4 reasons why this will be India's best chance to win a Test series in Australia

The Indian team has fared poorly outside the subcontinent
The Indian team has fared poorly outside the subcontinent

India will be heading to their next big away Test series in a couple of months to Australia following a hard-fought one in England. The gruelling English tour was followed by an easy 2-0 victory over the Windies at home.

The home series witnessed the arrival of the teenage opener, Prithvi Shaw into the international arena. All the batsmen except for KL Rahul scored runs and the bowlers especially Umesh Yadav picked up bucketloads of wickets.

However, the team management will have their task cut out to work on the shortcomings they had during the England tour as they prepare for the Australian summer. India's bowling was exceptional in England with the pacers giving a tough time to English batsmen.

Failure to score runs by the batsmen and the inconsistency were the major reasons for India's defeat on English soil. On the other hand, Australia is still on their path to recovery after the ball tampering incident in South Africa at the beginning of 2018.

Their recent tour to UAE against Pakistan highlights the weaknesses of the current team. Their experiment with Finch as an opener has been successful. Although, the middle order batting woes and the fitness issues will hunt them when India lands in Australia.

Every team holds their advantage at home with the familiar playing conditions and crowd support. Australia won't be different in this aspect even in the absence of some of the key players.

They will be a formidable side at home irrespective of their recent Test record. However, by the looks of it, this will be the best chance for India to win a Test series in Australia. Let's have a look at the top four reasons why this is possible for Kohli and his men:


#4 The recent performance of fast bowlers

Bumrah was fantastic in England
Bumrah was fantastic in England

The fast bowlers comprising of Bhuvaneswar Kumar, Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammad Shami have been exceptional in the recent away tours to South Africa and England.

These fast bowlers managed to take 20 wickets during most Tests on the above two tours. It is not about those wickets but also the discipline and accuracy they brought in their bowling that has been phenomenal.

Umesh Yadav's bowling against West Indies in Indian conditions shows the progress the pacers are making in these last couple of years. India also has an option of using Hardik Pandya to pitch in with valuable contributions with the ball.

The pace bowlers accounted for 50 wickets in South Africa and 61 in England. India will expect the pacers to come into action once again in the Australian conditions to take the bulk of the wickets.

#3 India's batting strength

Kohli will look to continue his majestic form
Kohli will look to continue his majestic form

The team has given an opportunity to young Prithvi Shaw in the series against West Indies dropping the experienced Dhawan after a miserable series in England. Shaw did make use of the series and is all set to travel to Australia as well.

The only worry for India will be the form of KL Rahul, who has been struggling this year except for a couple of good innings. However, Rahul's record is good in Australia and will give him some confidence to score runs.

Pujara and Rahane have scored runs in England and against the West Indies, but consistency has been their issue in recent times. Virat Kohli has been the pillar of Indian batting in the last couple of years and scored runs in South Africa and England as well.

If Pujara and Rahane regain their consistency, the team won't have significant issues to worry about in the middle order. The promising form of wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant will also add strength to the batting at number six.

The all-rounders Hardik Pandya, R Jadeja, and R Ashwin will compete for the two positions 7 and 8. Jadeja has done well in the opportunities he got with bat and ball in England as well as against West Indies.

With all of them capable of contributing with the bat, the management will have the options to choose depending on the conditions of play. Bhuvaneswar Kumar is also another allrounder who can add vital runs down the order. The depth of batting will work in India's favour in the series.

#2 The absence of Steve Smith and David Warner

Smith and Warner are serving their bans after the pair was found guilty of ball tampering
Smith and Warner are serving their bans after the pair was found guilty of ball tampering

The Australian batting mainstays will be out of action due to the 12-month ban after the ball tampering incident in March 2018 in South Africa. The duo scored heavily when the Indians visited last time.

Thus far, finding proper replacements for Warner and Smith has been a herculean task for selectors and management. Australia is in a rebuilding process of the team under the new captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer.

The batting collapses in the last two Test matches against Pakistan shows the amount of work to be done in the batting department. The success of Finch-Khawaja opening should have come in handy, but an injury during the Pakistan series may rule Khawaja out of the series.

Marsh brothers and Tim Paine also failed with the bat while Finch and Travis Head were the only ones who found some success in UAE.

#1 Fitness concerns of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins

The Australian seamers will hold key
The Australian seamers will hold key

The injuries and fitness of Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will be another important issue which will affect the outcome of the Test series. Though they are expected to be fit for the series, we may have to wait to see how the workload during the series will take a toll on them.

Mitchell Starc was back in the team against Pakistan. However, he didn't make much of an impact. Veteran bowler Peter Siddle will be another backup option along with Mitchell Marsh and the other sets of fast bowlers Australia has.

Nathan Lyon will be accountable for the spin bowling department once again, but, Indian batsmen's ability to play spin well will make things tough for him.

The series will be once again the battle between Indian batsmen and Australian bowlers. Kohli and co. will get plenty of time to adapt to the conditions as they play the T20 series and ODIs ahead of the Test matches.

India has a big chance to win the series here in Australia which considering the factors favouring them and therefore should grab them with both hands.

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