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Chloe Saltau writes in this morning's Sydney Morning Herald: "The Indian press was dominated by reminiscences of the inaugural Twenty20 championship victory.
"Both The Times of India and the Hindustan Times devoted full-page spreads to the anniversary of the win over Pakistan in Johannesburg, and the near five-hour ride through the streets of Mumbai on a double-decker bus that followed."
Saying that Andrew Symonds, who has been dropped from the tour of India, was "unimpressed" at the time, Saltau writes the world title under Mahendra Dhoni's leadership "provided the impetus for India, which had previously been lukewarm about the shortest form of the game, to embrace it.
"It then launched its billion-dollar baby, the IPL, a rich playing field for the world's best players, Symonds included."
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Another touring Australian journalist has suggested that Indian cricket is in a state of turmoil with the national selectors and captain "unsure whether they will retain their roles beyond the weekend."
In a despatch from Jaipur, Jon Pierik of the Telegraph writes: "Test skipper Anil Kumble, 38, next month, is under growing pressure from supporters of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 27, to step aside and allow the playboy wicketkeeper to lead the team in all three forms of the game.
He also quotes Dhoni, the one-day and Twenty20 captain as saying yesterday: "I've never given too much thought to these things. There's no point.
"I'm just happy to be playing the game, playing for the country and enjoying every moment.
"The way I look at it is, I never thought I would play for India but I did. I never thought of leading the country but I did. So I don't let such things creep into my mind, more so because it is none of my business.
Tough series
"The important thing is to understand that we have a tough series coming up against the best side in the world, so we need to focus our energies on that."
The writer also says the selection committee, including chairman Dilip Vengsarkar, could be asked to vacate under the new set of rules introduced by the Indian Board to professionalise the selection set-up.
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In the run-up to the Test series, Ricky Ponting's inexperienced Australian team is looking to advice from its former Test captain and ex-India coach Greg Chappell for tips on how to cope with Indian conditions on the off the field.
Only four members of the squad Ponting, vice-captain Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich have played Test cricket in India, although others, including pace bowlers Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson have played in ODIs.
It is understood Chappell, now an assistant coach with the Australian team, yesterday advised the 15-man squad at its Jaipur team hotel, where it is preparing for the series, to "embrace" India rather than hide from "the confronting way of life," according to an agency report.
Earlier termed a "double agent" by a newspaper, Chappell is said to have outlined how best to handle Indian conditions, which "have reduced some players to mental and physical wrecks" through the years.
Meanwhile, middle order batsman Michael Hussey has delivered a firm warning to India, saying they will be "sorely mistaken" if they think they can beat Australians with experience alone.
"I don't think age is any barrier," Hussey said at the team hotel which Australian correspondents have described as a fortress because of tight security.
"I think they're very seasoned, hardened cricketers, and it's a case of how quickly we can adapt to the conditions.
"The big strength we have is the Indians might think we're inexperienced and perhaps in Test cricket in this country we are, but the guys that have come in have played a lot of first-class cricket for their states.
"We have a very, very strong first-class system, so anyone who comes in is going to have to put some good performances on the board and deserve their chance, so I think it would be a bit of a mistake to underestimate the newer, less experienced guys in our team."
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Andrew Symonds, dumped from the tour of India, will take the next step to returning to big cricket when he turns out for Queensland Bulls on Sunday in a Twenty20 double-header against Indian Premier League (IPL) team Knight Riders in Brisbane.
