease with his position in the Australian Test side heading into the four-Test home series with India starting here on Boxing Day.

Symonds is about to play his 16th Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where his career-defining 156 in the fourth Ashes Test against England a year ago erased doubts about his Test place.

The innings established him in the Australian Test side and paved the way for an excellent 2007.

Although more known for his limited-overs exploits, Symonds believes he is yet to cement his spot in the Test line-up, but he has progressed a long way in the Test ranks since last December.

“I was definitely on edge before this Test match last year, just purely through nerves and not being sure whether I could hold my spot or not,” Symonds told reporters.

“So I’m still in that boat, I think, but I’ve got a better grip of the whole circumstances now.

“I’m definitely more relaxed leading into the Test.”

Symonds, renowned for his dry wit, said the Australian team performed at their best in a relaxed team atmosphere.

“With tradition I suppose you’re supposed to be a lot more serious,” he said. “I try to keep it pretty much the same.

“Obviously, there’d be certain parts of the game that get tight and there’s less opportunity to be cracking jokes and that sort of thing.

“But that’s one of the most important things in our group, that we do stay relaxed and we are having fun,” he said.

“When the team’s having fun we seem to be performing at our best, so we try to keep that relaxed atmosphere as much as possible.”

Symonds said he does not care if he is singled out for verbal abuse by the Indian team as was the case in October’s one-day series on the sub-continent when he had a series of running battles with Indian quick Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.

“I don’t know what I will cop when I get out there, we will just have to wait and see,” he said.

But as for Sreesanth – who is not in India’s current Test squad – Symonds said he would not miss him but believes too much was made of the pair’s run-ins earlier this year.

“I think the media will miss him playing against me but I will play against whoever comes,” he said.

“The media blew it up into some sort of gladiatorial stoush (fight) but it’s not.

“He chose a very aggressive and vocal line over there (in India) and that’s fine, but he is not here so you (media) won’t get to see it.”—AFP