It is no secret that Australia have always considered India a tough place to travel. Winning here is akin to taming a lion with bare hands. Hence it is not a surprise that they have selected a jumbo squad of 18 players. However, things are not the same this time around. Perhaps, Australia are the favourites because of various reasons. Let me analyse the Australian team for India.
Ever since Steve Waugh spoke about the ‘final frontier’ Australian tour to India have always assumed an added importance. The era of Ganguly and Steve Waugh have ensured that these teams remain competitive for more than 20 years. India achieved the unthinkable to winning in Australia twice. It is something only the wonderful South African sides were able to achieve. Ganguly’s steel meant that India never took a backward step against Australia. So much so that now, after The Ashes, it is India vs Australia that is most watched series.
The Australian batsmen
Australia will travel to India with a well balanced side. The top and middle order is in tremendous form. The opening combination of Khawaja and Warner will be boosted by the runs that they scored against South Africa. Especially, Khawaja, the master on slow wickets. He had a productive tour of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The daddy hundred in the final test against South Africa will only mean that he will be confident of asserting himself. Indian wickets will not carry any bounce nor will it going to turn extensively just like the England series. In such a scenario, Khawaja will at home. He showed that against Pakistan with good consistent scoring. The Indian bowlers will have great difficulty in dislodging the Aussie opener.
However, the same cannot be said of his partner, Warner. For all his exploits in Australia and to an extent in South Africa, Warner has always found the sub-continent conditions and English conditions tough to handle. He has succeeded in IPL but the struggle at the highest level shows how tough it is in Test cricket. Warner will love to set the record straight but I am afraid his time has passed. With advancing age, he will be hard pressed to correct his record.
The double trouble
In Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, Australia have not one but two run machines. Smith is the best Test batsman in the world. There are no two ways about it. He still averages more than 60 and he has a special liking for India. So much so that, he has scored multiple hundreds against India even in white ball cricket which is not his favourite. He will be in India on the back of a very successful home season. Indians have always found it very difficult to dislodge Smith and there is nothing to suggest that this time it will be different. Smith’s consistency has been nothing short of phenomenal. No other batsmen has even come close to replicating his success at the Test level like him.
The one that is Smith’s doppelganger is Marnus. He is quite new to international cricket. Though, he has a mountain of runs, these are early days to bracket him alongwith Smith. He is talented with a technique similar to Smith but there ends the comparison. Except for one hundred and a fifty, he didn’t set the record books on fire during the Asian leg in 2022. Yes, it was his first experience of Asian conditions but still, to be considered on par with Smith, he will have to do more. Having said that, he is another Aussie who likes the Indian bowling.
Travis Head has suddenly moulded himself on Johnny Bairstow. He is constantly looking for runs and will make things difficult for the Indian bowlers. Indian bowlers can prevail against a defensive batsman but against an aggressive batsman like Head, they have wrestle.
I really pity the Indian bowlers whose task will be cut-out right from the beginning.
The wicket keeper and the bowlers
Alex Carey is in the Gilchrist mould. He will prove devastating on the slow pitches and he has just scored his first Test hundred. Confidence must be high though he has never played a Test in India. As for the bowlers, Lyon is an exceptional bowler. It is a pity he has got the recognition he deserves. He averages 4 wickets per test which is as good as any bowler. Mind you, he plays most of his cricket in Australia and other unfriendly pitches for his bowling. Last time around, he bamboozled the Indians with his unforgiving line and length. This time does not promise to be any different.
Cummins is another who is excellent on any wicket. Together with Hazlewood, Boland and Starc, the Aussie bowlers will attack from the outset.
Why are Australia favourites?
The Indian batting. Plain and simple. It has been awhile since the Indian batsmen have fired in unison. Rohit has not Test cricket in a very longtime. His fitness must be questioned. Will he play in the entire series? In the meantime, he didn’t appear for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy either. Hence, his long format game is a serious concern. His opening partner, Rahul, enough has been said about him. The middle order of Pujara and Kohli does not inspire much confidence. Kohli rediscovered his form in white ball cricket but his red ball batting does not inspire much confidence. In the series against Bangladesh, he batted like a fish out of water. Shreyas is one batsman who has performed well over the last year and his expertise against spin is something that is terrific to watch. However, will he prevail against Cummins’s short ball barrage?
The biggest loss for India is Rishabh Pant. He is the one cricketer who has kept India in the game with his belligerent batting. He is a special Test cricketer. It is unfortunate that he will miss the entire series. Ishan Kishan and Bharat, his replacements, do they have the game to succeed at this level against such an opponent? Ishan has short ball problems and Bharat is an unknown commodity.
Though the Indian bowlers maybe able to contain the Aussie batsmen, if the Indian batsmen are all at sea, the efforts of the bowlers will not be enough.
Wrapping up the Australian team for India
Australia this time around is a different proposition altogether. The confidence of Indians are at a low ebb.
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