India should use pace to unsettle Australia

How will India cope with Australia’s express pace? That has been a common question linked to the upcoming Test series. But India themselves boast three quicks who have been clocked at over 152km/h.

While the focus ahead of next week’s first Test in Adelaide has been on whether the Indian batsmen can counter Australian speedsters Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris, the presence of Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron in India’s squad largely has escaped notice.

They, along with fellow lanky quick Ishant Sharma, are capable of producing spells of extreme pace.

Sharma and Yadav have showcased this during previous tours of Australia. Aaron, meanwhile, is the fastest bowler in Indian history, having pushed the speed gun to 153km/h in a domestic match three years ago.

Together, the trio are the three quickest Indian bowlers on record. The tourists should strongly consider unleashing all three of them in Adelaide. Similarly, such a tactic is a no brainer for the second Test in Brisbane – which has arguably the world’s fastest pitch.

If India are to avoid the kind of 4-0 thrashing they suffered they last time they toured Australia, they must take risks.

England tried to play cautious, safety-first cricket in Australia last summer and swiftly went from being the dominant Ashes side to being flayed 5-0.

India must be assertive with the bat but, more importantly, they have to go for the throat with ball in hand. Australia’s attack is a juggernaut in home conditions.

Their batting line-up, however, is vulnerable on any type of surface anywhere in the world.

During last year’s Ashes, England repeatedly made inroads into Australia’s batting only to let wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and a competent tail bail the team out.

English captain Alastair Cook all too often allowed Australia’s lower order to bat under minimal pressure. England paid a hefty price.

India’s only way into this series is through their quicks. Their batsmen will not win it for them. Neither will their spinners.

But if Ishant, Yadav, Aaron and crafty swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar play to their potential, India have a slight chance of causing an upset.

It is the pacemen who will dominate this series, with spinners relegated to supporting roles as is the case historically in Australian conditions.

While Australia are famously fragile against spinners on dry decks, they butcher them at home. Tweakers Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja ‘s combined 53 wickets in India’s 4-0 flogging of Australia last year should be forgotten.

During that series, and in several Tests since, India have played both men with Jadeja batting at seven and Ashwin at eight.

In Australia, there is room for only one of them and that should be Ashwin. Jadeja’s bowling is best suited to helpful Asian pitches.

He has no variety and simply bowls the same ball, in the same area, over and over until the natural variation afforded by Asian decks does the work for him.

On true Australian surfaces such a bowler typically is cannon fodder. Ashwin has several clever varieties, which will be crucial to keep Australia’s batsmen guessing and prevent them from confidently skipping down the wicket.

India should trust Ashwin’s sound batting technique and place him at seven, behind wicketkeeper Naman Ohja who dominated for India A on their recent tour of Australia, smashing 430 runs while being dismissed just once across two first-class matches.

That would allow them to play four quicks in Ishant, Yadav, Aaron and Kumar. With Ashwin and Kumar capable of bowling long spells, India should use their three tall paceman in short bursts similar to the tactic utilised by Australia, with the likes of Johnson, Harris and James Pattinson.

India should instruct Ishant, Yadav and Aaron to bowl as swiftly as possible for spells of between two and four overs.

It could backfire and Australia’s batsmen could enjoy the pace of the ball coming on to the bat. But it could also startle the home side.

Regardless, it is the kind of gamble India must make if they are to be any hope of causing an upset. Conservative cricket will see them vaporised by an aggressive Australian unit.