HIGH EXPECTATIONS AS INDIA BEGIN PURSUIT OF HISTORY
India, who have never won a Test series in Australia, see their best chance at changing that statistic when they take on an inexperienced Australia side in a four-match series, starting in Adelaide today.
After tours of South Africa and England earlier this year, where they came close and fought hard but couldn’t close it out, Virat Kohli’s side are hungry for an overseas win.
And Australia, who are without two of their star batsmen in Steve Smith and David Warner, who are serving bans, seem ripe for the picking.
The tourists, No.1 on the ICC Test Team Rankings, are only too aware, though, of the dangers a side can pose at home. Besides, they know they will be facing young players highly determined to make a mark for themselves in the new set-up.
Naming their 12 on the eve of the game, India left out Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav, going with a four-man bowling attack of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Australia’s main threat is their firstchoice pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
With the trio fit and finally reunited, the team will look to them to make early inroads into the opposition lineup. The canny Nathan Lyon will be backing them up. The spinner, after all, does have a good record against Kohli.
Marcus Harris is set to make his debut, with Mitchell Marsh, one of the two Vice-captains, missing out as the team look to boost their batting. (ICC)