Tourists suspect fast bowling depth a trigger for Australia to try new blood
India have chosen a Test squad with a soft spot – and it may well shape the biggest Australian Test call in years as the selectors decide on a new opening bat.
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THE door is wide open for Australia to blood Nathan McSweeney or Sam Konstas as their next Test opener after India chose a squad with a soft spot for their five-Test tour.
The absence of injured pace weapon Mohammed Shami – who several Australian batsmen found harder to face than the great Jasprit Bumrah – is a godsend for Australia’s chances of recapturing the elusive Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the five Test series starting in Perth next month.
Shami, a sagely master of swing and seam, has been sidelined with a knee injury and missed a deadline to make the tour, much to the relief of Australia’s top order who rate him among the world’s most underrated bowlers.
The pressure on Bumrah will now be overwhelming as his occasional deputy Mohammed Siraj is out of form and was dropped for the current Test against New Zealand in Pune.
India lack a trusted second and third pace choice which must encourage Australia to be bold when they choose an opening batsman to replace Steve Smith who will move down the order to number four.
The Indian squad includes pace prospects Akash Deep, seen as a Shami clone but not as good, Nitish Kumar Reddy, a rapidly-rising seam-bowling all-rounder who blossomed under Pat Cummins’ captaincy in the Indian Premier League and Prasidh Krishna, a tall, lively seamer whose eternal challenge is that he gets injured too often to make meaningful momentum.
If McSweeney or Konstas are chosen to open the batting in Perth it is every chance the rookie fast man bowling at the other end to Bumrah will be as nervous as they are.
It will be a notable contrast to having Bumrah and Shami operating in tandem with world class pace and precision.
The nuances of the Indian squad will surely cement Australia’s suspicion it is time to move on from the likes of Marcus Harris and Cam Bancroft and try a fresh generation with the likes of NSW opener Konstas, South Australian captain McSweeney or flamboyant Josh Inglis.
McSweeney’s exceptional early season form has seen him surge through the pack to become a leading contender for the job.
Given their lack of pace depth it is likely India will play their two veteran spinners – Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja – in most Tests.
It is not their preferred option in Australia but their current death of pace princes may force their hand.
Indian touring squad:
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
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