In order to salvage its pride at the ongoing Test series in Australia, the Indian team has its task cut out. With no Mitchell Johnson, known for ripping apart the opposition with his prolific bowling, in Australia’s rank, Virat Kohli’s men could end the series with a face-saving match. For that to happen, India would have to bat first in the Sydney Test and take things from there.
“If they bat first and score some big runs in the first innings, it will be good for India. Even chasing a score of around 200, in Sydney, in the fourth innings, could be tricky. So batting first and scoring runs should be a priority for the Indian team,” is what former chairman of the selection committee Krish Srikkanth recommends.
In previous Test matches, Indian’s batting has been quite impressive. There have been quite a few batsmen who made an impact in this tour. From Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane to Murali Vijay, all of them scored runs. And why not? Unlike the last tour of Australia, there has been little green cover where last three games have been played so far in the series. The pitches have been much more batsmen friendly and the bowlers had to bend backwards to extract pace and bounce from these pitches.
Also, the last time India were touring Australia, Cheteshwar Pujara’s name kept coming up as he was missing from that tour due to an injury. The fact that he was missing made news at all levels in Indian cricket. Right after that series, when Rahul Dravid retired from Test cricket, Pujara was hailed as the next big thing in the Indian Test team. He was supposed to be the new Wall of Indian cricket after Dravid. Pujara did start well but the current tour hasn’t gone as per his expectations. His team believes that he is a much bigger player than what his scores suggest.
This team also believes that former Test captain MS Dhoni has left behind a great legacy and it’s time to take it forward. With Kohli ready to stand up and be counted during the ongoing commotion ahead of the World Cup team selection, it would be interesting to see what India could do in Test cricket without Dhoni at helm of things. Can they turn it around? It’s up to the Indian bowlers, again, to get the job done if at all Indians are dreaming about winning the Sydney Test match.
