Australia v India, major talking points: Why Smith, Kohli, hold key to Border-Gavaskar series
After successive series defeats on home soil, can Australia finally overcome India for the first time since 2015? Our cricket experts DANIEL CHERNY, ROBERT CRADDOCK and BEN HORNE dissect the major talking points of the upcoming five-Test series.
Cricket
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It is the biggest Test summer in several years with the Australians looking to break an almost decade-long dominance of India in the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
But after successive series defeats on home soil, can Australia finally overcome the global powerhouse of India and secure the trophy for the first time since 2015.
Our cricket experts DANIEL CHERNY, ROBERT CRADDOCK and BEN HORNE dissect the major talking points of the five-Test series.
1. The Australian player under the most pressure this series is ...
Cherny: Marnus Labuschagne: Has had a lean run in Test cricket by his lofty early-career standards, but at 30 should be at the peak of his powers. Will go a long way to entrenching his legacy if he can score bulk runs and secure a trophy he is yet to claim.
Craddock: Mitchell Marsh. With Cam Green sidelined, Marsh will have to do more bowling than he has in recent seasons. Five-Test series can be brutal on all-rounders but he is a seasoned player who I sense will inflict some damage on tiring Indian seamers this summer.
Horne: Alex Carey. The South Australian has made a fantastic start to the Sheffield Shield season with the bat but he’ll need to continue that in Test cricket as well. West Australian Josh Inglis is now in the squad, albeit as a back-up batsman, and pressure is starting to build on Carey. Australia’s selectors are obviously big fans of Inglis who has already usurped Carey in the one-day team.
2. The Indian player under the most pressure this series is ...
Cherny: Rohit Sharma: Seems to be in precipitous decline as a Test batter and at 37 it is hard to envisage a dramatic resurgence. Having been at the helm when his side was whitewashed by New Zealand on home soil, an unflattering performance here could spell the end.
Craddock: Jasprit Bumrah. The class gap between the magnificent Bumrah and the rest of his team’s seam attack is enormous. India simply cannot win if Bumrah has a poor series. He’s a crafty genius but he cannot win this series by himself.
Horne: Virat Kohli. If there is no Rohit Sharma for the first two Tests then there is so much falling on the shoulders of the veteran to inspire and lead the Indian batting charge. Kohli’s numbers over recent years don’t make for pretty reading and the recent 3-0 loss on home soil to New Zealand was chastening for Indian cricket. If there is one man capable of making a Lazarus-style second-coming it’s Kohli, but if he doesn’t, it might be close to the end of his Test career.
3. What is the most important thing for Australia to get right if it is to win the series?
Cherny: The Australian selectors must have the courage to pull any of the big three quicks if they are fatigued or nursing even a minor ailment. Too often in recent years Australia’s pacemen have faded late in series and in Scott Boland they have an outstanding fourth option. The lessons of the past must be heeded.
Craddock: Display the most underestimated quality of all … patience. If Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja have guided Australia to 0-30 after 70 minutes play in the first Test and seen off Bumrah that is significant progress and should be recognised as such. India is a hard team to slam dunk.
Horne: Building partnerships. Australia cannot afford to be losing wickets in clumps this series. They need to keep India’s rather green bowling attack out in the field for as long as possible and force them to come back for spell after spell. If Australia plays the long-game this summer they will win comfortably. If they don’t, India has the strike power and bravado to return serve.
4. What is the most important thing for India to get right if it is to win the series?
Cherny: Tame the GOAT. Nathan Lyon has had plenty of ups and downs against India over the years but when he is on song it is rare that Australia is beaten. India’s batters had huge issues facing New Zealand tweakers Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel and Lyon is a class above both of them.
Craddock: They have to unearth a second seamer who takes at least 16 wickets in the series. Bumrah cannot carry the team alone as broad as his shoulders are. Some decks like Perth and Brisbane are not suited to playing two spinners so India will play three seamers in some Tests.
Horne: Win the first Test. If India can scrap its way to a first-up win it changes the dynamic of the series completely. Australia will suddenly be under pressure leading into a pink-ball match in Adelaide where anything can happen. So how can India get the jump on Australia in Perth? Maybe win the toss, bowl first and set the cat among the pigeons by having Australia three or four down at lunch.
5. The head-to-head battle I am most interested to see is ...
Cherny: Jasprit Bumrah v Usman Khawaja. It is the classic case of an irresistible force against the immovable object. Khawaja’s output declined as last year rolled on but even rising 38, his is still a key wicket, while Bumrah is already an all-time great.
Craddock: Rishabh Pant versus everyone. The Indian wicketkeeper is one of the great entertainers in world cricket. When he goes off he is a genuine game plan shredder and nigh impossible to contain.
Horne: Rishabh Pant versus Nathan Lyon. If the Australian spinner dominates India this summer, the visitors cannot win the series. That’s how important Lyon is to Australia’s fortunes. We saw it in the Ashes last year. As soon as Lyon disappeared from the series through injury, everything changed. Pant is one international batsman capable of taking Lyon down and this is the key match-up.
6. The story that will define the summer is ...
Cherny: The end will quickly beckon for one of the greats. Whether that is Steve Smith or Virat Kohli is hard to say, both have been on a gradual downward trajectory for a while. It will be fascinating to see whether Smith’s return to No.4 yields success.
Craddock: Both teams have ageing legends. Some will finish with another layer of stardust sprinkled over their careers. Others will be pushed towards retirement. The stakes are enormous.
Horne: The fortunes of Steve Smith. There is pressure on the Australian great following his short-lived move up the order, and then quickly back down again. We all know Smith is nearing the end, but how near he is to retirement could be determined by his fortunes this summer. If Smith can wind back the clock and deliver a vintage Border-Gavaskar performance then he might be motivated to fight on to next summer’s Ashes.
7. My tip for player of the series
Cherny: Travis Head. The South Australian left-hander can run hot and cold but at his best he is a force of nature, as India knows all too well after last year’s 50-over World Cup final. Top-order runs have been hard to come by in Australia so having a player of Head’s calibre in the middle order will be critical.
Craddock: Mitchell Starc played his first Test against India 12 years ago in Perth and they have been a very formidable opponent for him. He looked great in a recent Sheffield Shield match and capable of those multi-wicket starbursts that shape Tests.
Horne: Steve Smith. There were some decent signs in the one-day series. There is fight in the old dog yet.
8. Who wins the series and why
Cherny: Australia 4-1. India looks all at sea and this is not the nation to tour when things aren’t going well. There are question marks over the home side’s batting but they pale in comparison to the queries around the tourists.
Craddock: Australia 3-1. India lack a second seamer and while Kohli likes the firm, true state of Australian pitches it is asking too much for him to go back to his glory days after three poor years among his past four.
Horne: Australia 3-1. India is good enough to win a Test match and if it’s an early one it can scare the home side. There will be a draw in there somewhere, most likely in Sydney. But Australia should be good enough to win reasonably comfortably.
Originally published as Australia v India, major talking points: Why Smith, Kohli, hold key to Border-Gavaskar series
India coy on star – but Aussies aren’t buying into mind games
Australia has brushed off any attempts at ducks and drakes from the cagey India despite the tourists springing a surprise while remaining coy on the status of top order star Shubman Gill.
‘Big snake cracks’: Curator’s call on first Test pitch
The wicket for the first Test in Perth could still be hard and bouncy but will be missing something pitches in the west normally produce.