Indian captain Virat Kohli has admitted that the current Australia team will be tougher to beat in the Test series. He compared the present Australian squad to the 2018-19 squad and said that the Indian team will have to show the same competitiveness if not more than what they showed in the limited-overs.
India had beaten Australia 2-1 in the Tests on their last visit during the 2018-19 season. Back then, the Aussies were missing David Warner and Steve Smith who was both serving suspensions for the ball-tampering scandal were involved in early 2018 in South Africa.
However this time, India is set to miss the in-form Hardik Pandya who has been proving his worth in every game now. Pandya stepped up his game in every match and proved to be a valuable finisher. He even showed an ability to bat deep and patiently in the ODIs. This made some experts call for his inclusion as a pure batsman.
The Indian captain, however, took the call of dropping the all-rounder citing his struggle with bowling. The skipper said that if Pandya wants to play he has to play as a proper all-rounder. But as Pandya admitted himself, his bowling is not game-ready yet.
"Hardik has been outstanding...we have found someone who can finish the games for us… but Test cricket is a different challenge. We need him to bowl to provide balance to the (Test) team. If you have seen (Test series) in South Africa and England, his bowling gave the team that balance. He will be available for Tests only as a pure all-rounder," said Kohli in the post-series media interaction.
Talking about the Test series with Australia, Indian skipper added, "We have to be competitive. They are a stronger side this time around. We will have to be more competitive and strong in our head and have the belief that we can build on the momentum and take it into the Test series."
Kohli added that while Australia is a tough place to bat, especially against the quality home pace bowlers, the country also provides an opportunity for batsmen to score runs.
Kohli said that you just need to show more discipline in Tests than in limited-overs cricket.
The India Test specialists are already playing for India A against an Australia A that also comprises some of Australia's Test regulars.
While India's experienced Test specialists like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane scored runs, the young openers failed. Both Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw got ducks in the first innings and could make just 29 and 19 respectively in the second innings.
