A week ahead of the blockbuster Test series between India and Australia, the legendary Ian Chappell has revealed the main challenge that the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara will face against the Pat Cummins-led side.
According to Ian Chappell, the prime task for Team India's big three of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara during the series against Australia will be to find a way to dominate their premier spinner, Nathan Lyon.
“One of the main tasks for Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara will be to establish mental superiority over Lyon. If Australia can't rely on Lyon claiming regular wickets at an acceptable rate, their bowling will then depend greatly on the ‘big three',” Ian Chappell wrote in a column for ESPNCricinfo.
Besides Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara's main task of ensuring that Nathan Lyon doesn't come out on top of them, Ian Chappell also highlighted that Rishabh Pant's absence will hurt India a lot.
“India also have some points to prove, not the least to do with how Pant's replacement performs. The main thing India will lose from Pant's unavailability is an excellent run rate, which came from his belligerent aggression. No one can replace Pant's desire to dominate bowlers, so India have to rely on their top batters not only performing but also maintaining a good strike rate,” Ian Chappell added.
“The main task for India's bowlers will be to find a way to keep the heavy-scoring Smith quiet. If India are able to limit Smith and Lyon's success they will be on the way to winning matches,” the former Australian captain opined.
The series between India and Australia is expected to be a tense affair, considering it will decide the two finalists of the World Test Championship. The top two teams in the ICC’s table for the premier competition in whites will take on each other in the title clash in England in June.
Australia last won a Test series in 2004/05, including a 4-0 whitewash to the then-MS Dhoni-led side in 2013.
On the contrary, Team India has dominated them even in Australia, becoming the first Asian side to defeat them 2-1 in a Test series in 2018-19.
The Indian cricket team then made history two years later when a young team that was missing the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and other senior players beat Australia again with Rishabh Pant, helping them to breach the Gabba fortress.
Despite India's recent record against Australia, Ian Chappell reckons that the visitors will believe that they had the men to defeat Rohit Sharma and his boys in their own backyard.
“A consistent Australia will fancy their chances of winning the ‘final frontier' contest against India. This confidence is based on a settled batting line-up, a well-balanced pace attack capable of producing old-ball swing if the conditions prevail, and a successful spin bowler,” Ian Chappell commented.
“Nevertheless this will be a tough challenge – also referred to in Australia as Everest – as the Indian side is powerful and almost impossible to defeat in home conditions,” the retired Australian cricketer argued.
“While it is more than a decade since India lost a series at home (to England 2-1 in 2012), Australia are portraying confidence after displaying strong form on their own pitches. Their confidence is further boosted by a serious injury to Rishabh Pant, which means the wicketkeeper-batter's gregarious personality will be sorely missed,” Chappell noted.
“However, it is one thing to be confident of a player's batting ability in Australian conditions but another to wonder how they'll perform on entirely different Indian pitches. This is an area where Australian batters – Steven Smith apart – have to prove themselves.”
“Smith, with 60, is the only current Australia batter on the tour to average more than 30 in India. Achieving batting success will be a big challenge for the Australian batters, especially if Ravindra Jadeja bowls successfully in partnership with the highly efficient R Ashwin,” Ian Chappell highlighted.
“Then there's Australia's spin department. Nathan Lyon is the only proven performer and even he averages in excess of 30 in India. While Lyon feels he has improved as a bowler on the subcontinent, his support comes from bowlers like Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson, who are both unproven quantities.”
“Australia need to ditch any temptation to obey the right- and left-arm theory and only choose the best bowlers for the conditions. Their confidence in their pace bowlers also needs to be tempered by what they have achieved in India. Australia's “big three”, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, all average in excess of 30 in India and they'll need to particularly display improved old-ball nous to achieve better results in India,” the Australia great summed up.
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