TESTING TIME FOR AUSSIES
INDIA LOOK TO CONTINUE THEIR INCREDIBLE HOME RUN AS THE SERIES-OPENER KICKS OFF TODAY
In-form India will look to carry on their home dominance when the fourmatch Test series against Australia begins here on Thursday. Of the nine matches they have played at home this season, they have won eight and drawn one. But the staggering statistics is Virat Kohli & Co’s unbeaten streak of 19 games. The skipper has been instrumental in India’s bullish run, plundering runs and punishing bowlers. The spin duo of R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have made life difficult for the opposition batsmen on dry and slow wickets. Ashwin, in particular, has proved lethal and made a habit of breaking records in every series. The Aussies have to be wary of the off-spinner, who recently became the quickest to reach 250 Test wickets. Fast bowlers have also chipped in with crucial breakthroughs while toporder batsmen Murali Vijay, K.L. Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara have provided a solid platform which the likes of Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have made optimum use of. Wriddhiman Saha, Ashwin, Jadeja and Jayant Yadav ensure India bat deep when the situation demands. In contrast, not quite the powerhouses they once were, Australia are in unfamiliar territory.