Ask a cricket coach which match is the most important and the answer will nearly always be the next one, sometimes the one after, but rarely will it be one five years down the track.
But when Justin Langer was asked at his first media conference as Australia head coach in 2018 what he thought his team’s greatest challenge would be, he replied: “The Indian Test tour in about three or four years’ time.”
While many of the more than 40 reporters present had expected him to talk about rebuilding the Australian team after the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, Langer focused on the challenge of winning on the subcontinent.
“To me, that’s the ultimate because we will judge ourselves on whether or not we’re a great cricket team,” he continued. “If we beat India in India.”
Langer is one of the rare few Australians to experience success in India, winning in 2004 under the captaincy of Adam Gilchrist in a team littered with greats of the game. No Australian had managed to do that since 1969.
Australia pose with the Border-Gavaskar trophy after winning a Test series against India in 2004. Credit:AP
As a coach, Langer won’t get the chance to achieve that goal but he insists he has no regrets ahead of Australia’s departure early next month for four Tests, starting on February 9.
“It’s not sadness, I’ve moved on,” Langer told the Herald and The Age this week. “I won’t be there, but I’ll be looking forward to seeing the boys win there. It’d be great if they can.”
So, does Langer think they can win? Does he believe Pat Cummins’ men can conjure a series win in notoriously oppressive conditions to stamp their credentials as not just a great team but a champion one?
“Yeah, I do. Absolutely, I do,” Langer said. “I can’t wait to watch. It’s the hardest tour.”
Langer, like most Australian cricket fans, will be engrossed by the contest between two modern heavyweights across four Tests on difficult pitches throughout February and March.
Since 2004, when Australia claimed an historic 2-1 victory, there have been four unsuccessful attempts to win a series in India.
Langer believes this Australian team – with 644 combined Tests in a first-choice XI – is on a similar trajectory to the golden generation he played alongside.
“I look back to 2004 when Australia won for the first time in 35 years … it has a similar feel about it,” Langer said. “It was a very balanced and confident team. The [current team] are winning and I think they’re a huge chance to beat India.
“That was my Mt Everest tour. I always said I wanted to be able to do it again because it was so hard to do. You take on the biggest challenges. We took on sandpaper, we took on COVID, we’re taking on India. If you have success in those periods, like the boys are, this would literally be the icing on the cake for them to beat India in India.”
Australian great Ian Chappell was part of Bill Lawry’s famous 1969 side that toured India, scoring a century in the third Test and averaging 46.28 from five matches as Australia wrapped up a 3-1 series win.
L-R: Ashley Mallett, Bill Lawry and Ian Chappell in 1969.Credit:John M Manolato
The 79-year-old former Test captain has two pieces of advice for Australia’s batsmen: watch the ball and don’t be afraid to dance down the track to spin.
“We always fancied our chances because we had some damn good players of spin,” Chappell said. “I learnt some things there that I never ever forgot.
“You couldn’t go there thinking it’s all in favour of the bowler because to me, it wasn’t. The most important thing I learned was that you had to watch the ball really closely. That’s critical. In Australia, if you weren’t quite there, you could drive through the line. You can’t do that with safety in India.
“I likened the pitches there to a clay tennis court. The ball would pitch and there would be a fraction of a second [extra time]. You start to realise that if you use your feet well and get well forward and back, you had that extra fraction of time. Your first 10 minutes you’re thinking, ‘Where the hell is my next run going to come from’? That’s when you can panic and get yourself into trouble.”
Chappell gives Australia a chance of victory under Cummins – a skipper who he believes is doing a “pretty decent” job after just over a year into the top job.
“Australia have a chance,” he said. “Bowling-wise, I think they’ll be OK. They’ll be light on for a second spinner because I don’t know anything about Todd Murphy. In terms of Ashton Agar, if you’re averaging 42 in first-class cricket, you’re not a Test-match bowler in my opinion. I thought he showed that in Sydney.
“India will be hard to handle. It’s Australia’s batting that concerns me. Nathan Lyon can’t be doing it all on his own. He’s going to have to get some help. Their batting is the biggest concern.
“There’s some absolute crap spoken about selection. This business of you’ve got to have a left- and right-arm bowler is bollocks. You pick your best bowlers.
“I think in Cummins they’ve got a pretty decent captain. If he takes a commonsense approach, I think they’ll be alright. As long as they get enough runs. The Test matches should be a real contest.”
Langer is even more emphatic. After a polished home summer against the West Indies and South Africa, Langer is convinced Australia have all bases covered; from established top-order batsmen to a sound middle order and a glut of excellent options with the ball.
“Australia have two senior pros at the top [in Warner and Khawaja],” Langer said. “They’ve got No.3 and No.4 [Labuschagne and Smith] averaging 60 and they’re best mates. They’re hungry and they play spin well.
“Travis Head is batting at a different level. He’s been inspired by that top four. Cameron Green will hopefully come back in, which gives really good balance.
“You’ve got the best fast bowling attack in the world and you’ve got the best spinner in the world. My gosh … they have an incredibly well-balanced team.”
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