London, Oct. 28: The first match of a new series in one of cricket’s most fierce rivalries was probably only a sampling of the thrills to follow. Such an aura has built up around India-Australia clashes they are set to challenge the old order in the game.

The Ashes remain compellingly attractive, enticing as they do uniformly fill houses in any version of the game that the ancient cricket rivals battle in. In recent times, India-Australia cricket has crept up the popularity charts so much that an elite order is fast emerging.

It is clear that four nations are now attracting more excitement than others — India, Australia, South Africa and England. Cricket matches between any two of them or an event among the four is likely to fetch much more by way of revenue that others have reason to feel miffed about.

So long as market forces also rule the game, such an elitist order is bound to exist regardless of the rankings and ratings that occupy so much of cyberspace, Even the results in the T-20 and the Champions Trophy seem to have no bearing on the commercial and entertainment value of the series between the marquee teams.

India-Australia cricket may not possess the spit and polish that goes into the ambience of the Ashes.

But they have lately become so intense that media focus has tended to shift from the mere playing of matches to the manner in which these contests are being fought.

There has always been a bit of needle to any match in which the free-speaking Aussies are involved.

Also, as we saw in the first thriller, emotions tend to rule the exchanges much more than cold cricket logic. In the late stand that developed between Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar in Baroda the Aussies seemed to lose control because they were possibly trying too hard.

It was clear that beté noir Bhajji still manages to get under their skin.

What transpired in Australia a couple of years ago in what has gone down in history as ‘Monkeygate’ may seem like old hat.

But, we do see its repercussions in the way it seems to have affected the otherwise straight thinking cricket of the Aussies who have now climbed back to their exalted status as the world’s top ODI side.

Bhajji is one of those who bats from the heart as it were.

Always the kind to wear his emotions on his sleeve, the gutsy cricketer seems to derive most of his inspiration from seeing the Aussies as his opponents.

The usual process of needling him seems to have quite the opposite effect as they only manage to key him up to perform better.

As a rule, Indians tend to raise their game these days against the Aussies much more than other opponents. Not even Pakistan seems to raise the adrenalin rush in Indian players any more.

Recent ODI skirmishes with Australia have generally ended in favour of India, beginning with the tri-series finals that Dhoni’s men famously won Down Under.

The current Australian ODI side have been rebuilt since prominent retirements hit the side after the last World Cup.

They might still have the measure of India in the ongoing series. But the fan following the matches help generate will only add to the glow of the halo around India-Australia cricket.