5 ways by which India can win the domestic season 13-0

As they took the field on Day 1 of the ongoing Test against New Zealand at Kanpur, the Indian team kickstarted what is going to be a long home season for them with 12 more Tests to play against 4 different opposition teams. While the series against the Kiwis will involve 3 matches including this one, India will play 5 Tests against England, 1 against Bangladesh and 4 against Australia between November 2016 and March 2017.

The Indians have always been stronger in their own backyard and the touring South African side learnt this the bitter way last year as they were thrashed 3-0 in a 4-Test series. The hosts could easily have registered a clean sweep, too, had inclement weather not forced a draw in the 2^nd Test at Bangalore.

Considering the way they have been performing in the longest version of the game of late, the expectations are very high from Team India with some even hoping for a 13-0 outcome in their favour. However, this is easier said than done and the No. 2 ranked Test team will have to play their best cricket just to register series victories against the 4 touring countries, let alone winning all the matches.

Here are 5 ways, though, which may enable India to win the domestic season by a 13-0 margin:

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#1 Preparing pitches which are ‘rank turners’

The pitches came under great scrutiny during India’s series win against South Africa last year

The credentials of Team India on spinner-friendly conditions have never been in doubt. However, the trend of preparing ‘rank turners’ for Tests played in the country, which came to the fore during the 4-0 drubbing of Australia in 2013, has only increased the home team’s dominance in recent times.

If the curators continue to dish out ‘dustbowls’ in the name of pitches during the long home season, there are high chances that the Indians may just be able to glorify themselves by winning all their 13 matches. That being said, there is also a possibility that this plan may backfire on India if the visiting spinners capitalise on favourable conditions.

Teams like New Zealand and Bangladesh have quite a few quality spinners in their ranks to give the Indian batsmen a hard time on these ‘rank turners’.

#2 Winning all their tosses

Virat Kohli has had decent luck with the coin toss

The coin toss, which takes place before the start of a match, has always held great importance in the sport of cricket. The main reason for this is the fact that it allows the captain who wins it to assess the conditions and decide whether they are better off batting or fielding.

On Indian pitches, particularly, winning the toss is imperative as a team would not want to bat last on a wearing 22-yard strip. Considering this, India will want skipper Virat Kohli to be successful in the coin toss during all their 13 Tests this season and give the team an edge even before the match begins.

It must be noted that Kohli had called correctly on all 4 occasions in the series against South Africa last year and has made a bright start to this season, too, by winning the toss in the 1^st Test against New Zealand.

#3 Employing a five-bowler strategy

Kohli has often advocated the need for playing 5 bowlers in a Test

Most captains who led India over the past couple of decades have stuck to the four-bowler formula. Virat Kohli, however, has broken away from this norm quite a few times already and yielded positive results from it in different conditions, both at home and away.

Having a full-fledged fifth bowler in the team is always helpful as it can provide valuable cover in case any of the other bowlers is struggling. In the case of Team India, they have often been unable to yield results in the past due to the unavailability of a full-time fifth bowling option.

However, with ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin performing the role of an all-rounder quite adeptly at present, skipper Kohli can easily afford to include another bowler just to give the attack an extra edge. Playing five bowlers in most of their 13 Tests this season may boost India’s chances of winning them all.

#4 Getting the troublemakers out early

The Aussie batting duo of Steve Smith and David Warner has haunted India in the past

The Indian team has had a history of struggling to bowl against particular batsmen from nearly every international team. From the Matthew Haydens to the Andy Flowers, from the Shivnarine Chanderpauls to the Saeed Anwars, some batsmen from different opposition teams punished Team India bowlers more often than not.

From among the teams that are due to tour the country over the next few months, there are a few players who have a tendency to be at their best against India. This includes players like Kane Williamson from New Zealand, Alastair Cook and Joe Root from England, David Warner and Steve Smith from Australia and Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal.

If Virat Kohli’s team can find a way to dismiss the players who have consistently been a thorn in their flesh for low scores, they will surely give themselves a great chance to inflict a series of whitewashes and end the season 13-0.

#5 Praying for the rain gods to stay away

The Bengaluru Test between India and South Africa last year had no play after the first day

Rain has been playing spoilsport for the Indian team quite a bit in recent times. The latest example of this came about during their tour to the West Indies when the fourth and final Test saw just 22 overs of play before being abandoned due to the wet weather and playing conditions.

In 2015, too, India suffered due to the heavens opening up during the 2^nd Test against the touring South Africans in Bengaluru. The match did not progress beyond Day 1 and cost the host nation an opportunity to register a whitewash in the series.

Although the country does not receive too much rain during the winter season, spells of damp weather often tend to strike unexpectedly. The Indians will have to pray that the rain gods steer away from all their venues during the ongoing season in order for them to get a shot at achieving a magical 13-0 result.