2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy: 5 reasons why Australia should be wary of India

The last series of the grand Indian home season is almost upon us. From skipper Virat Kohli to coach Anil Kumble, the team’s focus has shifted firmly to the 4-match mantelpiece against Steven Smith’s Australian team. With New Zealand whitewashed, England trounced and Bangladesh brushed aside, India are high on confidence and seem to be unstoppable at the moment.

As many as three modern-day venues in Pune, Ranchi and Dharamsala foray into Test cricket during the 2017 edition of the prestigious trophy named after two of the most venerated players in the cricket legacies of both countries.

2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Schedule

Test Number	Dates	Venue
1	February 23-27	Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
2	March 4-8	M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
3	March 16-20	JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi
4	March 25-29	HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala

Ahead of the series, let us take a look at five reasons why Australia should be extremely wary of India.

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#5 Indian seamers are not there to just fill the numbers anymore

Mohammed Shami could return for the last couple of Tests

From the turn of the millennium till the end of the 2000s decade, Zaheer Khan was the only potent pace weapon for India in home conditions. Since the stalwart’s departure, there was a sudden void of quality seam options who could be relied upon to contribute at various stages of the innings.

However, since Kohli took over the captaincy, there has been a strong emphasis on implanting confidence and faith on the likes of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. All four seamers have found different ways to add enormous value to the team’s cause even on docile pitches and thus raising hopes of forming a versatile pace attack. With the Australian batsmen known to be relentless against wayward fast bowlers, they will be aware of the need to hit the ground running.

#4 A batting lineup fuelled by gluttony for runs

Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have been in impressive form right through the home season

Initially playing on viciously turning tracks at home which were tailor made for their spinners, the current crop of Indian batsmen have taken some time to perfect the art of piling on massive first-innings scores.

At the behest of the team management, pitches during the recent series against England as well as the one-off Test against Bangladesh were suited for batting long. With spin coming into the equation only during the last couple of days, India’s batsmen have fired on all cylinders to help amass strong totals. Even if slightly different surfaces await the Aussies, the hosts’ batting lineup could ride on their sterling form and pace their innings appropriately.

#3 Spinners have found the perfect synchronisation

Ashwin and Jadeja complement each other quite admirably

Initially seen as a bowler who could just hold one end up, Jadeja has gone from strength to strength during the last couple of seasons. Without sacrificing his metronomic accuracy, he now varies his pace smartly and utilises the angles, becoming a genuine wicket-taking option on even flat tracks.

The left-arm spinner’s metamorphosis has allowed partner-in-crime Ravichandran Ashwin to experiment a lot more without worrying about the constant need to provide breakthroughs. In fact, when the off-spinner is not finding his optimal rhythm, he looks to provide control from his end to allow Jadeja attack from the other. Australia’s batsmen should soon find the difficulty of tackling the spin duo who complement each other magnificently.

#2 Poor record in Asia causing negative vibes

Smith has had to oversee a huge transformation in the batting lineup

Australia’s previous nine Tests in Asia have all ended in defeats. A 0-4 whitewash in India was followed by a 0-2 hammering at the hands of Pakistan in UAE. A Sri Lankan team, grappling to replace their fabled old guard, rolled out the turners and watched their veteran war horse Rangana Herath rip the Aussie batsmen intro shreds to secure a 0-3 conquest.

Though they managed to successfully revamp their batting lineup in the recently completed series at home against Pakistan, the mood down under is full of pessimism as another trip to the subcontinent looms. Aside from having to shoulder the batting workload alongside Warner, skipper Smith also needs to prove his own countrymen wrong by instilling belief into his teammates.

#1 A well-oiled and ruthless machine sets sight on history

Team depth is one of the major reasons behind India’s imperious run

Under Kohli’s captaincy, India are on an irrepressible run of 19 unbeaten Tests and 6 successive series victories. If they are undefeated in the 4-match series, they will go past the streak of the all-conquering 2005 to 2008 Australian team.

Another slice of history is up for grabs. If they win the series and consequently reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India will hold all nine Test series trophies at the same time. They had won their previous series against Sri Lanka (2-1 in 2015), South Africa (3-0 in 2015), West Indies (2-0 in 2016), New Zealand (3-0 in 2016), England (4-0 in 2016) and Bangladesh (1-0 in 2017). They had registered 1-0 and 2-0 victories in their previous series against Pakistan (2007) and Zimbabwe (2005) respectively.

With the series presenting a huge opportunity to etch their names in the record books, a well-oiled and ruthless Indian team have set their sights on the visiting Australians. A lip-smacking contest awaits us in a few days time.