SET FOR BIG TEST, VIRAT KOHLI’S INDIA BUOYANT, AUSTRALIA WARY
The hosts face rivals whose past confidence, bordering on arrogance, is missing
PUNE: The last time Australia toured India in 2013, captains Michael Clarke and Shane Watson won the toss in all the four Tests, but went on to lose all of them.
Thus, when Steve Smith leads his men on to the pitch in the first Test of this four-match series on Thursday, he’ll have to ensure many more things go his way than the luck factor.
It will be here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium that he will take charge of IPL side Rising Pune Supergiants in two months and the series opener might be a perfect opportunity to prove his credentials to the local crowd.
The hosts, however, don’t want to take a chance. Though curator Pandurang Salgaoncar said Pune’s debut Test would be played on a true wicket, Dhiraj Parsana, zonal head of the BCCI’s grounds and pitches committee, and Daljit Singh, the national head of the pitches committee, have been asked to overlook Salgaoncar’s effort. After all, home advantage needs to be taken. WILL MEAN A WORLD “If we can win here, when we look back after 20 years, it is going to be the best time of lives,” Smith had said a few days back. It makes sense, given that they were not just whitewashed by India four years back, they’ve lost eight of the last 10 Tests played in India.
An India-Australia Test series is always special. To the cricket- fanatic Indian crowd, the only fixture bigger than this is probably that against arch-rivals Pakistan.
But India are on a run of 19 unbeaten Tests , and six consecutive series wins while Australia will have to avoid their 10th successive defeat in Asia.
The Aussies no longer carry the old aura. Be it Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood or captain Steve Smith, they are anxious for their plans to fall in place against India.
India have openly challenged the visitors , stating they’ve got a plan for every player. Former cricketers too have backed the hosts to inflict yet another whitewash.
India have reserves that allow them to drop a triple centurion in the next game if needed, but they can’t underestimate an Australian side. Mitchell Starc will spearhead the pace attack while Lyon will try and replicate what England’s Monty Panesar and Greame Swann did to upstage India in 2012.
Australia are well aware of the devastation Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja can cause.
Thus, to come out on top, they will not just have to play a brand of cricket they haven’t played in the last decade or so in Asia, they’ll also have to hope their execution is up to the mark.