Team India will face Australia in the upcoming 4-match Test series beginning 17th December. Team India's performance in the ongoing tour to Australia has been mixed as the Men in Blue won the T20I series but lost the ODI series against the Kangaroos.
Most of the players, especially Indian bowlers, looked rusty in the ODIs. Though the Australian players had a forgettable IPL season, they managed to bounce back and deliver good performances for their country. However, it should be noted that team India had shown a rather poor form during their last overseas tour to New Zealand and after 8 months of cricketing inactivity owing to Covid-19 pandemic, rustiness was more or less expected.
With the test squads declared by both the teams on Thursday, let's take a look at the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and the Threats to the Indian Team.
Strengths
Team India may have struggled with their bowling attack in the ODIs but considering the track record of current Indian bowlers with the red ball, they clearly are the favourites.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami displayed excellent form against Australia in the previous test series.
However, Ishant Sharma’s notable absence has weekend the bowling attack though the addition of Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj have levelled up a bit.
Weaknesses
India’s batting order is looking turbulent and frail and is undoubtedly the biggest weakness of the team.
With Indian talisman Virat Kohli set to leave for home after the first test match, the batting order will take a big hit in the top order. Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul are expected to lead the top order and Rohit Sharma might join them after the first two matches.
Players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane will have the responsibility on their shoulders to carry the weight of the middle order. However, Pujara has not played much cricket since the COVID-19 break and is lacking match practice. Rahane, on the other hand, had a forgettable IPL season with the Delhi Capitals. Similarly, right-handed batsman, Hanuma Vihari lacks experience as well as match practice but is expected in the line-up.
This line-up will need its A-game to give Australia a real run for its money.
Opportunities
This series will have great opportunities for Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw.
After some sluggish performances both, Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw have seen a dip in their form. This series would test their metal and play an important role in their careers further ahead.
KL Rahul is another player who will be seeking to benefit from the good performance against the Aussies. Rahul is returning to test squad after a long time and will have the opportunity to bat in the middle order after Virat Kohli departs.
Threats
The biggest threat to Team India comes from the lack of match practice this year as far as Test matches are concerned.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no player in the current squad has played test match except the warm-up matches with the Australia A this week.
The team also has many youngsters who have never played a test match on the Australian soil previously.
In contrast, the Australians have a full-strength squad with Steve Smith returning and David Warner expected to return after the first match, making the inexperience of Indian players a big threat.
Thus, this test series comes as a big challenge for Team India. The first ICC World Test Championship match between Australia and India will start on 17th December.
