Andrew Symonds

Melbourne: With Australia’s supremacy in world cricket threatened more than ever before following their loss to India, former Australia players have called for the return of exiled allrounder Andrew Symonds to arrest the slide.

“Australia’s cricket team hit a generational low with its demoralising defeat by a rampaging India — and now the call has gone up to bring back one player who can make a difference, strapping allrounder Andrew Symonds,” reported a newspaper in a scathing criticism of Australia’s performance in the second Test in Mohali, which ended in a 320-run defeat for the World champions.

Former coach John Buchanan feels Symonds should be sent to India on the first available flight as only he can galvanise the team after the humiliating defeat.

“There is no question that the Australian side is missing his playing ability and his character. With what has happened in recent times, Andrew is the best person to judge when he is ready to come back. But if somebody went and asked him if he would go to India, I couldn’t see him saying no. I reckon he would be over there like a shot,” he was quoted as saying by Daily Telegraph.

Buchanan’s views were backed by former Test pacer Michael Whitney, who felt Symonds has been punished enough for his “gone fishing” misdemeanour. “Roy is such an intimidating character, have a look at him. Our fielding was not up to scratch in the second Test, neither was our batting, nor bowling. Roy would certainly add some spice to the series,” said Whitney.

The newspaper carried out an online poll in which “70 per cent of Australian cricket fans agreed that Symonds should be on the next plane to India.”

Sydney Morning Herald said it was high time senior players like Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds stood up for their captain Ricky Ponting in tough situations.

“It is time Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds started pulling their weight. After all, Ponting remained loyal to Hayden during his unproductive Ashes series in 2005. He has likewise been steadfast in his support for Symonds, persuading the selectors to take him to the 2003 World Cup and keeping faith in him as a Test cricketer longer than anyone else,” said an article in the newspaper.

“Ponting might have lost the intuition evident in his emerging years but he knows cricket and cricketers. All the more reason for the Queenslanders to respond in kind.”The paper felt the two senior-most members of the squad have not been aiding their embattled skipper with sane advice in confrontational situations.

“Symonds has become headstrong while Hayden lost his composure in Mohali. Both were in the thick of the agitation that poisoned the atmosphere at the SCG. It is time to put those frustrations aside, time to answer their captain’s call. Now is the time for the team’s elders to get back in the ring, or withdraw,” it said.

While flaying Ponting and his teammates for the “insipid” loss to India, the Aussie media admitted India’s supremacy.

Under the headline ‘Era of domination at an end’, The Australian said the “insipid 320-run loss reinforces India’s new-found domination against Australia (with) two wins and two draws since narrowly losing the spiteful Sydney Test.

“India have turned world cricket upside down by bullying Australia into submission, leaving the fast-fading world champions in danger of losing Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” it said.

Another newspaper said the Australian team had been brutally exposed without the retired greats Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.

“Australia has been seriously outplayed and out-verballed in the match. A colossus which strode the world virtually unchallenged for more than a decade, Australia is now finding that India is treating it in the same way that Australia confronted the West Indies to claim the world crown in 1995.

“Australia has done well over the last year or so to cover the chasm left by retiring greats McGrath, Warne and Gilchrist, but they have been brutally exposed here,” it said.