With much fanfare the Australian cricket team has landed in India.

But the kangaroo team has two extra players, to take the battle with India to new heights.

The twelfth player is Mr. Greg Chappel. His mind games have already begun.

And the thirteenth player is the Aussie media.

They operate in cahoots with Cricket Australia, to win the game at any cost.

Indians beware!!!

A friend of mine, Mr. Kriplani, has an interesting anecdote to tell, about corruption in India, as compared to Pakistan.

This incidence is old, more than forty-five years old. The Kriplani family was migrating to India, naturally from Pakistan, lock stock & barrel. The family's belongings were loaded onto a lorry, in which they drove to the check post.

At the Pakistani side of the border, the sentry asked them to declare the value of their cargo. "Forty thousand rupees!" was the head of the family's reply. They were asked to shell out 10% of this amount to the sentry, as convenience charge. It came out to be a cool Rs. 4,000/- of those days, which was duly handed over. And the transition proceeded smoothly.

After crossing no man's land, on the Indian side, they were also asked for baksheesh. And the same job was done in Rs. 500/-

Moral of the story? The Pakistanis have a style, a system, while doing things, which they rigorously follow.

India is very economical. There are no 'standards', even in corruption!

If things have changed over the past 45 years, please do narrate on this forum.