India’s star batsmen will be eager to clear the cobwebs from their heads to make it to the World Test Championship final for the second time in a row in the series-deciding fourth Test against Australia from Thursday in Ahmedabad.
For the hosts the equation remains simple. Win the series 3-1 and not depend on the result of Sri Lanka’s away rubber in New Zealand for a ticket to the WTC summit in June.
After spinners from both sides held fort on the designer track, which bordered on the under-prepared, the firm and even bounce on offer at Motera promises some welcome respite for the batsmen.
What: India vs Australia, 4th Test
When: March 9-13
Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Time: 9:30 am Indian time
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Virat Kohli and Co. will leave no stone unturned to change the all-too-familiar script of the two-and-a-half-day game, which is starting to get one-sided and boring.
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The impressive amphitheater that is the Narendra Modi Stadium will certainly generate the right kind of aura that a high-stakes Test match deserves.
With 100,000 people expected on the opening day to witness the first-ever cricket match at the stadium named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, the buzz is set to reach a crescendo.
But, to keep that interest alive, players like Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will have to take it upon themselves to win the mind game and 22-yard battle.
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Even bigger in size than the iconic MCG, the walk from the center of the track to the dressing rooms is about 100 meters and more than 70 steps.
Kohli (111) and Cheteshwar Pujara (98) would like to stay in the 22 yards long enough so that the long walk doesn’t seem too difficult.
Axar Patel (185) is India’s second-highest scorer in the series after skipper Rohit (207), which puts things in perspective given the hardships the batsmen have faced so far. India’s head coach Rahul Dravid’s assessment underscored this.
Playing Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnman on a better batting line-up means that if India bat first, they are unlikely to deal with a devilish black clay pitch, where deliveries within the first five minutes of the game comes at right angles.
As pitch speed is easier to deal with than seam and swing, it is not the deviation from the surface that raises doubts but the uneven bounce that makes rank turners dangerous.
A batsman is always unsure whether to go down the track to calm the spin or play as late as possible.
Kohli and Pujara know better than anyone else that big innings against good opposition have eluded them for far too long.
While the clamor for KL Rahul’s head buried any conversation about Kohli’s Test average of 25 plus in the last three-and-a-half years, the master batsman knows all too well that public memory is fickle and critics stick to their guns. It will not take long to train if the failure period is further extended.
team combination
For India, a straightforward change would be the arrival of Mohammed Shami and he will be joined by the experienced Umesh Yadav.
Mohammed Siraj will be rested as he is expected to play a key role in India’s ODI campaign starting March 17 in Mumbai.
Although India’s poor batting performance raised a question whether an extra batsman would act as a cushion for the top-order, but if the track is better for the willow-wickers, five bowlers would be needed to take 20 wickets.
The Axar batsman has been a revelation during the series but his left-arm spin has not been used as it should have been. Maybe things will change once again at Motera, where he played most of his first-class cricket and first attained Test stardom.
As far as keeping is concerned, Kona is upbeat about India despite Dravid’s poor show with the bat.
Ishan Kishan getting a lot of attention ahead of the Tests raises the excitement level as he is a better batsman than the Andhra batsman on any given day.
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As far as the Australian side is concerned, whether they will dump an off-spinner in Todd Murphy and go for an additional pacer (Scott Boland or Lance Morris) will be the key question.
Having already secured a WTC final berth, Steve Smith in his stopgap role will surely keep alive the hopes of spoiling the legendary Indian record of being unbeaten at home.
This had not happened since the arrival of England in 2012, but after the Indore boomerang its possibility cannot be ruled out.
After all, cricket remains a game of glorious uncertainties.
full squad
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav Jaydev Unadkat.
Australia: Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnman, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (c), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)