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India to win in Australia? 3 players who must step up

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3 key players who must step up for India in the Australia Tests | 3 players who must step up if India are to win the Tests vs Australia

The number one ranked Test team Australia will lock horns with India for the Border Gavaskar Trophy which will start with a day-night game at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. India’s skipper Virat Kohli will return home after the first Test ends on December 21 to attend the birth of his first child. India would be hoping to recreate the magic of 2018/19 when they defeated the Australian team for the first time on their home turf.

Both Test playing nations would be eyeing to make the final of the World Test Championship (WTC), which will be played in June 2021 at Lord’s. India has played 10 Test series Down Under since 1947-48, and barring three series, which were drawn – the visitors have lost on seven occasions. The first victory came in 2018/19, which was their 11th attempt.

The unavailability of Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma for the major part of the series makes Australia start as overwhelming favorites. However, even without some of their key players, one can’t write off a team like India. Few of the Indian players have shown form and promise in the tour practice matches. Here we’ll look at the 3 Indian players which hold the key for team India’s chances in the forthcoming Test series.

Also read: Border Gavaskar Trophy All-Time Combined XI

3. Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami believes India have the best bowling attack in the world
India to win in Australia? Mohammed Shami will be key.

Shami inarguably has been the most improved Indian bowler across formats since the start of the year 2019. The right-arm pacer continued the same run of form this year as well. In the recently concluded pink ball practice game against Australia A, Shami emerged as the pick of Indian bowlers. The 30-year-old bagged 3 for 29 in the first innings and followed it with 2 for 58 in the second innings.

Also, he was one of the main contributors to India’s victory in 2018. In the 4 games, he took 16 wickets at an impressive average of 26.19 which includes a famous second innings 6-fer in Perth. With his raw pace, he can unnerve the Australian batsmen. The speed merchant also has the knack of taking prize wickets and is expected to terrorize the opposition batsman with his bouncer barrage. He also is a great exponent of reverse swing bowling and his seam position is considered to be one of the best among all the speedsters in the world.

2. Cheteshwar Pujara

India has every chance of winning the series: Cheteshwar Pujara | Cheteshwar Pujara believes India can win another Test series in Australia
India to win in Australia? Pujara needs to repeat his 2018/19 performance.

India’s number 3 amassed 521 runs at 74.43 with three centuries and one fifty which earned him the Man-of-the-Series award in the 2018-19 series Down Under. Pujara will once again hold the key for India in their trophy defense. Pujara’s role will be more important as there aren’t many experienced batsmen in the current Test team leaving him, Kohli and Rahane for the Adelaide Test.

He’s a monk while batting and his patience earns him big runs on the field. He can occupy the crease for hours, which can be very irritating for the opposition bowlers and captain. The 32-year-old has scored 5,840 Test runs, with the help of 18 centuries, in 77 games. Pujara averages 60 in red-ball cricket against the host nation with over 1500 runs (1622) in 29 innings so far in his career. He certainly likes playing against the Aussies and his numbers reflect that. His ability to tire out the opposition bowlers with his mental discipline makes him one player to keep an eye on.

1. Ajinkya Rahane

India to win in Australia? Rahane will be crucial.

Rahane will lead India in the remaining three Tests as stand-in captain in Kohli’s absence. He has led India on 2 Occasions before this series. He first led India in the fourth Test of the 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against the very opposition at home in Dharamsala, where India went on to win the match by 8 wickets to seal the series 2-1. He enjoys a hundred percent winning record while leading the team in this format.

However, this time he’ll be up against a full-strength Australian team and it’ll be a test of his character and leadership. The middle-order batsman showed promise as he smashed a scintillating hundred in the first practice game at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney. In the absence of their star batsman, he has to take additional responsibility with the bat along with Pujara as this will be his third tour to Australia. The stand-in Skipper of India will look to replicate what he did in the 2014-15 series, he averaged 57 with the bat in that series. With a bunch of inexperienced youngsters, the onus will be on Rahane- The batsman and captain to rise to the challenge.

Written by Vaibhav Tripathi. Follow Vaibhav on Twitter today.

Charbel Coorey
Charbel Coorey
Charbel is the owner & founder of cricblog.net, based in Sydney, Australia. He started the website to fulfill his love for the game of cricket. Charbel has also been featured on other publications including OP India, Times of India, and The Roar, among others. For any story tips or questions, you can contact Charbel at charbelcoorey@cricblog.net.

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