Australia tour: A crucial test awaits India on the proving ground

MUMBAI: The Indian team will have to put their recent defeat against New Zealand behind them as they gear up for a challenging tour of Australia. Departing from Mumbai airport on Monday morning, the team knows that facing Australia is never easy, but this time it feels even tougher than usual.

In the 10 days they have to prepare for the first Test, the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff have their task cut out. They need to help restore the players’ confidence before the first ball is bowled in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the bouncy track at Perth on November 22.

While working on lifting the shattered morale of their squad from the drubbing at home, Gambhir & Co have their plates full with the uncertainty over who will captain the team in the opening Test and, as a direct result, the vacany at the second opener position. Vice-captain and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will be skipper in Rohit’s absence but there’s a slim chance that Rohit may also be able to join on time.

“At the moment, there’s no confirmation (if Rohit will play). Hopefully, he will be available. But you’ll get to know everything at the start of the series,” Gambhir said during his pre-departure press conference.”Bumrah is the vice-captain, obviously if Rohit is not available, he is going to lead at Perth.”

With Rohit missing from the line-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal would require a new partner. Playing for India A, both KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran performed poorly in the unofficial Test matches against Australia A, but Gambhir expressed confidence in their ability to do the job if required.

“We have (Abhimanyu) Easwaran and KL (Rahul) there, so we will take a call closer to the first Test if Rohit is not available. It’s not that we don’t have options, there are quite a few options. Once we are closer to the game, we will try and play the best eleven that can do the job for us,” Gambhir said.

Even Shubman Gill, the designated No 3, is an option having done well as an opener in his debut series in 2020-21 with 259 runs at an average of 51.80 including a sparkling 91 in the second innings of the Brisbane Test to set up a historic win. “We can try the best combination possible, who can do the job for us, be it Shubman opening the batting, or Eashawaran or KL,” Gambhir said.

Rahul, however, is the front-runner. He has proved his credentials on earlier tours. He has the game for the conditions and the experience. His current form, however, is under the scanner, failing in both innings of the warm-up match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, especially after his bizarre dismissal through his legs against a spinner in the second innings .

“KL Rahul can bat in the top order, he can bat at No 3, he can play at No 6 as well. So, you need quite a lot of talent to do all these jobs, and he has kept (wickets) in ODIs as well. Imagine how many countries have players like KL, who can actually open, can bat at No. 6 as well,” the coach said, adding: “If needed, he can do the job for us, especially if Rohit is not available for the first Test match.”

Not just the back-up openers, the lack of runs in recent times from the two senior batting pros, Rohit and Virat Kohli, is a big cause of concern. Both suffered multiple failures in the New Zealand series, with just one half-century in six innings.

“There are no concerns over Virat and Rohit (form), I think they are incredibly talented men, they have achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot for Indian cricket, for me the most important thing is they still work incredibly hard and they are still passionate (about playing), they still want to achieve a lot more, which is very important. I feel there is a lot of hunger specially after what has happened in the last series,” Gambhir said.

The players left in two batches and will be there well in time for the series opener, but settling down is not going to be easy. The first couple of days will go in acclimatisation, after that they will start getting into Test mode.

“The first and foremost challenge is obviously the conditions because when you play at home in India as compared to when you play in Australia, obviously the conditions are completely different. So, that is one of the challenges which we all feel, be it the support staff or be it the players as well. But I think over the 10 days, if we can get proper preparation before the start of the series, we are going to be in really good shape,” Gambhir said.

India have won the last two series Down Under. A fearless approach was the key to achieving it. Gambhir wants the current team to have the same approach and be unfazed by the prospect of playing on bouncy and grassy pitches.

“We are ready for any pitches and conditions,” he declared. “We don’t control the pitches they make, we are ready to play in any kind of conditions, we have got all the bases covered. What difference does it make whether they make turning tracks or bouncy or green wickets, we need to still go out there and do the job, play to our potential, we all know, if we play our best cricket we can defeat anyone on any wicket.”