India to go full stretch at Bengaluru
LOOKING AHEAD After a humiliating defeat in the first Test in Pune, Virat Kohli’s boys will have to defend their reputation as world’s No.1 Test team
BENGALURU: Virat Kohli will mark his 25th Test as skipper when India face Australia in the second Test starting at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Saturday, but the milestone will be the last thing on his mind.
The 28-year-old, who has led by example since taking over from MS Dhoni on the 2014-15 Australia tour, is anxious to galvanise the side which capitulated on a rank turner in the first Test in Pune, losing by 333 runs inside three days.
It can’t be a pleasant situation if the hosts need to scramble for Plan B after the first game. It is usually the visiting team that is forced to redraw its plans.
NARROW MARGIN
With Steven Smith’s side having hit India with spin, and pace led by Mitchell Starc ready to cash in if the pitch has some pace and carry, the margin is narrow for India. India had hoped to inflict Australia an ordeal by spin with their batsmen brushing aside the Aussie bowlers. But now, it will be down to execution, with bat or ball, and not dropping catches like they did in Pune. India will thus need to tackle a few things.
THREAT OF SMITH
While India were dismissed for 105 and 107 in Pune, Smith’s second innings 109 killed any hopes of retrieving the game as it left the hosts facing a 441-run fourth innings target. Like his predecessor Michael Clarke, Smith too offers chances, but has his own way to keep scoring runs.
Kohli though said India can’t complain if they don’t grab chances that come their way, after four catches were dropped and poor DRS reviews left them without one. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch should help the home batsmen breathe easy, even if Kohli doesn’t win the toss. Aussie left-arm spinner, Steve O’Keefe, confounded Indian batsmen with deliveries that held the line or came in with the arm, rather than spin sharply. After taking 12/70 in Pune, he may have his task cut out this time.
The in-coming deliveries have been an issue for Indian batsmen, unlike the way they have tackled leg spinners. With the pitch expected to play slow, batsmen will have to grind out big scores to set it up.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been a handful for visiting batsmen this home season, helping India win eight of their 10 Tests. But they have been faulted for not bowling a fuller length in Pune, where appreciable turn saw the ball beat the bat without taking the edge.
Australia’s tactic has been to avoid being struck on the pad, and take leg before out of the equation, even if it comes at the cost of nicking to the close cordon.
Virat Kohli said the team management is weighing options before settling on the eleven. But India could include Karun Nair, who has not played since scoring 303 in the final Test against England.
That would change the fivebowler theory of Kohli and Anil Kumble. After the defeat in Galle in 2015, the skipper wasn’t averse to toning down outright aggression, and the Pune defeat may lead to this next big change in philosophy. Ishant Sharma could make way for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had a long bowl in the nets on Thursday, or even left-arm chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, yet to play Tests, could replace off-spinner Jayant Yadav as he can bring the ball into the batsmen.