Last Updated on 3 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Can Australia beat India in India? | Australia preparing for India tour with solid performances in Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Australia is already eyeing the Test series in India next year as the team looks to build up its credentials with its latest subcontinental tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pat Cummins’ men decimated the Lankan side at Galle in the first game and are now aiming to secure a series victory in the upcoming match. If they are successful in doing so, it will mark Australia’s second-straight Test series victory in Asia after having beaten Pakistan 1-0 in their own backyard earlier this year.
Australia eyeing success in 2023 India tour
Now, the Aussie coaching staff has set its sights on the series in India in 2023 following their encouraging start to the Sri Lankan challenge.
“In a lot of ways, it’s been nice to have a subcontinent tour of Pakistan, then here [in Sri Lanka] and build towards India. Conditions will be very different. We will get a lot of variation from venue to venue,” Australia’s assistant coach Daniel Vettori was quoted in a report by ESPNCricinfo.
He added, “You could get anything in between [the pitches in Pakistan and Sri Lanka]. If you play at Mohali it is going to be flat, if you play at Wankhede [in Mumbai] it could turn square like here. You can’t just have one plan.”
Australia have discovered a newfound willingness to sweep against spinners. 45.6 per cent of their boundaries were via sweeps or reverse-sweeps in their victory in Galle as the batsmen are gradually trying to be busier in the crease in order to unsettle the rhythm of the opposition spinners. The Aussies had employed this shot for merely 20.8 per cent of their boundaries during their 3-0 loss against Sri Lanka back in 2016.
“In a lot of ways sweeps can be blocks over here. There have been plans for individuals to use whatever they feel comfortable with, and to be as proactive and brave as they could with it,” Vettori explained in his assessment of the team’s playing style.
Australia have not emerged victorious in a Test series in India since 2004. India last lost a series in the longest format of the game at home way back in 2012. The two sides played out an enthralling 2-1 series that rounded up in India’s favour in early-2017.
“You could get anything in between [the pitches in Pakistan and Sri Lanka]. If you play at Mohali it is going to be flat, if you play at Wankhede [in Mumbai] it could turn square like here. You can’t just have one plan.”
Daniel Vettori, Australia spin coach
The next Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be the last series before the scheduled World Test Championship (WTC) finale in 2023. Naturally, a lot is expected to be at stake by then with Australia and India occupying the first and third rankings in the WTC standings currently.
