The heavy focus on Australia’s injury crisis ahead of next week’s first Test has distracted from India’s own woes, with the tourists a chance to be without two key bowlers at Adelaide.
India will be missing injured quick Ishant Sharma, who was outstanding in India’s last series here, taking 11 wickets at 23.
They could be even more greatly diminished by the unavailability of spin all-rounder Ravi Jadeja, who if fit could allow them the luxury of fielding four quicks under lights in the series opener.
Jadeja may miss the first Test due to a hamstring injury, but Indian reports have suggested the tourists could still plough ahead with a four-man pace attack, a strategy which would be foolish.
Whereas Jadeja is good enough to bat at seven, fellow spinner Ravi Ashwin is not, and India need a spinner in their attack for variety and to avoid over-rate issues.
Pace is understandably seen as key to winning Tests with the pink Kookaburra, which offers more assistance than the red version.
Yet Australian offie Nathan Lyon has proven quality spinners can flourish, too. In fact, Lyon is even more dangerous with the pink ball.
Since Australia began playing day-night Tests five years ago, Lyon’s grabbed 28 wickets at 26 with the pink ball, compared to 85 wickets at 33 with the red ball in home Tests.
Lyon has been particular damaging with the pink ball at Adelaide, with 19 wickets at 22. Long famed as a batting utopia, Adelaide has sported a much juicier surface in each of its day-night Tests.
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
This, quite obviously, is helpful to the quicks. What has been somewhat overlooked is the consistent purchase this moist Adelaide surface has provided spinners.
In Ashwin, India boast a world-class spinner with enormous experience in Australia, which he is now touring for the fourth time. The veteran offie was pivotal as India beat Australia two years ago in Adelaide, taking six wickets.
Ashwin bowled beautifully, albeit with little reward, in India’s tour match in Sydney last week. If Jadeja is unavailable, India would be mad to omit Ashwin for the opening Test.
In fact, I think India’s best XI includes both Ashwin and Jadeja. While Ashwin has declined greatly as a batsman, averaging just 17 in Tests over the past four calendar years, Jadeja has been piling up runs.
After being maligned for years as a bits-and-pieces player, or a home track hero, Jadeja has blossomed into the rarest of cricketers – a true all-rounder. The 31-year-old’s skill with the red ball is well known to Australians.
Jadeja has taken 59 wickets at 19 against the Aussies, and consistently tied down their batsmen last time India toured, taking seven wickets at 28 with an incredible economy rate of just 2.24 runs per over.
What Australian fans may be less familiar with is Jadeja’s gigantic improvement as a Test batsman. In his last 25 Tests, Jadeja has averaged 49 with the bat. He has been fantastically consistent in that period, reaching 50 in more than one-third of his innings.
This form surge would not have surprised cricket followers familiar with Jadeja’s domestic efforts. Outside of Tests, Jadeja has thumped 3,930 runs at 56 in first-class cricket, including three triple-centuries in India’s Ranji Trophy.
This generous batting talent is now being exploited at Test level. Jadeja has been in such imperious form that he’s batted in India’s top six in five of his past six Tests.
In those five Tests he made 284 runs at 71, underlining that he’s now arguably good enough to play as a specialist batsman. Not to mention that Jadeja is quite possibly the world’s best fieldsman. When all of these skills are combined it makes him the sort of cricketer who adds invaluable balance to a Test XI.
If he can regain fitness in time for the first Test, Jadeja should play alongside Ashwin in a five-man attack also featuring experienced quicks Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav.
India’s best XI for the first Test (if Jadeja is fit)
1. Mayank Agarwal
2. Shubman Gill
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
4. Virat Kohli
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. Rishabh Pant (wk)
7. Ravi Jadeja
8. Ravi Ashwin
9. Mohammed Shami
10. Umesh Yadav
11. Jasprit Bumrah
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Ravi squared hey? It's hard to disagree.
Paul
Roar Guru
Labuschagne has bowled 10 or more overs 4 times in 20 innings as well as getting through 7 or 8 overs another 3 times. Between he, Smith and Head, they'd comfortably get through 10 -15 overs if needed. Given how the main attack's gone in recent times, they simply haven't had to bowl a lot.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't think you'd generally get 10-15 overs out of Labushagne or Head either.
bazza200
Guest
In the tour games note haven't watched the games but listened to some of the radio and being following online seems to me that shami been the pick of the indian bowlers. Bumrah is very good though but in the 2 practice games Shami was best.
Nick
Roar Guru
So, therefore they hadn't. They picked a spinner in 8-11. I say again, who has won away from home with a 4 man pace attack.
Brian
Guest
The Saffas won a lot here with 4 quicks and some average spinners. They had Kallis though
Paul
Roar Guru
sides are still making close to 400 and last year, we made nearly 600. Hard to know what a par score will be in Adelaide these days.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
The reason why Rohit isn't a shoo-in IMO is because the fact he'll be quarantining and with a lack of match practice. Hypothetically if India are 2-0 up (doubt it), then I see Rohit coming in for SCG. Gonna be interesting to see what happens.
Nick
Roar Guru
West Indies aside, has any other team ever won with 4 pace bowlers away from home?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Interesting. I would have seen Rohit as a lock given his recent Test form (those performances against SAF 12 months ago in his opening debut was incredible) plus the fact he’s been called into the squad.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
If Gill and Agarwal get India off to good starts no point bringing in Rohit into the XI as opener. Vihari seems to be batting at 4 once Kohli leaves. Battle at 6 between KL and Pant IMO for second Test. Heck we could even see Jadeja at 6 for second Test but as a batsman only while Ashwin is the attacking lone spinner
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
I guess in Test 1 its less of an issue given the pitch in Adelaide. I'd be going batting heavy in game 1, then switching strategy for the next two, although given Virat will be out it makes it harder for the Indians.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
I remember Yasir scoring his 100. Felt like yesterday. Where did 2020 go??
Stuckbetweenindopak
Roar Rookie
Australia must dish out supporting wickets for if the pitches are roads it is highly unlikely to get through this Indian batting lineup twice; and if there are lively bowling tracks, collapsing under its own weight won't surprise anyone
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Would you see Gill shift down to take Kohli's spot once Rohit is back?
Paul
Roar Guru
If Australia bats as they did last summer, with the aim of grinding down the Indian attack, I can see them regularly batting for more than 100 overs. You're probably right about how many overs Vihari might bowl in the First Test, but given the Test are so close together and if Australia bats & bats, the part timers will likely be needed a lot towards the Sydney & Brisbane games. In fairness, the same could easily apply to Australia, too, given how Pujara in particular went about things last series in Oz.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Yup Pant has done well against Aus, but he is def second in the pecking order for mine.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Agree Tanmoy, if Jadeja is fit then surely India will play another batsman or even another quick. Two spinners makes no sense, apart from over rates.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
Depends on how many overs India bowl. Usually they don't bowl more than 120 overs away from home and bowl out oppositions before 100 overs. So I expect Vihari to bowl max 11 or 12 overs while Ashwin bowls the longer spells in the first test
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
And as for Pant, he got two Tons in SENA. Done very well in short time of his Test career and will end up a legend of Indian cricket in Tests.