A consistent Australian team fancy their chances of winning the ‘final frontier’ contest against India.
Australia’s confidence is based on a settled batting line-up, a well-balanced pace attack capable of swinging the old ball when conditions permit, and a successful spin bowler.
Nevertheless, it will be a tough challenge (also referred to as Everest in Australia) as the Indian side is powerful and almost impossible to beat in home conditions.
Although it has been over a decade since India lost a series at home (England 2-1 in 2012), Australia are showing confidence after displaying strong form on their pitches. Suffering a serious injury has boosted his confidence Rishabh Pant Which means the flamboyant personality of the wicketkeeper-batsman will be missed.
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Indian pitches, a challenge
However, it is one thing to be confident of a player’s batting abilities in Australian conditions, but quite another to wonder how they will perform on completely different Indian pitches. This is one area where the Australian batsmen-steven smith You have to prove yourself differently.
Rishabh Pant
At the age of 60, Smith is the only current Australian batsman on tour to average over 30 in India. It will be a huge challenge for those Australian batsmen, especially if Ravindra Jadeja successfully bowls in partnership with the highly skilled Ravichandran Ashwin.
Then there is Australia’s spin department. Nathan Lyon is the only proven performer and even in India he averages over 30 for his Test wickets. While Lyon seems to have improved as a bowler in the sub-continent, he is supported by the likes of Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson, both of whom are unproven quantities.
Australia need to shed any temptation to follow the principle of right-hander and left-hander and choose only the best bowlers for the conditions.
Australia need to put less faith in their fast bowlers than what they have achieved in India. Australia’s big three – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc – all average over 30 in India and will need to perform better with the older ball in particular to get better results in India.
In general, the selectors have chosen form players who have shown they can perform in Australia. But now, they have to succeed under very different circumstances.
visitor heavy on ammo
Australia’s biggest asset before the start of the series is their confidence stemming from consistency. The big test for the team will be how long it can maintain this confidence under pressure from India.
A lot of Australia’s confidence in the tour is based on their victory in 2004–05 thanks to the success of their fast bowlers. Once again, this needed to be tempered by the knowledge that success was largely based on two champion bowlers in Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie.
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All eyes on Speed Battery
Hence, a lot will depend on the success or otherwise of Australia’s big three fast bowlers.
The Indian side too have some points to prove, not the least of which is how Pant’s replacement fared.
The main thing India will lose in Pant’s unavailability is an excellent run-rate stemming from his combative aggression. There is no substitute for Pant’s desire to dominate the bowlers, so India will need their top batsmen to not only perform but also maintain a good strike rate.
One of the main tasks for Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara will be to establish mental superiority over Lyon. If Australia cannot rely on Lyon claiming regular wickets at an acceptable rate, the bowling will depend on the big three.
Number 4 of Oz, a thorn for the hosts
The main task for India’s bowlers will be to find a way to keep the scorer Smith calm. If India are able to limit the success of Smith and Lyon, they will be well on their way to winning the match.
Test series between good teams have a way of bringing out the best in the most competitive players. This series has all the makings of a tough encounter between two excellent sides with little in common. These sides are two of Test cricket’s dwindling number of really good teams, but it’s hard to topple India as eventual winners.
