The first thing to do this week is pat Usman Khawaja on the back for his equanimity during the delayed visa affair. It’s difficult to imagine what was going through the minds of the staff at the Indian consulate when they expedited the Australian team’s applications but decided to make the man born in Islamabad, an Australian citizen, wait on their cognisance.
Generally, any visiting team that is prefaced by the word “cricket” gets full and rapid clearance to enter India, especially international sides. The Australia passport is one of the best to possess when traversing the planet because there are so few countries that require a visa as well as the blue and gold booklet.
Not exactly sure what the Indian national reaction would be if Virat Kohli didn’t get his visa on time and had to wait with his luggage trolley at Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport while the rest of the team boarded the sharp end of an A380, but it would be loud. Anyhow, well done Ussie, your batting psyche and personal demeanour under pressure are a perfect match. Now to get on with some long occupations in the middle of Indian cricket grounds.
I caught up with Australian coach Andrew McDonald in a recreational setting last week, but we naturally talked a bit of cricket. His broad view of Australia’s potential success in the next four Test matches was based around the quality of his fast bowling rather than the temptation to fight spin with spin. The method of 2005 subcontinental success was founded on Australia’s fine seam bowling line-up and India’s fault line against that quality.
India have four spinners in their squad for the first two Tests, a rampant indication of the style of pitches that will be served up. India have spin bowlers of variety and quality, and they have batters who play spin well. It’s a birthright. The magician Shane Warne at his best held them in check, but could not dominate Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag et al. The faster bowlers – Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Michael Kasprowicz – threatened constantly.
The formula has been tried and the Tests were positive for Australia, so why not go down that path again?
Josh Hazlewood’s reverse swing could play a big role against India.Credit:AP
The thing about spinning pitches in India is they are devoid of grass, rough on the top, easily scarred by the size 14 boots of the quicks. It helps if you pack the long spikes for some extra depth on the “rake marks”. It’s handy to carry a left-handed fast man in the XI as well, so that right-handed batters will suffer as much as the lefties, hence Mitchell Starc’s rumoured absence from the first Test may be a double blow to Australia’s chances. India, too, have a left-handed pitch abrader in Jaydev Unadkat.
Pitches that spin also promote old-ball reverse swing. Starc can be unplayable “reversing” the ball around the wicket. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are the complete weapons: swinging the new ball and hitting the hard seam, then flipping the shiny side over when the leather is worn.
The big three also have velocity to aid the swing. Research of the physics behind old-ball reverse swing points to higher deviation at speeds of more than 140km/h. Medium-pace reverse swing is akin to a spinner’s drift.
Cameron Green’s slowly healing digit brings a twofold loss in batting and bowling firepower. Green’s technique against the tweakers will be examined minutely. If he survives this slow-burning torch, and bowls his 140km/h swingers, he could be the find of the series.
Australia will miss Cameron Green at the start of the series, but he could play a key role if he returns to his best with bat and ball.Credit:Getty
The inexperienced Lance Morris may only be required if injuries abound, but he has the pace and the slightly oblique wrist angle that Waqar Younis found productive.
The potential for Australia to win with speed is real but, as with Warne, the spinners must contribute. Nathan Lyon will bowl a lot. The Indian batters will try to hit him out of the attack as quickly and as often as they can, but he is a skilful and competitive soul. He may be nullified but rarely subdued. Lyon just needs to break even; the quicks can tip the scales. They are all tall, which can be counterproductive on pitches that don’t bounce. It would be nice if one of the four was Malcolm Marshall’s height.
Virat Kohli (right) has struggled with the bat at times in recent years.Credit:Getty
India’s best against fast bowling has consistently been Kohli: his crafty belligerence on Australian pitches has been a highlight of a prolific career, but his form of late has been scratchy. Last year he made just 265 runs at an average of 26.5 in Test cricket, and in 2021, 536 runs at 28. He is averaging less than 30 in his past 20 Tests. Father Time excuses no batter and, aged 34, the slowing feet need the unwavering company of a precise mind.
But Kohli is a man for an occasion – an India-Australia Test series is one such – and his white-ball form remains formidable. As always, his wicket is key, especially as his counter-punching ally, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, has more important challenges than holding a cricket bat as he recovers from a serious car accident.
Suryakumar Yadav has stellar white-ball form, but building lengthy innings is not so much his thing. Cheteshwar Pujara, so effective blunting the Australian bowling through the years, turned 35 recently; Rohit Sharma 36 in April. Shubman Gill is the young superstar who has been stacking up the runs again in white-ball matches.
There may be flaws in the Indian batting wall that fast bowling can widen.
The crucial questions are: can Australia crack open the top order for three Tests in a row; and can Australia win the first Test without Starc and Green?
Using a bright orange highlighter, enter into your diary “Nagpur on the 9th”. It is the first day of the first Test and will be compulsive, and compulsory, viewing.
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