Top 4 run scorers from the current Indian team at the Adelaide Oval

Australia v India - Preview Press Conference
Australia v India - Preview Press Conference

The Adelaide Oval is all set to host the first Test match between India and Australia on 6 December 2018. Both the teams have arrived in Adelaide and are practising hard to try and grab the initial momentum in the four-match series.

Away tours have never been happy times for most of the Indian batsmen, and usually it's no different in Australia as well. However, there are a few batsmen in the current Indian team who have scored heavily Down Under.

KL Rahul, Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant will be playing their first Test match at the Oval, and must be eager to prove their skills in the challenging conditions. Rahul had another failure in the first innings of the practice game at SCG, but he scored a half-century in the second to gain some momentum before the first Test.

Vihari also scored a half-century in the middle order and remained unbeaten in the second innings. But Pant didn't get enough time to stay in the middle as the lower order collapsed at SCG.

With one more day to go for the exciting series to start, let's have a look at which of the batsmen have performed well at the Adelaide Oval on previous tours.

4. Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane needs to convert his starts into a big score
Rahane needs to convert his starts into a big score

India's vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is at the fourth position with a total of 62 runs in the only match he played at Adelaide Oval.

Rahane started with a brilliant half-century in the first innings in 2014, but followed that by a duck in the second innings. Nathan Lyon was the bowler who dismissed him twice in the match.

Rahane is due for a long innings in the middle order for India. He has started well in many matches, but failed to convert too many of them into big scores.

The tour of England was also disappointing for him as he didn't play as per his skills. He would be looking for one big innings at Adelaide Oval to regain his form and momentum and stabilize India's middle order batting in the process.

3. Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara

The number three batsman Cheteswar Pujara occupies the third position in the list. He scored 94 runs in his first match at Adelaide, with a highest score of 73 and an average of 47.

Pujara is another batsman in the current Indian team who had an excellent start at Adelaide in the 2014 series, but couldn't convert it into a big score.

Puraja will have a significant role to play in the upcoming series. Considering the Australian pace bowling attack led Mitchell Starc and their ability to take wickets early in the innings, his skills and stay in the middle will be vital for India to recover from an early collapse.

He will also be looking forward to playing a long innings at the Oval.

2. Murali Vijay

India Test Opener Murali Vijay
India Test Opener Murali Vijay

India's opening batsman Murali Vijay stands just behind Virat Kohli with 152 runs in his only match at Adelaide. He averages 76 with two half-centuries.

Vijay missed out a well deserved century in 2014 when Nathan Lyon dismissed him for 99 in the second innings. He showed his class and skills during the innings played in challenging conditions, and would be eyeing the three-digit score on his comeback match for India.

Vijay, who didn't play the last three Test matches in England and the home series against West Indies, is making a comeback to the playing XI due to an injury to Prithvi Shaw. He didn't bat in the first innings at SCG in the practice game against Cricket Australia XI, but he opened the innings along with KL Rahul in the second and scored a brilliant century.

The Adelaide Test will be another opportunity for him to cement his place at the top order, especially since Rahul struggled as an opener against England and West Indies.

1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli

The Indian captain tops the run charts with 394 runs in two matches at an average of 98.5. Adelaide is one of his favorite grounds in Australia, where he has hit three centuries in four innings with a highest score of 141.

Kohli would be looking to equal the number of centuries scored by Sachin Tendulkar in Australia when he steps out to bat at the Oval in the first Test match.

Considering Kohli's recent form in Test cricket and his record at the Adelaide Oval, we can expect another big score from him in the first Test. He batted remarkably well at SCG in the practice game and was looking set for another hundred. He would be looking forward to continuing the momentum and scoring the way he did in his previous matches at the Oval.

None of the other batsmen in the current Indian has scored more than 50 runs at Adelaide. Rohit Sharma has scored 49 at an average of 24.5 and all-rounder R Ashwin has only 20 runs against his name.

It has been four years since the last tour to Australia, and all the top four batsmen have played plenty of Test cricket away from home in that time. They have matured over the years and will be looking to display a strong performance this time around.

Let's wait and see who will emerge as India's top scorer at Adelaide in the 2018 series.

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Quick Links

Edited by Musab Abid