Australia vs India 2014-15: Can India finally register a Test series win Down Under?

India’s upcoming Test series Down Under provides another stiff challenge

The buzz around the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Test series is quietly building up. MS Dhoni is absent in the initial phase, Michael Clarke’s participation is unclear and the forthcoming 50-over World Cup is taking some sheen off this marquee Test series.

India are currently holding the much-celebrated bilateral trophy, having won 4-0 the last time that the two teams met, in India in 2013. But barring the 2003-04 series in Australia, India have not managed to hold onto the trophy after a trip Down Under since the very incarnation of this prize.

Both teams are coming off excellent ODI form, and many expect the contest on this occasion to break away from the uncanny pattern of whitewashes during each of the last 3 encounters.

The recent form guide (last 5 Tests) viz. India: DWLLL, Australia: WLWLL, doesn’t speak of domination in either case and margins for wins & losses have been massive for both teams. To some extent, both countries are within a transitional phase; Australia probably wears a more settled look, which is visible in the success percentages as well. Although the home advantage skews the contest in one team’s favour, interestingly both sides have played almost no home Tests (Australia 1, India 0) in the 11 months of 2014!

Amid this linear correlation and similarity of the competing teams, the timing of this tour makes it distinctly different from its preceding ones over the last 15 years. Each of India’s last 4 tours followed the World Cup and the focus was limited to the outcome of the series score line.

The stakes and takeaways from the 4 Tests have an indirect bearing on the build-up to the extravaganza in February-March 2015. Niggles would be protected with cotton wool, minor injuries would keep key players away from on-field action and positives would be explored even in defeats.

In recent years, the India-Australia duel has become a big-ticket draw in international cricket, and it would be fascinating to see the intensity that prevails during the series, given the context of the series.

The Indian camp has embarked on the tour with abundant confidence and batsmen with limited-overs form. India’s struggle to notch up 300+ totals was considered the primary reason for 0-8 in 2011-12. The success in Adelaide (2003) and Perth (2008) suggested that penetrative bowling spells win you matches if you have a firm foundation laid by your batting.

India has always been a batting-strong outfit, because of which the collective failures of the batting unit away from home has taken everyone by surprise. However, the onus of leading India’s campaign lies with the batsmen, as it has been on most foreign tours.

Opportunity for batsmen to step up to the plate

India’s current batting line-up shouldn’t ring major alarms in the Australian team meetings. Murali Vijay has sparkled in patches through tough away tours in 2014, the trio of Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara & Virat Kohli have unexpectedly under-performed, and in Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina, there is decent international experience. Amid this mixed bag, there is the maverick Dhoni, followed by the mercurial Ravindra Jadeja.

Barring Dhoni and Kohli, none of the above have Test match experience in Australia and on account of Tests in 2014, the batting unit doesn’t seem ready to impose itself in away conditions by blending moments of individual brilliance. To start with, the batsmen would need a leader in the pack, and it would be interesting to see who puts his hand up over the next few weeks.

Surprisingly, discounting injuries and inability to remain fit over a period of time, India’s bowling, at least on paper, exudes hope for the conditions. Although Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav & Varun Aaron aren’t world-beaters by any means, they can make an impact if they can complement each other and sustain enough pressure on the Aussie batsmen.

The spin department has variety in the form of R Ashwin, Jadeja & Karn Sharma. With the World Cup round the corner, all bowlers should expect a look-in at some stage during the series, with the workloads over the next few months being extremely intense.

India conceded momentum at crucial stages in England earlier in the year, courtesy of their shoddy catching in the field. A lot has been said and analyzed about this aspect of the game, and it could be a decisive facet to India’s performance once again.

Can India reverse recent overseas trend?

So what should we expect from a set of batsmen with gingerly away statistics, a bowling attack sans threat and a team that is touring with a 2-7 record in the last 12 tests Down Under? Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath has already forecasted a 4-0 triumph for the home side. Although that might seem exaggerated, you cannot disagree on which side will win the series, unless there is a major turnaround.

There is a minor possibility of this being Dhoni’s last away tour as the skipper of the Test side, given the hints he has dropped for the last 2 years about his future after the 2015 World Cup. The previous tour to Australia was a tricky test for Virat Kohli as a batsman, and the current series could present one for his leadership.

Although there is a perceptible lack of optimism surrounding India’s chances, the customary anticipation that surrounds any tour of Australia is definitely ramping up!