India vs Australia 2017, 4th Test, Dharamsala: Predicted XI Of Virat Kohli’s Men

Feb 19, 2019 at 1:56 PM

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India vs Australia 2017, 4th Test, Dharamsala: Predicted XI Of Virat Kohli’s Men

This is it! This is where India’s glorious home season of 2016/17 ends which began with a thumping win at Kanpur in September last year, in what turned out to be a low-scoring thriller. In between, New Zealand were whitewashed, while England were bulldozed 4-0 in a five-match series. An ODI and a T20I series saw India thrashing England 2-1 on each occasion. Of course, we had Bangladesh putting on a spirited show in a one off Test which India eventually won.

Things have now come down against Australia and contrary to millions of expectations, the last game of the series will be the decider. Australia deserve credit for stretching India so far and going on to win at Pune, a thing which the Kangaroos were laughed upon not too long ago.

Virat Kohli’s India have everything to play for at Dharamsala and getting the best XI on field will be the biggest hassle. Will it be a 6-5 or 7-4 combo? But as of now, we have a look at the likely Indian XI for the fourth Test:

  1. KL Rahul:

With four half-centuries in the series so far, Rahul has silenced his critics in some style with his elegant stroke play. For India and more importantly for him to reach the next level, it’ll be imperative for Rahul to convert his half-century into a big one, which can decimate Australia with precision. Being a fluent stroke maker, Rahul should relish the prospect of batting at Dharamsala. Though he needs to be a little vigilant for the first hour or so.

  1. M. Vijay:

Dependable, classy and patient are some of the adjectives used to describe this monk. The right-hander was all at ease at Ranchi before a mistimed attempt ruined his hard-work and messed up a century for the taking. His track record against Australia has been superb to say the least and Vijay is expected to provide India a rock solid start at Dharamsala.

  1. Cheteshwar Pujara:

Pujara is that sort of a batsman who will easily be in a fresh frame of mind to bat another 525 balls if needed by the team. Post his masterclass at Ranchi, the onus remains on Pujara to pile up another big score in the decider. The most impressive aspect about the second ranked batsman in the ICC Rankings has been that he has been at ease against the pacers and has ironed out his flaws with ease.

  1. Virat Kohli (c):

India need King Kohli now more than ever as things have come down to the last Test of the series. The last time India played Australia in a must-win game, Kohli single handedly got India past the line at Mohali in late March last year, as he put on a display of mesmerizing batsman-ship. Something similar is expected from India’s captain now and he can surely take some inspiration from the man himself – Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. The Master Blaster went through a similar patch against Australia in 2003/04, before putting on a show of class and elegance at Sydney with a stellar knock of 241*.

  1. Ajinkya Rahane:

It’s obvious that Rahane prefers to play on lively and bouncy pitches rather than the traditional Indian wickets. If there is any wicket where Rahane would have wanted to bat, it would be Dharamsala surely. Despite striking form with a timely half-century at Bengaluru, Rahane wasted a start at Ranchi by playing a false shot. There would be no better occasion that the decider to redeem himself.

  1. Karun Nair:

Nair’s willow has been silent since that epic triple ton against England in December. Despite doing the hard-work and getting off to promising starts, Nair has looked nowhere near his full potential with the bat. For India to win games, Nair’s runs in the lower middle-order hold the aces. A successful show at Dharamsala from this talented batsman could see India getting a massive service.

  1. Wriddhiman Saha (wk):

Saha has sealed the debate surrounding his place in the side for good with a timely century in the Ranchi Test. Along with Pujara, his stand turned the game on its head. The management will expect a similar performance from him this time around as well. Wicket-keeping wise, he remains top notch behind the stumps.

  1. R. Ashwin:

Like Virat Kohli, the Indian side needs Ashwin to fire all cylinders at the earliest. The equation is simple indeed, when Ashwin takes wickets, India more often than not win. After struggling terribly on that last day at Ranchi, Ashwin being the genius he is, will be itching to get on the field at the picturesque venue. A bouncy hard surface could well be a boon for Ashwin as his threat will amplify if he is able to get decent bounce.

  1. Ravindra Jadeja:

Jadeja has been India’s best bowler in this series so far and has looked like taking a wicket in all his spells. He is slowly drawing parallels with Ravichandran Ashwin for being India’s lead spinner but if hosts are to win the series, the pair needs to hunt as a pack rather than individual performances. With the bat, anything he scores is bound to be priceless.

  1. Mohammad Shami:

A big reason behind India bossing New Zealand and England earlier was the presence of Mohammad Shami. The Bengal pacer picked up wickets every time he was handed the ball, be it with the fresh new cherry or with the old ball. His accuracy, pace and ability to extract swing from the surface is superb. There remains no question that if he is travelling with the team, he is bound to be a sure shot starter for the fourth Test.

  1. Umesh Yadav:

India’s unsung hero in this home season has been Umesh Yadav, with his timely dismissals. In this series so far, Umesh has been lethal as he has troubled all the Australian batsmen. Probably, he and Jadeja have looked as the only bowlers who can trouble Steven Smith. With a great venue for pacers on the cards, Umesh could well bowl India to glory.

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