Australia go into their four Test series with India, which begins in Bangalore on Thursday, with many questions to answer. The controversial omission of Andrew Symonds and the inexperience of several members of their bowling attack, not least in the threadbare spin-bowling department, has created an unusual air of uncertainty around the side’s prospects. Even the captain, Ricky Ponting, is under pressure as he tries to overturn a tortuous personal record in India.

India will present a fierce challenge in a series that is now as much a flagship for Test cricket as the Ashes, with the authorities praying that this year’s match-up will be remembered for the cricket rather than the controversies. Our panel give their predictions below.

Read the rest of this entry »