Weakest Australian team to tour India: Harbhajan Singh

Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has rated the current Australian team led by Steven Smith as the “weakest ever” in recent times to tour the Indian sub-continent.

India are dubbed as overwhelming favourites against the Aussies with the first Test starting February 23 in Pune. “I have played against some of the best Australian sides. In my opinion, looking at the composition, this is the weakest Australian side to tour India. I don't think this team has the wherewithal to cope with a quality Indian side in the Indian conditions. It can again be 4-0 like 2013 season,” Harbhajan told PTI in an exclusive interview.

When asked about his strong observations, Harbhajan, who got a record 32 wickets in the epic 2001 series, said: “That team 2001 had Matthew Hayden, Michael Slater, Adam Gilchrist, Rickey Ponting and Steve Waugh. In this team, if you take Steve Smith and David Warner out, I don't think this batting line-up can offer resistance to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Both know how to get wickets on the Indian tracks.”

Australia scored 469 in the practice game but that's against an India A side in which there aren't any of the first team players of the Test side. In fact, the 'Turbanator' termed the England side that was drubbed 0-4, as a better outfit than this Australian side.

“I believe the England team that toured India recently were a better batting outfit. They scored 400 plus runs on a multiple occasions. It's not going to happen with this Australian side,” said India's third highest wicket-taker.

Steven Smith has been a good player of spin bowling and something that one has seen in IPL also but Harbhajan counters. “Take IPL out of the equation because those matches are played on flat batting pitches. And most of Smith's centuries are against spinners on Australian pitches,” said Harbhajan.