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As anticipation builds for an exciting series in India between two relatively new-look sides, one wonders how the Aussies will fare on conditions foreign to the majority of their squad.
Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja and Phillip Hughes have not played Test cricket on Indian soil before and their techniques will be tested to the limit by the spin of Ohja Ashwin and the recalled Harbhajan.
I anticipate that India will play three or four spinners along with Ishant Sharma so the batsman can expect to face a truckload of spin bowling with men hovering around the bat.
The experience of Watson and Clarke in these conditions will be crucial for the Aussies to put runs on the board and to bat in partnerships with the other players.
Nathan Lyon struggled to take a bag of wickets on some helpful surfaces this summer and he will have to adapt quickly to conditions to trouble the classy Indian batting, which generally have few problems with off-spin bowling.
If the Aussies opt to play two spinners it will be either Xavier Doherty or Glen Maxwell, both of who are unproven at Test level.
Doherty was discarded during the Ashes after average performances and Maxwell’s bowling is still a work in progress. It will be a massive task if either is selected and containment will be as important for them as wicket taking.
Australia may therefore still rely heavily on pace. Three of Siddle, Bird, Pattinson and Johnson will possibly play and rely on a mixture of reverse swing and control to work through the Indian batting order.
In their favour will be the fact that they are facing some inexperienced batsmen in Dhawan, Vijay, Pujara and Rahane as well as an aging Sachin Tendulkar. I expect the pace attack to try some short pitched stuff to soften these players up.
The dropping of Gambhir is a big call by the Indian selectors, as is the recall of the controversial Harbhajan, who will attempt to provoke and unsettle the baggy greens on and off the field.
This series will surely be Tendulkar’s swansong and the experience of him Dhoni and Sehwag against the Australians will be invaluable to the younger players.
This tour promises to be both a fierce examination and a great experience for an Australian team, which is highly inexperienced in these conditions. My prediction is a landslide Indian victory but an Australian team who will be better prepared for the Ashes.
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