Australia vs India 2018: 4 Bowlers who can be match winners for India in Test series

India and Australia will be playing against each other in a 4 match Test series, for the iconic Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting from December 6, 2018, at Adelaide Oval. The Indian team will be looking to defend the Border Gavaskar Trophy, which they won at home after beating Australia by a 2-1 margin in 2016-17.

The detailed schedule of the Test series is as follows.

1st Test: 6th December - 10th December 2018; Venue: Adelaide Oval

2nd Test: 14th December - 18th December 2018; Venue: Perth

3rd Test: 26th December - 30th December 2018; Venue: Melbourne

4th Test: 3rd January - 7th January 2019; Venue: Sydney

India are going into the series with a very strong and balanced 18-member squad, which has a perfect mixture of youth and experience in all the departments. The Indian Test team announced for the tour is as follows:

Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane(VC), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravi Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

On paper, the Indian squad looks much stronger than their Australian counterparts. The Aussies would be fielding one of their weakest Test sides of recent times, with star players like Steve Smith and David Warner missing out. Hence many of the cricketing experts feel that it is the best chance for India to win a Test series in Australia.

If the Indian squad has to fulfil their dream of winning a Test series in Australia, the most important role has to be played by their bowlers. If the bowlers bowl well, as they did in England, and consistently pick up 20 wickets, then the current Test team can definitely create history.

In this article, let us talk about the four most important bowlers for India, who can be potential match winners in this series.

---

#4 Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah has been the latest addition to the Indian pace attack in Test matches. In his short Test career, he has already proved that he is a big match winner.

With quality inswingers, yorkers and bouncers, Bumrah has troubled almost all the top batsmen of the world. His performances in England and South Africa were very impressive.

He has the capability of picking up wickets, both with the new and the old ball. So if Bumrah is in good form, then he can definitely win India matches with the ball.

#3 Ravichandran Ashwin

India's Number 1 Spinner

Ashwin has been the biggest match winner for India in the Test matches over the last few years. Although most of his match-winning performances have come on the spinner-friendly home conditions, he will be a force to reckon with in Australia.

Ashwin's role will become very important, especially in the third Test at Melbourne and the fourth Test at Sydney, where the spinners might get some assistance from the pitch.

#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Number 1 Swing Bowler of India

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a classy swing bowler. In the pacer friendly Australian conditions, he will be leading the new ball attack for the team. His ability to swing the ball both ways makes him almost unplayable in pacer friendly conditions, especially in the initial overs.

If Bhuvneshwar can consistently take wickets upfront and produce match winning spells for India, then India can definitely win the series. However, as he is making a comeback after an injury layoff, his fitness will be a cause of concern.

#1 Ishant Sharma

Ishant is the most experienced bowler in the Indian pace attack. His previous experience of playing in Australian conditions coupled with bowling memorable spells against greats like Ponting and Hayden will make him confident of repeating his heroics in this series.

In the recently concluded Test series against England, Ishant was at his very best. If he can continue his good form in Australia, then he will surely pick up a lot of wickets and be a match-winner for his team.