Glenn McGrath feels India will not hold any fear coming to Australia as they used to after having won their first Test series Down Under on the previous tour in 2018-19.
Glenn McGrath knows that when he plied his trade, between the early 1990s and late 2000s, India didn’t have much to show in Tests matches Down Under, apart from the 1-1 draw in 2003-04 under current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy when Glenn McGrath himself didn’t play. The current team is buoyant, and the 2-1 win two years ago is regarded as Virat Kohli’s finest achievement as India skipper.
Glenn McGrath (Photo Credit: Getty Images.)
Glenn McGrath: Virat Kohli’s Absence Will Have Impact As He Is Worth 2 Players As Batsman And As Skipper
Things though are different this time around as it will be India’s first international series since February after their tour to New Zealand and Virat Kohli will play only the first Test.
Kohli will miss the next three Tests to return home to be with wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child. His absence apart, India will also face the duo of David Warner and Steve Smith, who didn’t play in the last Australi-India Test series in 2018-2019 due to the ball-tampering ban. They will be trying hard to make an impact, while the new star in-form Marnus Labuschagne will be another challenge for the Indian bowlers.
Glenn McGrath sees the challenge of Virat Kohli’s absence as an opportunity.
“It will impact the series. The player of his quality and class, for India to lose him in three out of four Tests is a big blow,” he said.
“It will be for the other players to step up. I can totally understand him wanting to go back for his first child’s birth,” McGrath said in a select media interaction.
Cheteshwar Pujara (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“Kohli is worth two players; one, as a batsman and two, as the captain, setting the field with his energy and attitude. Australia would want to dominate the series and level the ledger. They have Smith and Warner back,” said the Australian.
Virat Kohli’s captaincy and batting was a big factor in India’s win last time. He scored 282 runs in 4 matches. Another major reason contributing to India’s win was the resilience of Test mainstay specialist Cheteshwar Pujara, who topped the aggregates with 521 runs in four matches, averaging a staggering 74.42.
“The thing he did so well last time was that he occupied the crease. He spent time in the middle just batting. He is a kind of batsman who doesn’t feel pressure when not scoring runs. That’s unique in the modern era where there are batsmen who would want to score runs after one maiden over,” McGrath said.
“The fact that he hasn’t spent time in the middle, hasn’t had lot of long batting time, is going to have a big impact,” the pacer added.
Cheteshwar Pujara was not part of IPL. The India No.3’s last competitive match was in March when Saurashtra beat Bengal in the Ranji Trophy final.
Glenn McGrath: First Test Is Going To Be Interesting As India Haven’t Played Day-Night Test In Australia
Glenn McGrath feels a lot will depend on how the teams start the Test series, a day-night one in Adelaide from December 17, which will begin after the three-match ODI and T20I series, starting November 27.
“That first Test is going to be interesting. That is a day-night Test. India haven’t played a day-night Test in Australia. At night, with the sun setting, it will probably start favoring the fast bowlers. It will be about timing, when you are bowling or batting,” McGrath said.
“As far as other batsmen are concerned, Rohit Sharma is a quality batsman who hasn’t achieved at the Test level what he should be achieving. Maybe when Virat goes home, he might just step up and show what he can do. You can’t just focus on one player. You have Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul. India has a strong batting line-up.”
Both teams feature top fast bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah topped the tally with 21 wickets the last time. Australian spinner Nathan Lyon also took 21 wickets while another Indian pacer Mohammed Shami picked up 16.
“In early days, Indian batsmen weren’t used to the extra pace and bounce Australian wickets had. You wouldn’t say there was real fear, but it was not something they were used to. I don’t think Australian wickets have the same pace and bounce. But it’s still quicker than in India, ” he added.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (Image Credit: Getty Images.)
“Umesh Yadav’s got raw pace, Mohammed Shami has great control and swings the ball both ways and Bumrah is just class. Then Pat Cummins is the No.1 bowler in the world. He runs in all day, always gives 100 per cent. Then you have left-arm Mitchell Starc. When he gets it right, he can pick four-five wickets at a go,” he added.
“Not to take anything away from the Indian fast bowlers of the past. These guys have a slightly different mindset… The confidence of the current generation sets them apart,” he added.
Ishant Sharma who picked 11 wickets from 3 Tests though isn’t there this time due to injury but can be added on successful recovery. Glenn McGrath says that the Indian pacers from the current generation have confidence which sets them apart from the past generation.
