Series Preview; Australia's tour of India, 2017

SERIES PREVIEW; AUSTRALIA’S TOUR OF INDIA, 2017

The Australian’s are all set to begin their tour of India, starting February 23rd, in Pune. What makes this series all the more interesting is that Australia have a complete new look team this time around, something that is not usually the case with Australia. This is probably the youngest Australian side to tour India (considering the average age).

Let us discuss the Aussie batting line up. As is expected, Steven Smith and David Warner will be carrying the onus of scoring the bulk of the runs this time around. Whether Shaun Marsh will bat in the middle order (most likely), or in the opening position, is to be seen. He had performed well in Sri Lanka back in 2011 against a potent spin attack, and is one of the better players of spin from Australia. Youngsters Peter Handscomb and Matt Renshaw have a very challenging task ahead of themselves, as they look to make a mark in Test Cricket.
“India tour can get you the status of all-time greats”, said Steven Smith, and very rightly so. Even though Handscomb and Renshaw boosted up their averages against Pakistan, they would be itching to perform on Indian soil. More or less, it will have to be Smith or Warner getting big scores and batting for long periods of time, in an attempt to nullify the Indian spinners, something that most teams have failed to do. By big scores, I mean the 140s and 150s, not the 60s and 70s, something which England were guilty of doing in their tour of India last year. Joe Root just got the one century against India this time around. (First Test at Rajkot, 124 runs off 180 balls)

Coming to the bowling line up, Australia have a heavy pace attack. Starc and Hazlewood steaming in under any conditions are a huge threat. Vijay and Rahul will definitely be tested in the initial overs, especially considering that the former is struggling with form. Ever since that majestic knock of 199, Rahul has struggled. He is very uncertain in the 5th and 6th stump corridor. If that remains the case throughout, Hazlewood can claim an extra wicket in the form of Rahul throughout the series. Self-belief will be the key for Rahul. Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma won’t be much of a threat to the Australian batting line up, especially with the new ball. The main problem starts when Umesh reverse swing’s the old ball at will, around the 145 kmph mark. Talking about the spinners, enough has been said about the expertise of Ashwin and Jadeja. The question arises in the Australian camp; who amongst Swepson and Steve O’ Keefe will play alongside Nathan Lyon, who seems to be struggling with form himself. In my opinion, a leg spinner is always a necessity for every team. Another question that Darren Lehmann will ask himself is whether Swepson is ready for International cricket or not. If yes, is it the right option to play him and risk such a high profile series?
O Keefe might be the safe option but Swepson is a dynamic one. Getting a glimpse of Swepson in the BBL assured everyone of one thing; the man absolutely rips the ball, an attribute that is much appreciated in the sub-continent.

As far as preparations are concerned, the Aussies have been at it for a couple of weeks in the UAE, where the conditions aren’t too dissimilar to that of India. One would expect them to have a good estimation of the spin friendly conditions in India.
Strategy wise, Australia should stick to their strengths and not focus too much on the conditions. The kind of pace bowlers that they possess are good enough to tear any batting line up on a given day. As compared to England and New Zealand, Australia have a much better pace bowling line up, and hence shouldn’t put too much pressure on the spinners to do their job. If the pacers get wickets early on, the spinners will get the confidence to unsettle the Indian lower and middle order. The likes of Ashwin and Jadeja as batsmen shouldn’t cause the Australian bowlers too much trouble lower down the order.
All in all, the Australians look set for challenging the Indians this time around, unlike what happened in 2013. If the Australians do manage to win or even draw this series, it will definitely not be an upset, as they possess a very skilled side, capable of beating the Indians at home. Kohli and his men will have to be at the top of their game in all facet’s in order to claim the Border Gavaskar Trophy, which belongs to Australia at the moment.

-Shaan Waseem (OneMoreOver)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2016, The Year in review!

2016, The Year in review! As 2016 has come to an end, it's only fair if we have a look at the highlights of the year. We will have a look at a few moments which shaped the cricketing world (for better or for worse). From splendid knock's to 'ball tampering', let us quickly have a look at a few events that are worth remembering; 1) Carlos Brathwaite, World T20 Final, 2016 (34 runs off 10 balls) If you ask any sportsperson what their dream is, he or she will definitely say that it is to perform at the big stage, when it matters the most. When the chips are down, that is when the stage is set for heroes to be made. "CARLOS BRATHWAITE, REMEMBER THE NAME!" - These words said by Ian Bishop during the commentary of the finals, still give me goosebumps, each time I hear them. With 19 needed off the last over, a lot of televisions were turned off, as people wrote the Windies off. What happened in the next couple of minutes, left Ben Stokes and the en...
Read more

Series Preview: England Vs. India, 2016-17.

Series Preview: England's Tour of India, 2016-17. With just a day away from the first Test of the series to be played at Rajkot, the excitement in the city is buzzing as it gears up to host it's first ever Test Match. Certain players too, from both sides, would be looking to put in a string of strong performances. With that in mind, the crux of this preview will be to have a look at the players to watch out for; 1) Virat Kohli (IND) Virat Kohli definitely has a point to prove against the Englishmen. Statistics say that Kohli has a measly average of 20 against England. Not just away tests, but this includes 7 home Tests. This surely speaks volumes about the fact that the English bowlers have figured Kohli out. Will be interesting to see if Kohli will carry on with his sublime form in this series or whether he will fall and succumb into the pressure of his past record against the same side. Though, the fact that Anderson has been sidelined from the first Test will ...
Read more

Key Battles to watch out for; Pakistan's Tour of Australia, 2016-17

Key Battles to watch out for; Pakistan's tour of Australia, (2016-17) (Test Series) Welcome to the second edition of 'Key Battles to watch out for', this time featuring Pakistan's tour of Australia! What makes this series all the more interesting is that the Aussies are fresh from a series defeat against the South Africans. The last match would have allowed the Aussies to gain some lost confidence though. Pakistan, too, after a humiliating series defeat at the hands of New Zealand, will be playing with a lot of expectations on their shoulders. Nobody taking the field at The Gabba on December 15th will be more determined than Steven Smith . With critics doubting his skills as a leader, Smith will definitely be under the gun, come December 15th. Now let us have a look at some of the individual battles that have the potential to change the course of the entire series. 1) Sami Aslam vs. Mitchell Starc Sami Aslam, the young 21 year old, was given the ...
Read more