5 reasons why the Australian win actually helped India

Wins are special but can outshine any flaws in the armoury of a team, which may not be healthy for a team’s cause of eliminating imperfections. India has performed exceptionally well in the last eight months or so and snapped every win with sheer dominance.

The loss against Australia in the first Test match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy might have pushed India back in the series, but has helped India put on their thinking caps, which isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. In the second Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, the Indian team will be itching to leave a mark on the series.

We look at the reasons why India, instead of getting disappointed, should take the loss on a positive note.

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#5 Helped identify chinks in batting armour

Since the commencement of the home series in September 2016, India has annihilated oppositions to clinch one series after the other. The batting line-up has performed exceptionally well to neutralise bowling attacks.

The flip side of the astounding display of batting was that it always overshadowed any kind of deficiencies in the batting line up. Quite understandably, India’s batting was left at bay when wickets hemorrhaged from both ends courtesy some accurate bowling by the Aussie spinners.

Albeit Steve O’Keefe isn’t a veteran in international cricket, but with Mitchell Starc, Jos Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon in Australia’s bowling repertoire, India was up against the best attack in their home season. It may turn out to be a blessing in disguise and act as a wake-up call for the Indian batting to make a strong comeback.

#4 Areas of improvement in bowling

India will be hoping that Ashwin has a bigger influence in the second Test

While India lost their 20 wickets for 210 odd runs, they conceded 333 more runs, which ultimately was the difference between the two cricketing powerhouses. While Ashwin and Jadeja were expected to run through their batting line-up, the Aussies showed resilience.

As a bowling unit, it’s imperative to build pressure from both ends and if the bowling is loose from one end, it becomes difficult to curb the opposition. And that’s where Jayant Yadav was targeted to go for runs.

On the other hand, the Kangaroos were right on their mark and hardly sprayed the ball around to let India get out of jail. Steven Smith and company used their feet to good effect to not let the Indian batsmen make hay. Over dependency on spinners is also an area of concern which needs to be addressed.

#3 Shortcomings in fielding came to the fore

The Aussies were excellent in the field; the same could not be said about India

Catches win matches - the phrase holds significant importance irrespective of the format of the game and rightly so factoring in the happenings of the first Test. With a Test average of 60, Steven Smith is a prolific run scorer in the longest version of the game.

In the second innings, his century turned detrimental in India’s quest of resurrecting their derailed run in the game. He was dropped four times by the close in fielders which not only helped Smith to take Australia to safety, but also dashed the morale of the Indian team.

Had Smith been grabbed in the first attempt, the target wouldn’t have looked as daunting as it did when Smith raised his arms for his 18^th Test ton. This wake-up call might be just what India needed to throw light on their fielding.

#2 Better utilisation of DRS

The Indians have been roundly criticised for their use of the DRS

The DRS is a weapon which, if used efficiently, can land a team in a handsome position, but if it’s wasted then opportunities may go begging in the future.

In both innings, India went for reviews early in the innings and exhausted them. In the 56^th over, Ravindra Jadeja caught Steven Smith plumb in front, but since India used up their review by the 37^th over, Smith got a reprieve.

Again in the 66^th over, Matthew Wade edged a delivery to Wriddhiman Saha, which the umpire didn’t hear. Judicious use of the technology is what India needs to focus on during the upcoming three matches and also in the near future.

#1 Golden opportunity for Kohli

Kohli’s team have the opportunity to show that they are one of the best in the world by bouncing back in style

After MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket, Virat Kohli has shouldered the mantle pretty efficiently to win series’ for India on a consistent basis. But apart from the Sri Lankan series in 2015, Kohli and company have demolished oppositions with disdain.

In India, no team, till date, had been able to get under the skins of the Men in Blue and get close to humbling them in their home turf under the Delhi man’s captaincy. The loss in the first Test might open up a new dimension of Kohli’s leadership skills.

If Kohli can lead India to come back from their backs to the wall, it will be a healthy sign for Indian cricket and their approach towards recovering from humiliating defeats. All eyes will be on Kohli and his boys about how they shrug off the disappointment of the loss and move along in the series.