India vs Australia: How strong are the visitors?

India vs Australia: How strong are the visitors?

India have gone unbeaten in their last 19 Tests under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. Playing at home, the last time India were defeated in Test was in December 2012, which makes Australia’s task sterner. For Australia, a victory over India in their backyard in Test cricket came their way back in October 2004, when the visiting side surprised the hosts to register a series victory. For that matter, Australia have won a series in India only once in 48 years. These are some facts that Steven Smith and co. have to deal with as they gear up to stop the Indian juggernaut that has blown away West Indies, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh without many qualms this season. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia, 1st Test at Pune

Australia have made it clear that they are fancying a victory over India, which is surprisingly a far more audacious approach than any other side that has taken on Kohli’s team of late. Even the mighty South Africa was belittled by the Indian side which has been on a roll. As far as consistency is concerned, the Indian cricket team seems to be miles ahead of their Australian counterparts, who had succumbed to 5 Test defeats on the trot last year, two of which came at home.

It is not new for the Australians to make big statements, but a pragmatic analysis must be done keeping in mind their ultimate aim and the firepower which they have in their ranks. Let us take a look what makes Australia believe they can achieve their goal:

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Strong leadership: In Steven Smith and David Warner, Australia not only have two men who like to lead from the front, but are perhaps as consistent as their Indian counterparts. If Smith and Kohli have been the most consistent batsmen for their respective sides, their deputies Warner and Ajinkya Rahane are back in form after having quiet series. Smith has hit prime form with two centuries in his previous series against Pakistan, as has Warner, bringing out two brutal centuries that took the contest away from their opponents. Warner and Smith have also served as captains to IPL teams, an experience which will certainly help them formulate their plans.

Steven Smith’s terrific record: If Kohli has been belligerent against each of India’s opponents, Smith is the only one who has returned the favour in adequate manner. In a mere 6 Tests, Smith has amassed 930 runs at 93 against India. All that Smith needs to do now is to resume his run-making — something he has already done with a century in the tour match — and turn the heat over India once again.

Extensive preparation: England had perhaps underestimated Bangladesh since they had decided to go ahead with a two-Test series ahead and ended up running out of a bit of steam. England had to fight till the last days of both Tests; they eked out a victory in the first but were defeated in the second. Australia, on the other hand, have planned their tour to India meticulously. Warner, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have all been provided adequate rest, whereas Smith and Matthew Wade got resting periods due to the injuries they suffered.

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Australian cricketers travelled to UAE and trained for about two weeks at the ICC Cricket Academy. The players arrived in batches, and played an interesting intra-squad match over three days which provided them some sort of match practise. Among key bowlers, Steve O’Keefe dropped out of the exhausting BBL to focus on the India tour, which underlined Australia’s seriousness as far as their preparations are concerned.

Australia do not have the benefit of having a former cricketer in their coaching staff with firsthand knowledge of the conditions the way they had with Muttiah Muralitharan for the Sri Lanka tour. However, they but they have not abolished the idea completely. Monty Panesar was roped in as a consultant for spinners, and Sridharan Sriram was appointed for the batsmen.

Promising youngsters to watch out for: It will be tough to determine their worth unless the series is over, but players like Peter Handscomb and Matthew Renshaw promise a lot to look forward to in this series. Renshaw was present among the audience during the first-ever T20I played years ago, but the Yorkshire-born who could have played for England, has made his Test debut for Australia. Renshaw idolises Alastair Cook, which means he batsman wants to be as disciplined as the England captain when it comes to dealing with deliveries outside the off-stump.

On the other hand, Handscomb has made a terrific start to his Test career, smashing at least one half-century in each of his 4 Tests so far. Handscomb can play spin with deftness, providing depth to Australia’s lower middle-order. Ashton Agar has found his way back in the team, whereas Jackson Bird, who is rapidly emerging as the third pacer of the attack, is another bowler to watch out for.

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Strong bowling attack: For the majority of their Test series in India, England did not have James Anderson and Stuart Broad bowling together. However, Australia have provided ample amount of resting time to both Starc and Hazlewood, both of whom will resume their duties at the forefront of the bowling attack. The last time Starc played a full series in the Indian subcontinent he created a record by snaffling 24 wickets in 3 Tests. Hazlewood’s metronomic accuracy makes him one of the most dangerous fast bowlers, and his battles with the grinders in the Indian ranks such as Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli will be a treat.

Australia have also brought as many as five spinners (including Glenn Maxwell). The unknown quantity in Mitchell Swepson can impart significant revolutions on the ball, which may help him generate sharp turn if India dish out dry wickets. Along with Agar, the trio will be expected to provide support to Lyon and O’Keefe.

Three new venues: Not a lot is being read into this aspect of Australia’s tour, but three out of four venues for this Test series do not have any precedence on how the wickets would behave. Pune, Ranchi and Dharamsala will be hosting the first, third and fourth Test respectively, and very little is known about these venues. Pune and Ranchi have hosted a few limited-overs contests which have been run-fests, whereas Dharamsala can be expected to favour the fast bowlers.