Virat Kohli vs Steven Smith, Ravichandran Ashwin vs David Warner and other key battles from India-Australia 1st Test at Pune
Kohli vs Smith, Ashwin vs Warner and other key battles from IND-AUS 1st Test at Pune
According to the books of ICC, the clash between India and Australia is set to be the tussle between the No. 1 and No. 2 sides in Test cricket. In reality, Australia start the series as massive underdogs with the hosts expected to inflict another whitewash, replicating the 0-4 result from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2012-13. Australia have not won Test in the subcontinent for five-and-a-half years, losing their last 9 Tests in Asia. In contrast, India are undefeated in their last 20 Tests at home. A fair match? Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs Australia 1st Test at at Pune
However, this great game is not played on paper. Australia may be a reflection of their pristine past but they have plenty of ammunitions in Steven Smith, David Warner and Mitchell Starc to stage an upset. ‘Upset’ is a word one does not usually associate with Australian teans, but the scenario changes when their playing arena shifts to India. Big players attract deserved attention, and we cannot stop predicting the battles of the big names ahead of the much-awaited first Test at Pune.
Virat Kohli vs Steven Smith: Kohli’s batting average is touching 52, and as a captain it is an even impressive 67. He has slammed a double-hundred in each of his last four back-to-back series. On the other hand, he is now up against a counterpart who averages a shade above 60, has one Test hundred more than Kohli (in 4 fewer Tests); even more ominous is the fact that while donning the captain’s role, his average shoots up to almost 74. Now think of it.
There is a reason why Smith is the best batsman in Tests, and Kohli is at No. 2. The 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was a serious competition between these two with Smith (769 runs) eclipsing Kohli (692) and Australia pocketing the series 2-0.
Kohli will hope for a reversal of fortunes here, not only as batsman but also — for the first time — as full-time captain.
With the advantage of home conditions and the momentum in Kohli’s favour, India have the edge at the moment.
Ravichandran Ashwin vs David Warner: An off-spinner against a left-hander has historically been like a mongoose-snake contest. Warner’s reverse-slog over long-off against Ashwin from the 2012-12 series is still fresh in our mind. Over years, both men have only grown in reputation, emerging as two of the finest in the modern cricket.
Ashwin, the world’s best Test bowler, has hopes pinned up on him. He is expected to bowl India to a 4-0 triumph but for that to happen the first hurdle will be the diminutive dynamite Warner.
Ashwin’s guile and familiarity of the territory, pitted against the Warner’s no-holds-barred counterattacking tactics, will make this contest engaging to the core.
Murali Vijay-KL Rahul vs Mitchell Starc-Josh Hazlewood: This sounds like a tag-team contest in a wresting encounter. Barring the physical contact, the intensity will be no less. The Indian opening batters against the Australian pacers will set up the Test.
Starc and Hazlewood can exploit reverse-swing to great effect. Hazlewood’s strength is discipline, but then, so is Vijay’s. One can ask questions outside off-stump all day, the other can leave them alone over the same span of time. So it will be more of a contest of who blinks first.
Starc’s pace and darting yorkers can unsettle the very best. Rahul’s 110 at Sydney two years back came against Starc, but can he replicate that? He has a tendency to get carried way. Starc meanwhile will look forward to exploit Rahul’s inconsistency.
If one man from Australia’s bowling armoury can win them the series, it has to be Starc.
Ravindra Jadeja vs Shaun Marsh: Had this been IPL, Marsh would have thought of smacking Jadeja to the pulp. His IPL exploits over the past nine seasons makes Marsh obvious choice for the Pune Test. He strengthened his selection case with a hundred in the warm-up match.
Marsh is known to excel in subcontinent conditions, but to stop the Jadeja juggernaut in these conditions will be a tough ask.
Jadeja had made the then-captain Michael Clarke his bunny in the 2012-13 series. Earlier this season he had shifted his target to southpaw Alastair Cook, dismissing the myth that left-arm spinners are usually milked by left-handers.
It would not be a surprise if Jadeja sets his eyes on Marsh and plots his downfall the Cook way. From the Australian point of view, Marsh will be expected to bring in all his experience in Indian conditions, and reproduce his IPL riches.