Banking on West Indies series positives for Australia tour gains

Australia is not going to be an easy tour and certainly not for youngsters. Experience will count. I think they could have tried out a few guys in the final match.
India will face Australia in the first T20 International on November 21
India will face Australia in the first T20 International on November 21

CHENNAI: After the 3-0 series whitewash against the West Indies, India’s stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma believes the side can carry the winning momentum to Australia, where they play three T20Is, four Tests and three ODIs starting later this month.

Even though the focus will be on the Test series that begins on December 6 after the T20Is, Rohit felt India would not be complacent in the shortest format. “When you win a series, you are high on confidence and it is all about taking that confidence there. We have to keep repeating the performances. It is a never-ending story,” he said.

The Men in Blue’s T20 record in the past has been impressive. Since 2011, India have won nine of the 15 matches against South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia at their home. When India last toured Australia in 2016, they defeated the hosts 3-0, with all three matches witnessing India scoring 180-plus. Against the Aussies in their home conditions, India have a 4-2 record in T20s.

“Australia will be a different ball game. It’s always challenging when it comes to going out there and performing. Every time you go there, you are tested as a player, as an individual and as a team. We ticked a lot of boxes (in this series). I am happy with how we fielded. In batting and bowling, there will be mistakes and there will be some good performances. But I think we did well in fielding.”

The opener heaped praised on Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant, who ended their dry patch with knocks of 92 and 58 in the final T20I. It was the first fifty for Dhawan in the eight innings that he played across formats in the West Indies series.

“It was important from the team’s perspective and for the players to get some runs ahead of Australia tour. Shikhar was batting well in ODIs but was not able to get big scores. I am glad that he could play a match-winning knock before the crucial tour. Rishabh was also hungry to go out and get some runs. It was the perfect situation.”

The home series also provided India a chance to test Krunal Pandya in the absence of first-choice all-rounder Hardik. The 27-year-old spinner shone with the bat on debut and had a moderate outing with the ball conceding 78 runs in 12 overs. Rohit said the team will benefit from ‘fearless’ players like him.
“Krunal is a street-smart cricketer who is never afraid on the field. I’m impressed with how he approached these three games. He has got great ability to play for India for a long time. He is fearless like his brother (Hardik). At the end of the day, we need characters. You need players like Hardik, Krunal who are not afraid to express themselves.”

Though the team has a strong top-order, former opener and India coach Anshuman Gaekwad feels inexperience in the middle is cause for concern. Pant, Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey combined have played only three T20s in Australia.

“Australia is not going to be an easy tour and certainly not for youngsters. Experience will count. I think they could have tried out a few guys in the final match. Fortunately, Shikhar has come good. Middle-order is something the selectors would have thought of it and this was the best opportunity,” Gaekwad said.

srinidhi@newindianexpress.com

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